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baekhyunniee

United States

baekhyunniee

United States
Completed
Love Life Light
4 people found this review helpful
Mar 3, 2024
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5

Emotional movie that touches on life and death

If you've seen the trailer, you may think this is a mystery/horror movie but don't be fooled. There are two arcs in this: first half fools you into thinking its horror and the latter half is emotional and a real tearjerker.

Basic rundown of this story without spoilers: the female lead notices her neighbors being weird and tries to find out the reason. There is also a strange light shop down the street that she is suspicious of. She works with her boyfriend to discover the truth. The director does a good job using color to portray the mood of the scene- using dark contrast for the "horror" and warm tones for other scenes. Additionally, the metaphor of using lightbulbs to represent human life is the heart of this movie. Characters enter the light shop to get their lightbulb, others don't have one, and some choose to give up their lightbulb.

You can tell they had a good budget and spent a lot of effort and time to create this movie. The transition between scenes and flashbacks was so smooth, you get pulled into the story even more.

There were a lot of familiar faces in this: Zhang Ruo Nan, Bai Yu Fan, Zheng Kai (cameo), Sun Qian, and Liu Yi Jun. They really embraced their characters. Bai Yu Fan and Zhang Ruo Nan's emotional scenes especially broke me. I was bawling at the end of the movie.

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Completed
A Familiar Stranger
2 people found this review helpful
Oct 2, 2022
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

Only 18 eps, at 16 minutes per episode! Very fast-paced and good romance!

As an 18-episode drama, this has incredibly fast pacing, and this is not meant in a bad way. The writer does not waste time at all, moving from one main plot point to another. The scenes move very smoothly with good transitions between scenes. The soundtrack is really nice and the editing team did a great job adding them to certain scenes.

The storyline is more so focused on Shi Qi hiding her true identity rather than the political plotting to get the Crown Prince title. Romance-wise, there are plenty of cute/heart fluttering moments between Shi Qi and Xiao Han Sheng. I highly recommend trying if you're into the forced marriage and secret identity trope. Plus the I-met-you-before-but-you-don't-recognize-me trope? (if that is even one, lol). The mystery element of this drama would be finding out why Shi Qi got her face swapped. When the reason is revealed, I was a bit surprised, which is good cause plot twist! I do have to say I lowered my rating a bit because of the finale. I'm not sure how rational it was for such an ending.

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Completed
Through the Darkness
30 people found this review helpful
Mar 14, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.5

How criminal profiling came to be in South Korea

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

This drama is based on a nonfiction book written by South Korea's first criminal profiler. Given this, most of the cases (all except one in which I am unsure of) are based on true cases in S. Korea. The storyline is straightforward and goes in chronological order, like a documentary, and has several time jumps to show the years passed. There were a handful of slow moments but with only 12 episodes, they weren't too bad. I overlooked them for the tight story development, superb acting, and perfect OST and BGM. Some people complain that it's too slow but this is based on true events- the writer of this drama can only dramaticize it so far. I'm glad they stick to the facts to stay true to the true cases while adding some thrill/suspense in catching the killer. While the characters don't go deep into psychological analysis of the criminals, we can still tell they are paying attention the personality characteristics of the killers and using them to study and prevent others. The production paid close attention to detail in recreating the horrid things that occurred in the crimes especially the Raincoat killer and Southwestern serial killer. It was quite informative to learn how criminal profiling came to be accepted in criminal investigations in Korea. Who would have expected them to start in early 2000s?

I cannot leave without commending Kim Nam Gil who is amazing as Song Ha Young. I have no words for how he portrayed the disgust and anger from having to interview serial killers in jail. His breakdown later in the drama was heartbreaking and I shed a few tears for him in empathy. The rest of the cast were all great too. The bromance between Ha Young and Chief Kook (plus Woo Joo!) was cute and lightened up the otherwise super dark, heavy drama based on true crimes. I really ate up all the rare interactions between Ha Young and Chief Kook. Do give this a shot if you love crime dramas!

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Completed
Crime Puzzle
10 people found this review helpful
Dec 14, 2021
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 1.5
This review may contain spoilers

Great start, then downhill for me

I was so excited when the subs were finally out and quickly started binging. I honestly enjoyed the fast-paced plot development and amazing acting and OST, but around episodes 7-8, I started to get frustrated and annoyed with how the writer took the story.

With an intriguing plot taking place in a prison and with a criminal profiler, I was pulled into this 10-episode drama. They began it quickly and introduced important characters well. I was held in suspense as I learned more about the secrets of Professor Han as the puzzle pieces were revealed. As it is rated R, there was a lot, A LOT, of blood and violence- even more than what you'd see in OCN dark dramas so you've been warned. I wondered at times if that was really necessary, if it was a tad overboard. That wasn't the killing point for me though. It was the plot development.

While it continued to be fast-paced, the bad guys kept winning. I prefer my crime suspense dramas to be more of a win-lose-win formula but this one was just lose-lose-lose-partial win. When the bad guys keep winning, as a viewer, I got upset and frustrated. Witnesses would get killed over and over again. Close loved ones would die. Practically nothing was in Professor Han's favor, up until the finale. The Violent Crimes team with Yu Hee was essentially useless to Professor Han. They were just plot devices to reveal more about the full puzzle. Despite suspecting a mole in the team, Yu Hee continued to disclose confidential info to them, causing witnesses to be killed. And every time, they got away with it. The logic just didn't really make sense halfway through.

As for characters, Yoon Gye Sang did phenomally as Professor Han. I have no complaints. He's the only reason I pushed through these 10 hours. He showed the anger, grief, sadness, helplessness, so on... perfectly on point. My heart ached for him when his loved ones were killed. This man went through so much and had to seek revenge himself too. His two sidekicks and Doctor Min Jae in prison were more helpful than everyone else outside. Speaking of them, these actors were amazing and I loved seeing their scenes. I loved it when Min Jae would call Professor Han "Hyung-nim." The acting of Go Ah Sung was alright, though her crying scenes were a bit stiff. As Yu Hee, she seemed to either be shocked or crying- not much else.

I would not recommend this unless you want to feel frustrated until the very end.

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Completed
Remembrance of Things Past
4 people found this review helpful
Aug 10, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 8.5

Slice of life drama with tight storyline, raw emotions, and relatable moments

I decided to try this drama after hearing about its high ratings on Douban, and boy am I glad I did! I went into it not knowing anything about the plot (the one on MyDramalist really spoils quite a bit of the storyline) so I was really blown away by how it started. It pulled me right into the plot and dragged me along for the ride. I unconsciously started a binge and caught up to ten episodes in a matter of days. If you don't already know, it's about three friends who deal with the aftermath and grief of losing their best friend while going through the ups and downs of their lives in the big city of Beijing . There are focuses on several topics relevant to many of us today: romantic relationships between an older woman and a younger man, interpersonal relationships in the office workplace, and mental health. That's all I'll say to not spoil.

Moving on, I definitely have to talk about the acting of this cast. The producer really did a stellar job in casting. Everyone embodies their roles to the point. Zhou Yu Tong is amazing with the raw emotions she conveys at her work and when losing her best friend, Jing Jing. I only saw of her in another idol romance drama and that didn't impress me BUT in this drama, she is perfect. Her crying scenes get me teary-eyed. Every. Time. Her romance line with Bai Yu Fan is super duper cute and I smile every time they come on screen. Then, I have to applaud Ren Su Xi because she cracked me up multiple times and her emotional scenes were just as impactful. No wonder she's a well-known film actress. As for Sun Qian, she was good as well, though her character did get on my nerves many times (guess that means she's really embodying her character right?) Also, I can't end this without mentioning the actress who plays Hu Jing Jing. She doesn't have as much screen time as the rest of the cast cause her character passed away, but she really conveyed the emotions of Jing Jing that I felt for her. The personality of being strong even though she was having a bad day herself. I hope these actors get more recognition after this drama.

Overall, this is a drama with concise writing and plot development as things never got draggy and they split the screen time well between the three arcs. They not only show how each of the lead actresses face their work and love lives, they also slowly reveal the secrets of Jing Jing and what led up to her death. I am so glad it's a 12-episode drama and hope more works like this will be made in the future of C drama world.

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Completed
Summer Again
17 people found this review helpful
Jul 17, 2021
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

A personal favorite youth Chinese drama of 2021!

Went into this drama feeling hopeful after seeing a MV of the leads and I am so glad I gave this drama a try! There are so many youth Chinese dramas out there that I thought this would no different, however, I was wrong. There are familiar setups and tropes but it's refreshing because of the main cast and the charms they bring to their characters. Moreover, the writing brings the realism of being a teen and the conflicts that come up such as wanting to fit in (be someone you're not), finding your dream (being forced to fulfill another person's wishes), being true to yourself (loving yourself and who you are)... and so many more. Plus just the romance and innocence of being in your 17s.

To add, how rare is it to find a Chinese youth drama that has a female lead that DOESN'T have a bob cut?? That was one of the unique factors hat drew me in. Plus, the male lead isn't your typical smart class leader or "bad boy" who has low scores. And the secondary couple!! Very comedic banter and sweet scenes between those two as well.

I have to say that these four actors are the ones carrying the drama, otherwise this youth drama would be no different than the many others that are released every year in China. Their acting is on point to their characters, bringing them to life even if there are some stiff/awkward moments but it's understandable since they are all new. I especially love Lin Nan Yi's smiles and Wang Yu Ming's personality. Bonus point is that their voices aren't dubbed! Another rare occurance in Chinese drama land.

Speaking of the plot though, I have to give a warning that towards the end, you can tell the writer is trying very hard to push the plot in a certain direction and use certain tropes that we are all familiar with in youth romance dramas. It's not subtle at all and feels quite forced, but it's not too bad. It only made me drop the Plot score by 0.5. I can overlook it because of the main cast's acting, chemistry, and romance. It only happens a handful of times through the storyline anyway. Also, on the bright side, there are NO stupid misunderstandings that drag out the plot. It's quite fast-paced.

A bonus would be the OST of this drama. I love several of them and they fit the scenes so, so well. I definitely have those songs saved for replays. The upbeat ones are my favorites but they also match the youthfulness of the cast so I

Happy that it finished off well. Will keep an eye out on the main cast for sure.

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Completed
Ugly Beauty
13 people found this review helpful
May 21, 2021
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 9
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 5.5

Decent romance that may be worth your time

Pretty good overall!? The pacing and plot development is pretty good. Since it's only 24 episodes in total, I am glad things are going quickly in terms of plot. There are some parts where it feels like it's happening quite fast and other times where it's a bit draggy. There is a plot twist at the end (last two episodes) but it didn't really feel like it. There wasn't much suspense leading up to it, so I didn't feel the shock of the twist. It was more like "oh... okay." But the ending was happy and rather touching at a point.

Besides, the romance aspect is worth the watch. A light romance with good humor. I find myself breaking into a smile because of some of the scenes/dialogue. To add, the OST is beautiful and the main cast is not dubbed!! ❤

The female lead has great chemistry with both male actors and plays the two roles quite well that I can differentiate between the two. I've never watched her before but she's good (not awkward at all). She is especially good at the emotional/tense scenes cause you can see the emotions in her eyes. I already ship her with Chen Mo as Xiao Mu. ?Their scenes are so cute and comedic. I find myself laughing/smiling unconsciously. The actor who plays Chen Mo is a bit stiff at times with his facial expressions and body language but he's still decent. So, I would definitely say the FL is carrying the drama compared to the rest of the cast.

The writer tried to add some angst when the lead couple had a conflict but it didn't really land. The mood felt kind of forced. I honestly like them better when they are being funny and bantering with another. And then the writer also attempted to put conflict between the twins, which worked, but the resolution was a bit too rushed for my liking. Meng Gui's sudden 365 in attitude in the last episode was a bit jarring but I'll take it since everyone got a happy ending.

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Completed
A Love for Dilemma
0 people found this review helpful
May 3, 2021
42 of 42 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 3.5
This review may contain spoilers

Cannot be compared to A Little Reunion

When they started releasing information and pictures of this drama, I was excited and hopeful. Could it be as good as A Little Reunion? I sure hoped so! The trailer seemed good and the actors seemed experienced. However, it was quite disappointing.

Plot: There are two primary focuses in this drama- schooling and complex families. Tian Yu Lan's family is strict on pushing the kid to tutoring sessions after class while Nan Li is the opposite and lenient on her children. It raises questions on how hard you should be pushing your children so that they can succeed in the future and whether you should be constantly comparing your children to others. "Do only smart children deserve to be loved?" is a question raised. In contrast to A Little Reunion, the children are in primary school (5th/6th grade) and their parents are worried about the middle school they're going to enter soon.

Then, the topic of complex families is shown with Nan Li being the biological daughter of Nan Jian Long and Tian Yu Lan being his step-daughter. Auntie Cai was the mistress that caused Nan Li's parents to divorce, which causes rifts between the two women. The drama begins right away to show you how they cannot get along with another and you'll see how this is resolved later on. Be prepared for lots of drama when they have a showdown at the dinner table or wherever. I would say the plot development and pacing is decent but it could be better. There were some areas that were not as smooth when switching between the two topics.

Characters: They were all alright, but not really relatable. It felt more dramatized for entertainment. They didn't feel like real people that existed out there. It's not to say the acting was bad, but it felt like they were characters- and not people. Tian Yu Lan and Auntie Cai got annoying at some points of the drama. They acted self-righteous and like the whole world wronged them and deserved better even though they did break up a family. They resorted to some extreme (and quite embarrassing) lengths just to get Zi You into a special class. And talking about annoying characters, Huan Huan was a spoiled kid. She got low grades but would rather play than work hard to improve. She has some moral/character issues as you will see near the end of the drama through her actions toward Mi Tao. I felt really bad for Mi Tao who was told to suck it up and be the bigger person.

Acting: I enjoyed most of the acting, except Huan Huan's. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the casting of the younger characters, especially Huan Huan. She was annoying and I couldn't help but cringe whenever she cried or yelled back at her parents. Her eyes didn't really carry the emotion of the scene, so when she screamed, it broke the tension/mood of the scene. Maybe I'm just being picky with her since I am no expert. The other young actors were fine though. I truly emphasized with Mi Tao. It's the sad reality that introverted people lose out to the extroverted ones in this society. The main cast, excluding the children, were seasoned actors that I have seen before so I didn't have any problems. There were some emotional scenes that made me cry, so they did convey the lines well for that to happen.

Music: The only reason I rated it so high is because I love Zhou Shen's voice. He sang the ending song and it's amazing. They play it throughout the drama too, and the high notes are beautiful. Check if out if you have not already!

Rewatch Value: Sorry, I do not usually rewatch but this will definitely not be worth it. 42 hours would be better spent on A Little Reunion instead. I had to speed some scenes up because some scenes felt too slow and some were just scenery with BGM.

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Completed
To Love
29 people found this review helpful
Nov 28, 2020
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 17
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.5

One of the hidden gems of 2020 with unique storytelling, beautiful music, and amazing acting

I haven't watched many really good and captivating Chinese dramas this year, but this one made the cut!

To Love has a unique way of storytelling as it shows the perspectives of both Xiao Ou and Yan Jin so viewers can piece the full story together for the first 14 episodes. Then the remaining episodes continue with the present timeline as the leads work to solve the murder of Zhan Yu. The writer does an excellent job of introducing and developing the story and slowly divulging more facts. I am happy to say that the writer does not disappoint with the pacing even though this is a 40-episode drama. The drama shows that every character has their faults, that no one can be perfect, as some show personal growth. As for the ending... it may not be the ending many of us wished for, but I think the writer did well to stick to the original novel. If you are hardcore HE watchers though, this may not be a drama for you.

Anyways, the directing and cinematography are really well done, transitioning smoothly between scenes and creating an element of suspense/drama too. It is clear that they spent a good amount of money on producing this drama as the locations are beautiful and the sets and props are very realistic. There is also barely any PPL :) And the soundtrack is SO BEAUTIFUL, matching perfectly to the mood of every scene. Props to whoever decided the BGM because the score maximizes the tone and emotions of each scene. The music definitely helped pull at my heart and draw some tears to my eyes. Another thing worth mentioning is that this drama does not have any dubbing (except for the "live" singing) and kept the real voices of every actor!! I wish every drama could do this, so I don't have to see anymore cringey dubbing.

On that note, the leads have AMAZING chemistry. They look so cute on screen and the dating rumors make it even more so! I have seen Li Geng Xin in Princess Agents so I know he's a pretty good actor, so I have no complaints in the way he portrayed Yan Jin with a good amount of confident, cocky, and sweet. I love his bromance interactions with Zhao Ting Hui (even though ZTH was frustrating at first) and Cheng Rui Min. The lead actress is a new face to me, but she is pretty good, so no complaints with her either. Her emotional range is as good as LGX, with her heartbroken teary eyes. The supporting actor playing Zhan Yu is great too. He is a relatively new actor but I can see his potential. Not only does he have a handsome appearance but his acting is good too, drawing my empathy for his character's unfortunate family background. I'll definitely keep an eye out for his future projects.

And that concludes my review. I hope this was relatively helpful to you who is reading this.
To all of our first encounters and last partings... :')

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Completed
Love You Forever
9 people found this review helpful
Oct 20, 2020
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Heartbreaking time travel fantasy romance drama

After waiting months for this to be available online, I have finally watched it!! It thankfully met my expectations from watching the trailer and the MVs. You think it's the usual time travel plotline but it's different in a way. It is pretty refreshing watch since I've never seen this kind of time travel used (might just be me though).

Plot:
Our male lead goes back in time (in a way) to save the life of the woman he loves. As a consequence, he ages and is forgotten every time he resets the timeline. He does this multiple times and it's utterly heartbreaking. I feel so bad for him and his ill-fated love with Qiu Qian. The entire movie goes back and forth between present and past as Qiu Qian unravels the truth by reading his journal as he lies in the hospital unconscious. I won't spoil the ending since I've already said too much but definitely a bittersweet one. If you want to watch a fluffy happy ending, do not try this. This will not be right for you. On the other hand, if you're down for sad-ish ones, please do watch this! (prepare a few tissues)

Cast/Acting:
Excellent, amazing, fantastic.. I ran out of compliments. This is my first time seeing the male lead but he was so great. The emotional scenes when he cries just broke my heart. He made me cry a few times, especially when he talks with his dad. And as for Li Yi Tong, I've seen her around but this is my first time seeing on her on the big screen as well. She did just as great and the chemistry between these two leads were off the charts. They looked so cute and sweet together, so it really hurt to see them suffering. The supporting cast were awesome too.

Music:
Wow, the songs are just beautiful. I believe there are two? One by Aska Yang and the other sung by our very own male lead who plays Lin Ge. Both are very fitting songs for this movie, especially Aska's that was played in a scene.

Rewatch Value:
Just random since I don't usually rewatch movies.

Overall, good watch for me. I am satisfied with how it ended. You may not be if you prefer solid happy endings but otherwise, give this a go!

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Completed
Miss Gu Who Is Silent
15 people found this review helpful
Oct 1, 2020
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

You won't know what hit you when you get to the end!

I heard this was a romantic suspense and the trailer seemed interesting so I tried this and it hit me with so many unexpected surprises by the final episodes! I thought I knew how it was going to end but it was completely different and out of my expectations.

Plot: So, so creative. You think it's the usual revenge drama since that is what the trailer and synopsis claims to be but it's not that simple. It's much more complex than just the leads getting involved into a bigger revenge plan. That's just what they want you to believe as you watch. I love how the writer uses flashbacks and Wen Ke Er's therapy session in the beginning of every episode to reveal another piece of the mystery. One by one you get to know more of the so-called truth until you realize at the end that there's a even bigger truth, the real truth about what happened that night with the security guard. The writer tied everything up really smoothly and logically with the big plot twist so that you understand how you've been duped.

The episodes were all fast paced. I am so glad it's 20 episodes and not like 40. There was no fillers. Every scene had its use. Every flashback was part of the puzzle (but don't trust everything they show you too). Also, at first, the first 3 episodes felt unrealistic with the female lead's extreme revenge schemes but later you'll find out why it makes sense as part of the bigger picture-- so don't drop it there!

Acting/Cast: I only know the male lead from Bloody Romance but he was a supporting character so I didn't pay much attention to him BUT he is good! His chemistry with the female lead was cute. And everyone was great at their roles too. They successfully embodied them. Wen Ke Er got on my nerves with her soft but kind of high pitched voice but she surprised me with her emotional scenes later on.

Music: Love the 2 songs. They are the only ones I know of and they are so fitting for this drama. The editor or whoever adds the BGM did so well in adding the OST in the most suitable scenes. I have no complaints whatsoever.

Rewatch Value: I don't usually rewatch so I just chose a random number.

Overal, good romantic suspense! It was like 80% suspense/crime/mystery and 20% romance which I felt was a decent balance. There was no cringey/fluff scenes for the romance and I felt that the writer controlled the plot development and romance progession very well. I will definitely keep an eye on the cast for future projects.

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Completed
Innocence
12 people found this review helpful
Sep 21, 2020
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

"to be innocent, there can't be any reasonable doubt"

After waiting months for English subs, the wait is finally over. I am completely satisfied of this movie and the plot twist at the end made it even better than my expectations. This movie may seem like any other crime movie with the main lead proving the innocence of another but it has its own twist. It is more than just a simple crime movie since (according to Wikipedia) this case was based on a true story and there is also theme of family and forgiveness. They wrapped up everything by the end very well, answering all the questions and closing the case. The cast did amazing in their roles but I love Shin Hye Sun and Bae Jong Ok's performances the most.

Overall, it was a 8.5/10 for me, quite suspenseful with a pinch of touching family scenes. If you love crime, then this is the movie for you! Prepare yourself because are you ready for the truth?

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Completed
The Long Night
6 people found this review helpful
Sep 20, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 6.0

9.2 Rating on Douban!?

Decided to try this drama after seeing its super high rating on Douban. I usually take Douban's ratings with a grain of salt since it could be skewed, so I went into this drama with skepticism and low expectations. And to my lovely surprise, this drama surprised me with good things!

It's a pretty fast paced and suspenseful drama that keeps you guessing on what's going to happen next. They edited it super smoothly to intertwine flashbacks from the year 2000 and 2003 with the present timeline (year 2010) to show three different perspectives from Detective Yan Liang, Prosecutor Jiang Yang, and Hou Gui Ping. The truth revealed at the end will definitely shock you and break your heart :'(

Every leading actor does an amazing job that leaves me with absolutely no complaints. Bai Yu got me bawling at one certain scene too and his acting overall got my heart hurting. I am so glad the production team managed to cast him as Jiang Yang. The friendship between Jiang Yang, Zhu Wei, and the forensic doctor guy is really touching. The music is also very good, creating suspense in all the right scenes.

I have to give a warning though- there will be many frustrating moments when the bad guys play dirty. The ending was a little bittersweet in my opinion. After all... the good guys (Jiang Yang and Zhu Wei especially) had to sacrifice so, so much to reveal the truth and get justice.

Do give this a shot if you love crime dramas!

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Completed
A Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower
21 people found this review helpful
Aug 26, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Well-deserved 8.2 rating on Douban- give this a try!

How do I even begin to describe how unexpectedly good this drama turned out to be?

I went into it completely blind, barely reading the synopsis, knowing just that it was a crime drama focused on one murder case in this apartment building. With just 16 episodes, the length is perfect, giving enough screen time to focus thoroughly on each "suspect" and to add in on the back story of our victim, Mei Bao. Everything tied up beautifully and logically together by the very end with fast pacing and plot development. The pieces of this mystery fit together at the end intertwining flashbacks as the detectives investigate the crime in present time.

Plot: Focused on a murder case in this "tower" apartment building. Two detectives work on this case and investigate a bunch of "suspects" as the drama goes on. Through flashbacks, you'll find out Mei Bao's life and how things led to the way it turned out. I won't say any more than that to keep you in suspense (so go on and watch it!) Also, this drama also raises some current issues women face in our society today, which I did not expect either but I liked it.

Characters: Mei Bao and Detective Yang Rui Sen were the stars of this drama. As the investigation goes on, you'll learn more about Mei Bao's painful story and in that process, you also get to know our young detective and her passion to get justice for the victim. Mei Bao's family and friends as well as the other people living in the Horizon Tower will share their stories as well and it's really clever to designate 2 eps per character's story. I want to say more but that would ruin the fun of this drama as you try to find out who the killer is. I just have to say the emotions of each character were so understandable that I could see why a specific character ended up deciding to do this certain thing.

Acting: I have to first say Angelababy did an awesome job. I don't usually watch her dramas because her acting is not that great, but she has improved! I love how she did her role as Mei Bao, conveying the pain in her emotions. Moving onto the rest of the cast, everyone did great too. Quite a few of them are experienced actors and others are new faces but they all did very well. For the young actors especially, I can see their potential. The young actress who plays young Mei Bao played Pu Pu from The Bad Kids!

Music: Beautiful music. There's just one, which is the ending song, and it's so good. It's in English and with the sadness of the melody, it matches perfectly to the tone of this drama. Not only that, the BGM was excellent in setting the mood of each scene, especially the sad and suspenseful parts. They definitely kept me on my toes!

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Completed
My First Client
6 people found this review helpful
Aug 4, 2020
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers

Heartbreaking film based on a true story- prepare your tissues!

This film was definitely worth the long wait for decent English subs! I don't even know where to begin...

It was so well written and it absolutely breaks my heart to read that this plot is based on a true story. Watchers can see the growth of Lawyer Jung Yup who didn't agree that bystanders were guilty of the crime in the beginning of the film become someone who was first to stand up and protect Da Bin.

The actors all did an amazing job, especially the child actress who played Da Bin and the actress who played the evil stepmother. It must have been extremely difficult to act in either position (the victim or perpetrator) so I applaud them both for embodying their roles. I read an article saying that several actresses even rejected to play the role of the stepmother but the actress who accepted, Yoo Sun, did it to spread awareness. I truly hated the stepmother ever since she came onto screen and still hate the real person who committed this crime in the real case. How can the law punish these criminals so lightly?

Additionally, the music in this film was very good. The dramatic ominous BGM matches the hard-to-watch child abuse scenes and the sad string instrument BGM makes you immediately absorbed into the tear-jerking scene. Those sad scenes made me cry multiple times throughout the movie so definitely prepare yourself! I was practically bawling by the time the trial ended.

Most importantly, this film brings awareness to the problematic issue of the law regarding child abuse (in Korean) and how people don't report the abuse when they see it and ignore it. Da Bin grew to distrust adults since they failed to help her and her brother leave her dangerous home on many occasions. This is a very meaningful message behind this film and I hope that those who watch can learn and gain the strength to help others when they see they need it. Well, at least I will do my best if the situation arises. We need more people like Jung Yup and the young boy, Jang Ho, who helped Da Bin in this film.

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