lovetune

This is my favourite kind of drama—more of a sitcom, but with a lot of heart and inspiring messages. Japan produces this kind of material so well!

Honestly, I find myself struggling a bit with the series. The editing is abysmal at parts, with cuts being jumpy and mismatched to the rhythm of scenes . The audio levels are inconsistent and THERE'S SO MUCH UNECESSARY MUSIC. (Why are vocal-heavy songs playing so loud during dialogue?) The acting is... amateur at best (Win clearly breaks character often), save for a few Bright spots (catch my drift?), but I can't deny it's pretty charming when it gets it right. I think, if anything, I'm mostly just happy to see the fake dating trope play out. The miscommunication, the slow burn—it's all there and being executed well enough. I have no intentions of dropping it yet so I hope it doesn't give me reasons to anytime soon.

Welp, that ending was terrible. Having to see Haeyoung grovel his way through an apology just so we can get a last minute reconcilation and kiss... bleh. I genuinely thought we were headed somewhere after he rejected her but he ended up learning nothing. I'm not even going to get into the complete disregard for Sol's character development.

"The person you want to kiss and the person you love doesn't always go together."

We all know by now that Haeyoung is the guy Sol kissed, or at least that's what the narrative wants us to manifest in our heads because they're setting the two up as endgame, but I keep going back to what he said and I've concluded that I don't want her to end up with him at all. Your best friend who you never once considered a romantic interest suddenly becoming one? It's too obvious. I want them to subvert my expectations.

It could be anyone, but ideally I want it to be Yeonwoo. She's already built him up as a romantic partner. Haeyoung may have been the kiss she's dreamt of all her life, but I want her to grow up and realise that relationships are beyond fantasy. That it's possible she doesn't end up with the perfect kissing partner, but it's okay because she genuinely likes them and they like her back.

A surprisingly refreshing web drama. It carries a lot of the spirit of the Reply series, probably because it's set in 2008, which is weird because when the Reply series started, it had only been 4 years since 2008 and there was no way you could feel nostalgic for that era. Now it's been a whole decade and so much has changed in the way society is, that it makes it easier to long for the simplicity of that time.

Also a similar feature is the "Will They, Won't They?" plot. The open-ended nature actually feels like a response to the second-lead syndrome in the Reply series and I wouldn't be a surprised if that was actually the reason behind it.

Overall, it feels very much like a tribute but certainly stands on its own. Definitely recommend it if you're a fan of the Reply series or just coming-of-age stories in general.

Same, ever since Haru became self-aware again the last few episodes have just repeated the first arc's story beats. I wish they spent them more on Juda's newfound self awareness. At least the preview for the next episode looks like it might inject some life since the writer's meddling again.

I previously thought Hyunjoo was playing another high schooler who falls victim to the Witch Shop, but she's actually playing a de-aged version of the Witch. That's an interesting twist. I'm really excited to see where this goes now!

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If you loved the film, it really is a must-watch. It hits a lot of the same beats, but the episodic format allows the plot more time to breathe and gives us more space to grow to like the characters, especially since a lot of the major players get their own arcs. The whole thing is also impeccably casted. Tao Tsuchiya is really one of the best actors of her generation—a lot of scenes would fall flat if she wasn't there. She really knows how to add a sense of gravitas to even the simplest of moments. All in all, a great cheerdance-themed friendship-centric drama!

This was just as crazy and thrilling as the first season! The cliffhanger at the end has got me really pumped up to see the movie now.

The plot of the PickRome episode is perfect for them! They're the couple with the most contrasting personalities so doing a body swap highlights that. It would have been a tough sell but OffGun have captured each other's mannerisms and quirks perfectly! Even little stuff like their stances or how they carry their bodies or the inflections of their voice are perfectly done, it really made the whole episode even more enjoyable. I'm actually surprised at how decently they've handled this episode so I'm carrying on with the rest even though I'm not super familiar with the other couples.

And... that's literally what happened in the finale. Her own words: "That's not something I want." She chose not to pursue an art school anymore. She learned to want what Kim Hana wants, not what Do Hana wants.

It's really confusing to me that people are walking out of the KimHa arc not feeling anything but sympathy for her character. I feel like people are missing the point: Do Hana had everything Kim Hana wanted. Kim Hana had no parents, no friends, no money... going back to her first character-centric episode, it's really clear why she broke down after the exam: she has nothing else to fall back on. Everything she's built may have been in imitation of; and later on a need to better; DoHa, but she's still built it all up by herself. A single crack could let it crumble. I can't imagine how much anxiety she must have.

Of course, I don't agree that living a lie can be good for you, but ultimately, I just pity how unfortunate she is. All the characters may have their problems, but they never had to live through what KimHa did. She was simply trying to survive. She really has the most heartbreaking arc, because she may have set herself up for the eventual downfall, but that set-up allowed her a little comfort from her reality, even if it was just for a little while. It's a shame that her story is being misunderstood, as I think the writers have done a spectacular job of creating such a complex character in such a cliche high school set-up.

Seriously such an underrated actor. He's starred in so many projects already! I know he'll never get the spotlight, but I think more people should take note of him. He's surprised me every time with how distinct each of his characters are.

Such a heartwarming story.

You can download the raw + subs from here! http://shinees.tumblr.com/post/174060224486/eng-sub-love-stories-from-fukuoka-13-beyond

Ishihara Satomi was born for the role of Koetsu. Few actresses could have captured the character's infectious bubbly personality—every scene she's in, she exudes a likeable charm that lets you root for her even when she's coming off too strong. It could have easily slipped into annoying, but her brightness leaps off the screen. Perhaps even more spectacular is how easily she's able to switch it off as well. Without going into spoilers, she really carried the 9th episode that I was overcome with such deep heartache.

I doubt she'll be able to nab a role as good as this one in the future, given how perfect it was for her. Easily one of my favourite characters in dramaland in a long time.

A beautiful telling of a simple but inspirational story. There were no real moments to cry for me, because it kept such an uplifting mood throughout even in the more somber moments, but I think that's what made it effective. Sometimes achieving your goal can be possible...

Everytime I think I'm not going to like the way an episode goes (whether it's the falling into certain tropes or the inept nature of both leads) I find myself loving it by the end anyway. There's just enough heart-tugging cheese to get it over the line, and the tropes I think they're falling into are actually being played with very well. It's all delivered with a knowing wink but also a genuine acknowledgement that there's a reason the cheesy stuff works—seriously, I like commentary but I watch dramas to escape and just feel—and its this balance that gives the show its charm.

I'm seriously waiting for each new one. With the ending for episode 4 and seeing the preview for episode 5 (oh my gosh, ~you-know-who~ isn't playing the ~usual-other-character-trope-in-rom-coms~ what a nice change of pace) I think the middle of the show could be a real game changer now that all the set-up is out of the way.

She's in a lot of dramas but usually only in supporting roles. To be honest, I don't think a main role will ever be for her, but her small parts really elevate the work she's in. I feel like a lot of her dramas would feel different without her veteran skills. I'll keep supporting her!