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Sweet nostalgia
I'm not sure if it's just me but as much as I like youth romance movies, my enjoyment is almost always hampered by the addition of a really depressing and dramatic third act, which we sometimes, like in this movie, know is coming from the beginning. While I thought the story was sweet, it's also another instance of "maybe it would've been better in drama form," and we would have more time with these characters, like in the Reply series.Was this review helpful to you?
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Aimless
It was pretty obvious after watching S2 that seasons 2 and 3 were basically one season split into two parts, and now that we've seen both of them, I felt like the set-up didn't end up paying off.I can kind of see what they're going with the nihilism theme, but it ultimately feels a bit shallow and not very coherent. There were a lot of character arcs that were randomly cut off because the story went for the route of everyone having to die, and side characters with originally really interesting roles, like the detective or the guard, ended up being really underutilized. It also felt everything started revolving around the baby once it was born — a trope that's always been a pet peeve of mine.
In terms of games, I think my favorite in this one was the jump rope because of its simplicity — I personally enjoy where there's no ill will in the game itself, and death only happens in terms of failure, which is when people start to sabotage others. The Keys and Knives one is a little too on the nose for me.
Ultimately, I think the first season is still the best. The second and third feel like a rehashing of it, with characters and games that are far less engaging.
And yes, the VIPs are still horrible.
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Bittersweet
A touching and beautiful story, but one that I wish was a drama with longer screentime because it felt like we just scratched the surface of their friendship.The story is pretty strong but it's still slightly hampered by the same issue a lot of older Japanese movies have — an overly dense and twitchy female lead who seems to have little personality beyond ultimate kindness.
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Didn't click for some reason
Ah. I was really hoping to love this one considering all the glowing reviews, and one thing I do appreciate is that it doesn't do the Hollywood thing of thinking action = excitement. The CGI is fantastic for its small budget, and the film actually takes its time setting up its characters and the world, and Godzilla is more of a vehicle for their development. It just...didn't really work that well for me.Was this review helpful to you?
Comfort is a person
I'd watched the Korean version and thought it was just okay, but the couple was much more endearing and comforting to me in this version. The leads are SO cute together.I still find the ending and time skip just a little bit too fast and frustrating (and yes I am already prejudiced against the separation trope), but I was still quite touched by the emotional scenes and their reunion.
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Cute but needs more runtime
This is definitely one of those adaptations where the longer runtime of the drama meant there was time to develop the relationship between the leads, as well as the depth of care a teacher has for his students.There are some adorable moments between Geng Geng and Yu Huai (and the acting is good too), but I found it hard to be emotionally moved by their separation and the reasons behind it.
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A feel-good show
A very warm show about following your dreams no matter how late it feels. Well-acted and well-written throughout, with a really nice bit of found-family theme that I wish the drama leaned into more, because Chae-rok's character felt very disjointed from everyone else (except for Deok-chul) until the very end. I think I might've gone into this one with expectations that were a little too high, because while I enjoyed this one and thought it was a solid, enjoyable watch, I don't think it did anything that I haven't seen before.Was this review helpful to you?
Lengthened drama episode
I liked seeing Totono again for sure and he's just as endearing as always, but I definitely thought this case would be a little more personal and twisted, since it was being made into a movie. Instead, it feels similar to the case from the drama, just longer, and while it's still an interesting case, it's far from my favorite Totono case.Was this review helpful to you?
Peak isekai romance
Such a fun and romantic show from start to finish! I think this is probably one of the best “person goes into a novel” stories that I’ve seen, from the rules of the world-building to how they extended the leads’ love story in the real world. I would’ve loved a bit more time just to see everyone’s reaction to our leads getting together, but I think the romantic development was impeccable overall.The FL is loud and crazy but never gets too annoying, and while the ML sounds like your typical “cold CEO,” he never came off as rude and heartless. There’s a down-to-earthness in all the dialogue and actions of our leads, despite the plot getting REALLY unserious and outlandish sometimes.
The only thing that actually was kind of frustrating and irritating were the ML’s family and your typical corporate battle plot. Especially in the first half when the romance was so endearing, cutting to the sister character constantly yelling just brought the pacing to a screeching halt. I even reached a point where I felt like she was beyond redemption because none of her scenes were enjoyable. While I understand why we have this subplot, I wonder if the pacing could’ve been faster and she could’ve been portrayed as a more layered character early on.
Still, a fun watch and I loved the way the show played on tropes. A great watch and I wish Taiwan would come out with more shows like this.
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Webtoon come to life
I haven’t read the webtoon, but I can tell you that this drama really captures the essence of action comics — the fight sequences are full of wild moves and crazy camera angles, and the music is so energetic that I always felt myself buzzing with adrenaline afterwards.Even though the show tackles bullying and the educational system, it approaches it in a more satirical way. The antagonists were moustache-twirling type of villains, and I never really doubted that we would have a happy ending, unlike something like Weak Hero Class 1, which tackles similar topics but with a more serious, quiet, and depressing tone that I typically enjoy more, especially to give me the feeling of high stakes.
Despite that, I enjoyed this as a no-brain watch, and it helps that the cast really sells the friendship theme.
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Okay
This was okay, but it was honestly missing the spark for me, especially at the start. I felt like we got a lot of scenes of the characters staring at each other without anything building up their relationship, and some plot points were a little far-fetched. Once the leads got closer, however, I think the drama became a lot better. The conversations between the leads felt very natural.I think the runtime is a little too short for the number of ships we got — there are like 3 couples other than our main leads and I wish we could've delved into just one a little more. Still, I think they all felt very down-to-earth. The last few episodes saw a few time skips that I think we needed more time to delve into too, but ultimately everything is wrapped up nicely.
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Very cute and comforting
This one was pleasantly surprising! I've seen a lot of short BL dramas where it feels difficult to connect to the characters or plot because of the short screen-time, but somehow this show managed to let the pacing breathe. I loved how clearly the personalities of our leads contrasted and then complemented each other, and although we have a few misunderstandings, there's nothing that ever feels overdramatic or frustrating. I wish we got a little more at the end of the leads being together — it feels weirdly like they shied away from physical intimacy at the last minute — but ultimately the emotional beats land well.Was this review helpful to you?
Fell a little flat
This film has a really interesting premise but I don't know if it adequately established a feeling of paranoia for me, which is what it was going for by the second half. I didn't really connect to the characters, though I still enjoyed the direction that the plot went in. The twist happens a little late.Was this review helpful to you?
A heart-warming mystery
I'm always a little nervous about live-actions but this one was actually great! Having seen the anime, I already knew what was coming, but I was still on the edge of my seat, especially in the first few episodes. The acting, especially of the kid actors, was amazing and I really loved the "found family" feeling that I got from their little gang. I wish this drama had more screen-time so we could dive into that a little more, because I did feel like the second half was a little more rushed. In the final arc, the drama takes some liberties and approaches the final confrontation a little differently. I admit I enjoyed the anime version a bit better in terms of the tension it brought. Still, the drama version would probably be enjoyable for new viewers, and it does wrap up the story nicely.Was this review helpful to you?
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Strong first half, tropey second
This drama had such a strong start; the bickering dynamic between the leads is really fun, and one thing I love about Taiwanese dramas is that the female leads are always a little rougher around the edges. Everything just feels really down-to-earth, despite the outlandish premise of the rich son of a CEO pretending to be an intern and living downstairs from his mini-boss.The first half is strong, but the second half starts to drag a bit, going full-blown drama-land tropes with the evil second female lead, disapproving parent, and family illness. There are so many crazy additions to the plot, but it starts to feel frustrating.
I was also really impressed by the fact that there was no break-up between the leads as they were going through all of these tensions — up until the last episode where the drama pulled the “and one of them left and just left a note and they didn’t communicate at all for the entire time jump” thing and…sigh. I was just disappointed because I thought we’d avoided all that.
Other than that though, this is still a pretty good show, though I think the leads are the best part of it. The actors, particularly the ML, does a great job. The side characters are okay — mostly just there, sometimes a little too cringey and nosy, but sometimes funny. Still, it's a fun watch, and it feels very quintessentially Taiwanese.
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