3
6
minarii
bulgaria but mentally lost
This review may contain spoilers
You know the feeling when you buy a new cake, it tastes good and you enjoy every bite of it at the beginning, but then you slowly understand that this cake contains something you are allergic to? That was The Third Charm for me. It was such a funny ride in the beginning, it made my heart flutter many times. But then, I slowly start to realise that the plot was going nowhere but in a way that leads to a toxic relationship. There were so many things that went wrong. Did the writers forget the messege this drama was supposed to deliver? Or did they decide to change the purpose of that messege?
As I already mentioned, the beginning aka 'the first charm' was great. There was romance, many realistic and complicated at first glance characters, beautiful cinematography - everything you probably expect for such a great cast and promising synopsis. 'The second charm' was less interesting when it comes to the plot, but the chemistry between the two main leads was great.
When 'the second charm' ended, everything went downhill. Not just the fact that the plot became pointless and unbearable to watch, but the romance completely disappeared. I stopped supporting Young Jae and Joon Young relationship, it became too toxic and unhealthy for both of them. I wanted YJ to leave JY's life so they can be both happy.
Wow, surprise, there was no 'third charm'. Or at least I didn't see it. This also shows that the writers just forgot what was the point of this drama. But, if I have to be honest, the second charm was enough. It was already too much.
As for the supporting characters, I couldn't care less for them, Well, maybe Soo Jae, Young Jae's brother, was an exception. I really loved him, but there were some things he said that completely annoyed me. The second couple didn't have much screen time for me to care about them.
I'm closing my eyes, giving this a 6, when it's obvious that it doesn't deserve it. It had some good sayings, the actors and actresses did their jobs, the music was refreshing. But the main reason I'm overrating it a bit is because I feel sad that it had so much potential to become one of my faves this year. It's sad, really, but I don't recommend it.
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The execution of the story was very good and the pace was also quite nice. Of course you have to be patient if you decide to watch it, because what's written in the synopsis happens somewhere in the middle of the drama and that's when the main story starts. But despite this fact, the first half was also very intriguing and fun to watch and I actually liked it more than the second. In the second part of the drama there were some draggy episodes, especially around episode 30-35. That wasn't much of a problem though.
Now, even though the plot was quite nice and the story was very exciting to watch, I think what shines the most in this drama are the characters. Xiao Yuer is perhaps one of the best written characters I've ever encountered during all these three years of watching dramas. He was undeniably very smart, witty, cunning, funny and kind-hearted beautiful man who could decieve literally everyone. His tricks never failed to amaze me. He was just a very good and entertaining character to watch and he made the drama 1000x times better, not gonna lie. He had his bad and good sides, he was far from perfect and that's why we all love him! Hua Wu Que, unlike his twin Yuer, is simply a kind-hearted and naive man who actually fights brilliantly. Being smart, diligent and graceful, Wu Que was very easy character to like (especially with this handsome face). Jiang Yu Lang, though... Omg, I'm speechless, I don't know what to say about him. He was just comical and ridiculous af! Honestly, ever action of him was so stupid, so pathetic that it make me laugh so hard! His epxressions were so on point, I want to congratulate the director for choosing the perfect actor for this role!
The drama has some very interesting females though. Most of the women in it were very bitchy lol, that isn't a bad thing though. I love my girls Zhang Ging and Murong Jiu. Yao Yue, who is the biggest villian in the drama, was also very cool. Of course she was horrible as a character, very pathetic if you ask me BUT I liked her. I think her character was well-written and the actress did a brilliant job portaying such awful human. Su Ying was also a nice character although I didn't really care about her that much.
Tie Xin Lan though... girl, what was the point of your character? Okay, in the first half you had some kind of a story, but after that? She was so bland, so stupid, stubborn for no reason, she was just useless. I don't know, I simply didn't like her.
The acting was pretty good. Chen Zhe Yuan did a PHENOMENAL job portraying Xiao Yuer! He's such a talanted boy and I really hope that he'll get more good roles in the future (bc I'll definitely follow his projects). Hu Yi Tian was fine, slightly wooden at times and not that good at emotional scenes but overall, decent job. Vicky Liang wasn't very good in my opinion though, her acting wasn't convincing at all, quite expressionless but her character was boring so who could blame her? Liang Jie was adorable as Su Ying, she looks so smol tho lol I thought she was a teenager but then I checked her age and realized that she's older that Zhe Yuan... yelp. Of course Zhou Jun Chao was amazing as Yu Lang, I don't think I'll be able to watch him in something else without seeing Jiang Yu Lang in him lol.
The music though!!! 10000/10! 44 episodes and I never skipped the opening or the ending! Such beautiful songs which perfectly suit the atmosphere of the drama. They just made me even more excited lol.
Overall, Handsome Siblings is a very good pick if you want to watch something not too serious but not too light either. Just a simple story with some endearing characters, very strong bromance, light romance and good acting. I also recommend it to people who are just getting into chinese historical dramas, I think this would be the right choice for you because it was for me. I'll miss this amazing show for sure!
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This review may contain spoilers
I mean... honestly? I'm sick of dramas that start off so well but end up being just average/disappoiting. 2gether started off so strong but I can't hide my disappointment. The first half was AMAZING! I almost thought that we finally have a decent BL with good pace. The chemistry between Tine and Sarawat was exciting and their scenes were super adorable. Sarawat was hot as f*ck. Boyfriend material 100/10. I loved the way he teased Tine and Tine's cute reactions. I loved how Wat was constantly giving hints to Tine, but Tine was a baby who knows nothing. It was just cute, you know. They were ''fake dating'' but their chemistry was on fire and I was so so looking forward to them dating for real.
What happened then though? Their chemistry disappeared as soon as they ''got together'' and it was replaced by awkward scenes and sloppy editing. I loved when we had a cute scene between them but then they suddenly jumped to another scene like?? It was like some scenes were cut off. Very disappointing.
And because the main couple lost their charm, they gave some supporting characters I couldn't care less about even more screentime. I was so done. There were 2-3 episodes that were total fillers. The whole episodes, not just some scenes.
The acting was decent I guess. Bright and Win did an amazing job portraying their characters and I don't think it's their fault for the disaster that happened in the second half. It's just that the writing was bad. They couldn't save the situation.
Would I recommend this? Not really. I believe that there are better BLs out there that are better than 2gether. But if you've seen it all, then yeah, just give this one a try. But you shouldn't have high expectations.
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Anyways, ''Kingdom 2'' was just as good as the first season but what else to expect from such a high production? There were more politics in this season than in the first, which is not a bad thing, since we still had a lot of gore! Give me some realistic and disturbing gory scenes and I'll be loving it for sure! I loved the action scenes, I loved the fights and the cinematography was i-n-s-a-n-e! We get to know the characters better which was also a good thing.
The acting is superb as always, the four main leads just blew my mind, such brilliant performances! Kim Sung Gyu though, the first season of Kingdom was his first main role and I'm here wondering where the heck was this guy until now? I want to thank the director for giving him this chance to shine!
Overall, I did enjoy this season and I guess, it's time to wait for the 3rd. The ending got me very curious, especially with the person who appeared in the end. I must say I'm very excited, too bad that I'll have to wait a year.
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With its gripping storyline, cool characters, sweet sismance and excellent humour, the drama is super addicting and it's perfect for binge watching. It gets you hooked from the first episode and it makes you super satisfied after you finish it. It has a great character development, too, every character went through some changes and they grew as individuals which made me so happy.
Even though it's a brilliant comedy, the drama deals with serious topics such as domestic violence, child's death, bullying etc and they were all presented excellently.
The cast, of course, is simply perfect. I was never a fan of Lee Yo Won, but she absolutely won me here. Jun was a nice surprise, his character was also very good and he was a nice addition to the three strong women from Bokja Club.
Overall, Avengers Social Club is a must-watch for sure. I wish more dramas were like it honestly. It deserves more appreciation and more love. I recommend it to everyone, you should really give this a try and, trust me, you won't be disappointed even a bit!
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Anyways, Missing Noir M is a nice drama. Investigation dramas always have their unique charm and this show is not an exception. I love how it mainly focused on the team solving cases which prevented the drama from getting too draggy or too boring which was nice. Each case was more or less interesting, some of them had great twists. The drama definitely started with a BANG -- the first case was amazing, as well as the second (and no I'm not saying this because of Kang Ha Neul and Park Hae Joon.. or am I?). Some episodes, however, were a bit less interesting than the others (episodes 5-6, khm) But then, episode 7 was amazing and it even made me cry. The case was very well-presented and it was very emotional overall.
I wish we saw more interactions between James and Detective Oh though. I think they are both nice characters -- Soo Hyun (sorry but I prefer to call him James lol) was a bit mysterious but overall - a sassy dude with a cute side. I wish his story was explained better... (hello, season 2???) Oh Dae Young was funny lol, but episode 7 made me slightly annoyed.
The ending was... interesting. I mean, on one hand, the ending was very shocking and it kind of suited the atmosphere of the drama and what happened in the previous episodes. On the other though... there were some things left unexplained which brought a slight dissatisfaction.
Overall, I recommend Missing Noir M to people who love investigation dramas. It's also perfect to binge watch since it's short. It's not like it's the most phenomenal drama, but it's a nice watch and it brings enjoyment.
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As a thriller, however, not so. I love watching thrillers because of the intense and shocking scenes. When I approach a thriller movie, I expect it to blow my mind. Memoir of a Murderer couldn't do that. The movie is quite predictable, there weren't many thrilling scenes (despite the good acting of Kim Nam Gil) and the movie lacks shock value.
But the characters I really loved. The acting was superb, too. Sol Kyung Gu was absolutely brilliant as Kim Byung Soo, his expressions were amazing. Kim Nam Gil stole the show, though. I know what a nice, funny person he is in real life and that's why I was so shocked seeing him play this kind of role. I think he really fits the role of a serial killer though. Kim Seol Hyun's performance was fine-ish, she could have done better, but I didn't mind her acting.
The movie makes you think, too. Byung Soo is a person who only kills the people who, in his opinion, deserved to be killed and failed as human beings. While Kim Nam Gil's character, Min Tae Joo, simply killed whoever he wants. Both serial killers had horrible past but, at the end of the day, both are murderers. Despite the fact that Byung Soo has a good side, that doesn't mean that he is not a brutal murderer. The movie makes you think ''What would I do if I were Eun Hee? Would I forgive my father?''
So overall, Memoir of a Murderer is a good movie indeed and I would recommend it. But if you're looking for a very intense thriller, you won't find it here.
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The first half (more like the firts 30-40 minutes) of the movie was not that entertaining. I still liked it, but I was eagerly waiting for something more to happen. And then, Kang Dong Won appeared and made the movie a hundred times better. His character became one of my favourites. He played a very smart and witty swindler who tells nothing but lies. He was extremely funny and enjoyable to watch. His scenes were the best! (And that kiss with Shin Hye Sun... wow!) I loved Prosecutor Byun Jae Wook too, Hwang Jung Min delivered a brilliant and emotional performance. The same goes for Lee Sung Min, whose character was beyond horrible and Park Sung Woong who was as good as always.
Overall, ''A Violent Prosectuor'' is a must-watch if you are looking for a fun, predicatble movie to relieve stress.
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(NOTE: Lee Sun#1 - Yoo Seung Ho, Lee Sun#2 - L)
Actually, the main idea of the writer is quite fascinating. The first episodes were very fast paced and it seemed as if the plot was going nowhere. Then, an unexpected turn of the events made me quite curious which is the reason why I stayed till the end. I made quite a big mistake, didn't I? Even though the idea is very good, it was completely ruined by bad writing. The drama was full of plotholes and bullshit. I finished it but I still don't get why the Crown Prince had to wear a mask. So noone could kill him? As if they don't know that the person behind the mask is the prince. Yeah, bullshit. The plot was predictable, we knew who the villian is since the first episode which made the drama boring with zero mystery. The ending was ridiculous though, I couldn't help but laugh.
The romance was more or less useless, the love triangle too. And how exactly did Ga Eun and Lee Sun#1 fall in love with each other? Lee Sun#1 just looked at her face once and he was ready to die for her. Okay, nevermind. There was zero chemistry between the leads and I just didn't want them to be together.
Lee Sun#1 was quite a dumb main lead. He was there to be out hero, but he lacked charisma. He wasn't convincing. His actions were stupid most of the time. He just kept running after Ga Eun (who is no better than him at all) as if he didn't have more important things to do.
Our second lead - Lee Sun #2 was definitely my favourite character. I loved him from the beginning and I think if the drama focused more on his story I would have liked it more.
Hwa Gun was better than Ga Eun - she was stronger and smarter, but of course, she was just thrown away.
The side characters were more enjoyable to watch, especially Gon, Chung Woon and Woo Bo.
The acting was mediocre. Yoo Seung Ho, my dear, what happened to you? Did you find your character so uninteresting that you almost lost your acting skills? I hope you'll choose your roles more wisely in the future. Kim Myung Soo stoled the show for me.
Rewatching this? No, thanks. I'm sure that there are a lot of better dramas that are waiting for me.
Don't waste your time, trust me. Go and watch something else.
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This review may contain spoilers
Wow, so many negative reviews. Even though I agree that Itaewon Class is not the best drama out there and it has a lot of flaws, I can't deny the fact that I enjoyed watching it and I really appreciate the message the drama tried to say and did it very well. Itaewon Class started in a very cliche way and honestly, I wasn't really into the first two episodes but I decided to wait before dropping it and I'm glad I did it because the drama truly got better as the actual plot started progressing. I loved the first half, it was slow-paced but at the same time it wasn't even close to being draggy or tiring. Each episode was filled with excitement and intensity. The whole atmosphere around ''DanBam'' was so heart-warming and beautiful and I was so glad to see Se Roy's dream becoming true. Itaweon Class is a very inspiring show and it really gives you confindence about your dreams and goals in life. Seeing our protagonist giving his all to achieve his dream, seeing the passion in his eyes, it just makes you feel very motivated and it gives you energy. Of course, the drama has a very idealistic view and Se Roy himself is an absolute idealist which is why it's hard to connect the storyline to the reality we are living in. But the purpose of Itaewon Class is not to be realistic and you shouldn't approach it that way.
The second half was when the drama started getting a little bit too draggy and repetitive. All things I loved in the first half lost their impact somehow and I lowkey stoped caring about what's happening between DanBam and Jangga Co. There were so many filler scenes which had literally no impact to the actual story and it was very easy for me to get bored.
However, even though I was definitely getting bored at one point, I didn't stop watching because I really, really loved the characters and I believe they are written very well. Park Se Roy, as I already said, is a total idealist who never betrayed his ideals and stayed true to himself till the very end. Being such a sweet and kind-hearted human being, his character is very easy to like.
Jo Yi Seo is definitely the most interesting character in the drama and she's also the one who developed the most. They introduced her as a sociopath and one thing I really love about IC is that they never try to romanticize the fact that she was a sociopath. It's true that she was a very cool, sassy rebel who knows how to kick some asses and defend herself. However, no matter how bold she was, some of her doings and things she said were horrible and repellent. Sociopaths lack emphaty and so does she. But as the story progressed, she developed so so much. Her love for Se Roy made her a better person. You know, Se Roy is this type of person who always gives you positive energy, whose ideals are so big that they make you feel small and you just want to become a better person like him. I have never ever thought that Yi Seo's love for Se Roy was an obsession.
Oh So Ah... was quite useless? When the drama started, I thought she would be a super annoying bi*ch but I think she was just... fine. I don't know, I feel like her existence in the drama was more or less poitless, but I guess Se Roy needed to have a crush on someone. I wouldn't say she is a bad character -- on the contrary, she was quite an interesting persona but it's just the fact that she had no real connection to the plot.
The Danbam crew was amazing! I love how different they were but how they got on so well. The villians -- Jang Geun Won and his trashy father whose name I don't remember were a bit weak to be honest. Especially the father, he was just annoying. Geun Won though... this man was just disgusting.
The romance is not a big part of the drama, but it is definitely there. I don't really know how I feel about it though. [SPOILER >>> ] Everything felt so rushed, like Se Roy liked Soo Ah the whole time, not showing any interest in Yi Seo, but then suddenly, he realizes that he was in love with Yi Seo all this time? It was way too rushed in my opinion.
The acting was very good, especially kudos to Park Seo Joon and Kim Da Mi! Also, my man Ryu Kyung Soo!!! I'm really thankful that they casted him, he is very talanted but very underrated unfortunately.
The ending was very satisfying and it gave a good closure to the drama. Gaho's OST in the end almost made me cry, I just love this song soooooo much!
Overall, Itaewon Class is a good show which has flaws, but it's quite enjoyable. The characters are its charm for sure and I would recommend it if you like character-driven dramas.
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In the first place, I prefer my movies or dramas or whatever to make sense. Exit makes close to zero sense. So many things that happen in the movie made me lose brain cells. Nothing was properly explained, the characters' actions were questionable most of the time. There are things that are supposed to make no sense and because of that they do make sense. Exit is just ridiculous and there was no reason for it not to make sense. You can make a funny movie without having the characters to act utterly stupid.
And the other thing, mixing thriller with comedy? I'm just not a fan of this idea. It's so hard to make things work with this that it's almost impossible. I saw that some reviewers and people who liked the movie mentioned that it kept them on the edge of their seat. But I just didn't care about anything, the movie isn't thrilling at all. Because 1) the characters weren't introduced well and they weren't likeable at all which led me to not care about them dying and 2) the whole atmosphere is so weird that it can't be taken seriously. You just know that noone will be in danger even though the situation is quite serious. I mean, it is quite serious. And other than that, our MCs are supposed to be rock climbers, but they almost had supernatural powers and quite good jumping skills. The script was very weak in my opinion and they worked hard to cover it up with some good directing skills.
The acting was overall good, Jo Jung Suk is a great actor and he's good at everything he does. But oh god, Yoona... I love her but I don't think she's a good actress at all. Her crying scenes were especially awkward. They had zero chemistry with Jong Suk and their out of nowhere romantic scenes were just another thing I found really bad in this movie.
And yes, I know that this movie is made mainly to entertain people, but I didn't find it entertaining at all. The solo scenes of Jung Suk's character at the beginning were funny and that's all about it. I wouldn't even say that this movie can be watched just to pass time. It's not worth it. Giving it a 3 because of the effort of the director and the effort of the actors.
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I don't think if that's a thing about Korean comedy movies, but they are never just a comedy. Like, they have to add some dramatic and hella serious stuff to shake the things up a bit. Never seen a pure comedy South Korean movie, they always gotta have some drama going on. Well, anyways, in this case with We Are Brothers, I didn't mind it that much.
Because the movie is overall quite good and well-acted, the funny moments were actually funny and I adored the interactions between the two brothers. The serious elements (like Sang Yeon's past) were an interesting twist to the story and they could have been actually quite impactful if the movie wasn't supposed to be a comedy haha. Kim Sung Kyun was hillarious, his expressions were the best.
So, in a nutshell, an entertaining movie, it's not a must watch, but it's good enough if you want to watch something to pass time or to relax a bit.
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Run On, actually, is an amazing show, considering the fact that it's a rom-com. And we all know how horrible Korean rom-coms can be, they can be toxic, they can be boring with souless characters, they always have too many cliches etc. But Run On is different. It's 100% character-driven drama that focuses mainly on the characters and the dialogues. Truly a heaven for people who are not into plot-driven shows. The characters are interesting because they don't seem fake, they feel somewhat realistic and down to earth. They have a great character development and the good thing is that the drama focuses on the side characters too, not only on the main couple.
Talking about the main couple, they were so sweet. What I loved about them is the fact that, even though they had problems, they were honest with themselves and with each other. They don't act childishly and aren't problematic and toxic. They are two grown people who faced and accepted their problems and grew even more as people loving each other. They learn about self-love and self-acceptance. They are strong as individuals, especially the FL who I admire a lot.
The beginning of the drama was too good to be true so I hyped myself too much. I got too excited and I think that affected my personal enjoyment later on. I grew a bit tired of the show, 16 episodes is a bit too long for my liking. And the second couple didn't really suit my taste. The second female lead was supposed to be a ''baddie'' but honestly I only saw her as a disrespectful, rude bish. And I eventually couldn't get into the second couple. They weren't absolutely horrible, from a different point of you it was interesting to watch them because they were so different, with such different personalities and interests and still made it work and fell in love with each other. So from this POV, I didn't mind them that much.
Overall, I would recommend this if you're looking for comforting show to watch. As rom-com, it was good.
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The thing is, Penthouse surely did well as a makjang, and when I say makjang, I mean **MAKJANG**. It was so over the top, so ridiculously overdramatic, so pointless and utterly stupid. It's almost unhealthy to watch this show, it'll make your blood boil, your bp will get high and you'll regret all of your life decisions.
But the thing is... I couldn't connect to it. Which is the reason why I'm giving a relatively low rating. Sure, it's visually stunning, every scene looks somewhat fancy and appealing, the cast is well-chosen and they all suit their role perfectly. And sure, the dramatic music was something. Aaand sure, the twists were ''shocking'' and unexpected.
But I couldn't care less. I just lost interest after episode 4. There was no character to root for. Shim So Ryun was amazing, but I just didn't really care about her revenge. Oh Yeon Hee and her annoying brat-- oops, daughter, who were supposed to be the ''good characters'' were useless, bland and hella freaking annoying I swear to god. Yoon Chul, actually, was quite the hot dude. And I quite enjoyed his scenes. Literally every kid in the show annoyed me to death and I just started skipping the scenes with them because I couldn't stand them.
However, I think we all can agree that Cheon Seo Jin, played by the wonderful Kim So Yeon, carried the drama on her shoulders and was the prefect leader. She was stunning and graceful from every angle. Baddass queen. Sure, her character is pure evil, but she was attractively evil, if you know what I mean. Every actor did a good job, but she was beyond brilliant. I was totally blown away. God bless the staff for choosing her.
So yeah, overall, I'm giving a low rating because I did lost my interested pretty easily.
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When I decided to start this drama, my expectations were slightly low. I've seen the anime and it was absolutely brilliant. But I thought it would be almost impossible to adapt it into a drama and still remain as good as the original. I must say, though, I was absolutely shocked by how good this adaptation is and how true it stayed to the anime/manga. Of course there were some differences and I still prefer the anime, but I wholeheartedly enjoyed the drama version.
Death Note is super SUPER addictive. I'm not exaggerating at all, I binged it one day. Each episode ends with a cliffhanger and it makes you watch more and more. The pacing was perfect most of the time -- no dragging, no fillers, no useless talking. Everything progressed as smoothly as it could be. The main thing that I didn't like here is the same thing I didn't like in the anime - the plot after Near's appearance. In the drama Near appeared earlier, but I hated when he/she (what???) became an important part of the story. Then (after episode 9) the drama kind of slowed down a bit which was disappointing. However, the ending was brilliant.
Now, let's get into the characters because there's no point it talking about the plot anymore, since the idea is not original in the first place. Of course it was executed brilliantly, but Death Note has some very cool characters that deserve some attention.
Yagami Light will always be one of the most complex characters I've ever seen. You know, in the anime, he was one hell of a insane person. He was very sadistic and vicious and it might be hard to like him and connect to his character. (well, I was always team Kira so... xD) Here though, his motives were somehow easier to understand and you could connect to his character better. Of course, he was still a bit insane, but didn't really show his insanity till the end.
I liked L, too, but I couldn't fully connect with his character. Was it Kento's performance or was it the way the character was written, I don't know. I also wish they showed more scenes between him and Yagami, since they were very entertaining to watch (for example the tennis game!!). Maybe this has something to do with the lenght of the drama, but I still believe they could have developed their ''relationship'' more.
My favourite character is Ryuk. He is just a whole mood. I love him so so so much. And I'm just so glad that they didn't change his character.
Kubota is absolutely PERFECT as Yagami Light/Kira. His expressions were so on point, his agony, his anger, his sadness -- everything was perfectly shown. Light is a very difficult character to portray but he did a flawless job. He just keeps surprising me, he always manages to become one with his characters and sometimes you don't even realize that he's acting.
Yamazaki Kento... I don't know, I think he was a bit too cute? Lmao, this is not a bad thing of course, but his image doesn't really suit a character like L and he was a bit unconvincing at times. Still, I think he did a decent job.
I didn't like the actress who played Near. I cringed at her scenes soooooooo many times, it's insane. The actress who played Misa did better than her.
Okay, this review is getting way too long, so let me just wrap it up. I recommend Death Note to everyone, I believe you all would enjoy it no matter if you've already seen the anime or read the manga. It's very addicting and unique.
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