michelleoc

Satoh Takeru...enough said

Personally, I liked this version better than the Korean version for a couple of reasons:
- Only 10 episodes
-Satoh Takeru
-good chemistry between leads
-Satoh Takeru

Offhand, I can't remember a role that Takeru played where he smiled as much as he did here. And believe me, that's worth the price of admission! He's got that cold, unapproachable thing down to a science, but when he smiles it changes everything. I LOVED how he had liked her for so long. It was sad when he was talking about being an extra in the story of her life, blurred in the background, with no lines to speak.

This version gives you all the information without all the convoluted stuff that the Korean version used to bloat it out to 16 episodes.

I thought the 2ML was really overacting through the whole thing and that threw me off.
I would have liked to see a wedding.

But I'm so glad I watched this, especially after the Korean version.

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Just my opinion...

What I liked:
1) Yamashita Tomohisa. I love his acting, and I really liked his character. Very serious, kind of dry.
2) Deguchi Watsuki. I like her. Her character started out as dumb as a box of rocks, though.
3) The "bad guys" who came around and were all in for saving lives.
4) The concept. I thought the idea of meteorology was interesting and fresh, especially after just having been through a hurricane.
5) The characters all worked well together.

Not so much:
1) I didn't think the concept was well-executed. It was a lot of telling us very technical terms.
2) Some of the characters weren't well fleshed-out, which made me not care about them too much.
3) As is the case with numerous Japanese shows, yelling and over-acting.
4) ***SPOILER***The big dramatic loss - I felt it should have been someone else, not someone with a young child. I felt like I was being emotionally manipulated. ***END OF SPOILER.

So, there is a lot to like in this show, but I just wasn't impressed enough with the end product.

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Chaotic fun

If watching this doesn't cheer you up, nothing will!! Jimin and Jungkook (and a couple of episodes with Taehyung) traveling to different places in the world - exploring, trying new things, and lots of eating!! Even more than the eating was the laughter. The camaraderie between the BTS members was what first drew me to BTS, and they are never not fun to watch. Watching them tease each other, support each other and love each other is a definite mood booster! Their chemistry is a joy to watch. I really appreciate all the HYBE and BTS did to ensure that we have content to watch while they are in the military.

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Frustrating watch for me

Personal opinion here. I say, give the show a try for yourself, because I am definitely in the minority here. The storyline had potential, but there were so many red flags that I couldn't get past. Plus, I felt like the writers threw a bunch of stuff in and didn't develop things fully. My biggest problem was the ML. Immature, petulant, rude, obnoxious, violent, disrespectful, angry. It was toned down by the end of the series, but I didn't see growth in him. Cursing at his grandmother was what put his behavior over the top for me. Being mean to others because he was "bored". I lost count of the number of times he called the FL stupid.

The older brother, first love story didn't really have a place, especially with him currently being involved with the villain of the story. If someone is going to be stuck on his first love, I'm sorry, I want him to be pining for her.

The ex-husband. No backbone and he was just a little on the creepy side.

The villain. Let's be honest, she was a cheeseburger short of a happy meal and all was forgiven at the end. She needed to be locked up.

The FL was gorgeous and spirited. She didn't put up with any bunk from anyone yet let the ML walk all over her. Why did she like him? He had done nothing but be mean to her. I just felt like she had a glaring blind spot concerning him.

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Almost wore out my fast forward button

What I liked:

1) Cui Yi Xin as Quan Quan. What an adorable little boy!! He was absolutely the highlight of the show. I didn't like his tendency to call his parents by their first names, but his interactions with them were cute.
2) The main couple, when they weren't fighting. They were sweet together, not fire chemistry, but no fish kisses.
3) We got a wedding!

Not so much:
1) Wow! So much extraneous stuff. I didn't care for the two side couples. This one went on entirely too long
2) The sleazy sexual predator males.
3) All three women seemed like they took turns "playing" their boyfriends. Stupid reasons for breakups (2nd couple), stalker (3rd couple), the FL decides arbitrarily that she doesn't want to see the ML anymore for no apparent reason and makes him jump through hoop after hoop to try to win her over.
4) Dubbing. A couple of the ladies sounded like Minnie Mouse on helium.
5) The doctor has liked Min Hui for years, then suddenly he likes the irritating woman that has been stalking him.
6) Small, yet irritating thing. They weren't wearing their wedding rings in the scenes following the wedding.
7) He went to another country for six months to have surgery, but she didn't go?! However, their reunion was cute.
8) Way too much "we're together", "we're breaking up", we're together.

I realize I'm in the minority here, but I can't recommend this one, except for the little boy.

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Inspiring

The man is so talented, and he absolutely glows when he talks about dance and what it means to him. This documentary about J-Hope's dance journey was very well-done, old footage interspersed with the new, hearing from him about what dance means to him, him working with many of street dance's famous people, and Hope on the Streets filming in iconic neighborhoods around the world.

I turned the sound of during one of the dances, and his artistry and power seem to shine even brighter without the distraction of the music. His dancing is so grounded, yet he seemed to hover above the ground as he moved. He was born to dance.

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Getting to know BTS

This documentary was full of information about the things that BTS have gone through and continue to go through. I'm glad they made this, it's a chance for those new to BTS to know more about them. When watching it, it's hard to relate to their discussions about their struggles, but I can't even imagine the feelings that they must have, wondering if they can keep up the momentum, or if they even want to.

The only thing missing, was more about their friendship and camaraderie together. Also, more about how they lived at the beginning and how much they practiced. They are an amazingly talented group, but, for me, what draws me to them even more than their performances is how they are together. After living together and practicing together for years, their bond is tremendously strong.

They acknowledge that it's time for the next phase in their lives as they prepare to enter the military. That being said, I so appreciate the fact that they all stated numerous times that they hope BTS stays together for a long time.

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Maybe I'm jaded?

For me, this was one of the worst shows ever. One of those dramas that at the end I'm mad at, because I'll never get the time I wasted back. Perhaps I might have felt differently if I had watched it when it was first released, and I was new to K-dramas. However, after having seen dramas done very well, this was hard for me to watch. I have to cut it a little slack because it is old - the production value was seriously lacking, and I think there have been developments in film value, etc.

I thought this drama was extremely slow and drawn out. The overused "misunderstanding" trope went on entirely too long. Romance was lacking, seriously. And can someone please slap whoever was in charge of the costuming? The worst.

I'll give my usual disclaimer, since I appear to seriously be in the minority. These opinions are just mine and you might enjoy it, but you will really have to get past the fact that it hasn't aged well.

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Just my opinion...

I know I'm going to get heat, but I REALLY disliked this drama. Kim Min Jae - I've loved him in everything I've seen him in, but what the heck? What was it for me, lack of chemistry? Bad writing? I don't know, but the secondary storyline certainly was more interesting than the ML and FL.

Add to that, in historical garb all the men look alike, and all the women look alike. I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out what was going on. I will be the first to admit that historical dramas are not my "go to" but I have watched a couple that I've really liked.

This drama had entirely too many episodes, apparently to fit in all the unnecessary ancillary storylines that they felt the need to inject into it.

In closing, even though I didn't like it, I'd say give it a try. Maybe I was in a bad mood while watching it, maybe all that satin was giving me some kind of trauma, maybe the beads on the hats made me think of abacus, which made me think of math, which sent me off the deep end. Remember, it's just my personal opinion.

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Just why!?!?!

To me (and it's just my opinion), this was trying to be some kind of deep art film, full of symbolism, hoping that there would be in-depth discussions about the characters and their lives. I don't want to talk about these characters, and if I can manage, I don't want to ever think about these characters again.

There is slice-of-life, and then there's time-I'll-never-get-back. This fell firmly in the latter. I could have been rearranging my sock drawer, or having a root canal and it would have been time better spent. It was soooo slow! Everyone appeared to be depressed, and they were trying really hard to ensure that I felt the same way.

Positives? Portugal. Lovely, lovely place. Seo Kang Joon - I love him, but even he wasn't reward enough for me to spend my time on this. I did love the geeky younger version of him.

I have to say that I never was able to relate to or feel for the FL. I didn't think she was a very nice person, and boy, she loved to live in her misery. When I FINALLY got to the end of this drama, I was so glad it was over. I liked the secondary couples, but the misery and depression of the years wasted by the leads overshadowed any enjoyment I might have had in the show.

SPOILERS!!
Then, (now I'm on a rant) they met, dated, broke up, dated, multiple times over a 12-year period. She married someone else, and he was engaged to someone else, and after ALL THAT no one ends up with anyone! I never saw why he liked her in the first place, and was their attraction just physical? Because they had absolutely nothing in common, they were constantly disagreeing, constantly breaking up, constantly yearning for the other. At some point in time, some serious counseling would have come in handy. And the way the drama ends, I felt like they were in a continuous spiral and would keep up the same make up/break up routine. So tiring!

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Behind-the-scenes, get to know BTS better!

Here, in 2023, looking for any content I can find on BTS, this was a treat. I watched it on YouTube. It didn't show me anything I didn't already know, but I think that anyone new to BTS would get a better understanding of who they are by watching this. Each era of BTS has landmarks for them, but this movie shows them during their Wings tour (2017) - when they were just beginning to be recognized by other countries. They were huge already in terms of fandom, as evidenced by sold out concerts everywhere they went, but this was the era that brought them recognition in terms of awards, and this is when they first appeared on US tv.

This is not a movie to showcase their music, but to show how hard they work on a daily basis to be the best and to bring the best to their fans. The amount of work they do preparing for concerts is amazing, even reworking/discussing choreography up to the last minute before going on stage. When they come off stage, drenched in sweat, literally, and have to be helped into dry clothes, you can see that they have given their all on the stage. Their energy is spent, but they've only got time for a few deep breaths before going back out and giving even more of themselves.

I continue to marvel at their bond with one another. Their love for each other, their respect for each other, and their support of each other can be seen here. They work hard, but they love hanging out with one another, just having a good time. You might expect this to be a natural consequence of living together as trainees and after they debuted, but I have not found another group that has this kind of connection. They are extremely humble (so many others could definitely benefit by learning this!) and strive to continue to give more and better performances.

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I can appreciate the hard work put in by the contestants

What I liked:
1) Performances
2) Letters to the contestants from parents
3) The politeness and supportiveness of the contestants
4) The audience and their support of the contestants

What I didn't like:
1) Editing was REALLY bad. Repeated takes to see reactions of judges and other contestants so content is interrupted/missed. Also, things were shown out of order. They would be getting ready to show a performance, then they would throw in a competition they did outside during the day.
2) Camera work - every time they showed the entire group it was blurry
3) The purpose of the multiple star master hosts?
4) Extremely confusing voting.
5) Not putting the contestant's names, just using their current ranking number. There were so many of them that looked alike, I would have liked to have names go with the faces.
6) The elimination process. It took a whole episode for each elimination. It took forever for them to name the contestants that were going to continue on. It didn't build suspense; it was just irritating. Then to show three candidates at one time, when only one was continuing on in the competition.
7) For the second elimination, putting everyone on a team, having them do the work and eliminating half of them. The groups then had to reconfigure their groups and their dances, then got called out by the judges for not being prepared.
8) When the winners were thanking their agencies, that surprised me, which sent me to do some research. All of these guys have been trainees for up to three years!

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What a surprise!

Sometimes it's best not to read reviews or know anything about a show before watching it. I happened upon this gem completely by accident and I enjoyed it fully. It's a very calming story. Strangely, while watching it, it made me feel like I was sitting on the porch on a beautiful spring day, watching the world around me. Low angst.

Tabe Mikako as Sawako. Now, one of the problems that I tend to have with Japanese shows is that the FL always has her head down, speaks haltingly, and apologizes for absolutely everything. At the outset, I thought this was going to be the same, but here, it worked perfectly. She didn't fit in and was all alone, until she was able to make some friends. I liked the way she portrayed her shyness, her loneliness, but finally learned to speak up, at least when her friends were being trash talked about.

Miura Haruma - (It was sad watching him from a RL standpoint. All I could think of was that beautiful smile hid his true self. The world lost a sweet soul. My mind goes off on a tirade of the importance of seeking help, of speaking up, of not suffering alone.) He did a wonderful part with this role. Tall, gangly, friendly, popular, handsome. The last person you'd expect to come to the aid of Sawako. I adored the voice over when we first hear about his feelings for her.

A plus for me was how this movie didn't just focus on romance, but on the importance of friendship. How opening yourself up to an unlikely alliance can bring such happiness and completion. I enjoyed watching Sawako's change over time (her trying to kick a soccer ball was so funny!). She realized the importance of those friendships and was willing to totally come out of her shell to defend those friendships.

I felt that this movie flowed very smoothly, and I was along for the ride. There were no jarring moments to make the ride bumpy (except for the guy playing the homeroom teacher - WAY overacted!), and we are treated to Mikako's beautiful smile at the end of the movie. I found myself smiling as well. I'm really glad I took this journey.

Then, to find out that there's another version coming out on Netflix March 30th - I hope they don't screw it up!

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