Kate

RamKing is life and Thara is amazing.

Now that we have that behind us, let’s talk about the drama itself. It was a mess. They didn't try to be serious for sure, and some silly scenes were borderline dumb, but somehow it did not bother me. But then… My expectations were extremely low to begin with. There was an imbalance in the quality of writing between couples. Some were good and executed well with interesting characters, some were based fully on cliches and made me want to either sleep or smash my head on the wall.

Let’s talk about couples. The leading babies, Duen and Bohn, had a strong start. Their interactions were funny and cute, but then, it led to nowhere. About halfway through the show I was asking myself: what is happening with them, why does every episode have more or less exactly the same plot for them? There was not much creativity behind who they are, what they do and how they behave. They are basically every cute BL couple from every BL put together to create this monster. Not to mention how frustrating their dynamic was - Bohn always being jealous about the smallest and most random stuff and Duen apologizing and pleading.

King and Ram… how were they so good? How could the same person write them and Duen/Bohn? The quality is vastly different. There was something fresh and fun, yet cute and innocent behind their interaction. King was a perfect senior who, with his mature and bubbly personality, brought some peace and happiness to the soft boy Ram. Since season one focused on Ram's development, I can’t wait to see what will happen to them and King in the 2nd season.

I don’t have anything to say about Boss and Mek. Their story might have been amazing, but I did not witness it at all. Sadly, I could not look past Mek’s dubbing, and skipped all his scenes. I just could not focus on whatever was happening because of the poorly done dubbing.

I also have a complaint about Thara and Frong - there was not enough screen time for them! Another pairing that, to some extent, relied on the stereotypes, but brought a bit of a twist to it. The slow, but adorable change we saw in how Frong treated Thara made my heart melt a few times. Loved how they became so open and were able to communicate with each other, say sorry when it was required, and support each other when needed.

The acting would be fine if it was not for Poy. His crying scenes were some new level of comedy. The rest did well. I did feel a bit awkward with Talay's delivery at times too, but since his character was so nicely written, I could ignore it.
The editing, set design, directing - everything was meh. It was not bad, but it was not good either.

Overall, it’s a nice “I want to watch some sweet show that does not require a lot of brain power and I am willing to skip 50% of the scenes if needed”. There were some scenes more ridiculous than others (the fact Duen was hit by a car in episode one and it was never addressed still makes me laugh), but I guess the confusion it created in my brain was also its charm?

Would I recommend watching? Yes and no. Watch RamKing and TharaFrong, feel free to skip the rest.

Read More

Perfect movie if you decide not to use your brain for two hours.

The Call has a lot of pros, not gonna lie. The acting is amazing, especially from Jeon Jong Seo. Her character is truly the best part of the whole production. You end up loving and hating her at the same time. Jong Seo's portrayal of the initial vulnerability that moves into the direction of desperation and then madness is an intriguing ride.

Park Shin Hye is good. As good as in any other production she was in the past few years, as she is playing exactly the same character. Kind of strong and driven to survive, but not really. Sometimes making smart choices, but that are built on a chain of dumbness. There isn't anything fresh or interesting about her.

The other characters are barely there, only serving the purpose of moving the plot forward or being an external motivation for the two main characters.

The visuals - truly stunning. That's the part of the production that shows a lot of work and planning. The moments when two worlds are colliding and affecting each other was done in an exciting and beautiful way.

So what is the problem?
I'm fairly certain that Lee Chung Hyun did not have a storyboard for this project and he could not decide what exactly are the rules of the time. He presents a linear concept of time (compared to "alternative universes"), when past events affect future events. One reality, but two different points in time. But the way the movie presented the concept was as if the two timelines were parallel and progressing the same way.

Currently happening event in the past affects the currently happening event in the present, but we don't see how the past plays and affects the present in between these events, as if the time between these two events does not exist. The past is the past. Seo Yeon should have access to all the information about the events that happened, not just the ones currently happening in the parallel timeline. Not to mention the fact Seo Yeon had no memories of the past events that affected her. Why?

All events in the movie happened in the linear way, except for the ending. Which was also not explained. The plot twist just opened the door to so many plot holes. If you could call the past at any given time on that timeline, why didn't Seo Yeon use it to her advantage?

The more I think about the way the plot was structured and the time connection explained, the more I get annoyed. It truly looks as if no time was put into making sure the events follow any line of logic. On the surface, it's the basic "action-reaction" deal. But when you start asking questions, you see that time travel/connection plot lines cannot follow this simple logic, because that's what makes them illogical. As time is not that simple...

Anyway, I can see why people enjoyed the movie. It was entertaining for most parts even though quite predictable. If you won't try to understand the logic behind the events or the rules of the time aspects, you will like it. So, the piece of advice: put your brain on the shelf before starting it.

Read More

Was it scary? No. Was it innovative? No. Was it fun? HECK YEAH.

I truly do not have much to say. It was a series of short (most are around 5-6 minutes long) stories presented to us without much context. The urban legends they are based on are not explained, and I myself recognized only two from episode 3 (Special Guest) and episode 6 (Dimension). Did it bother me that I was dropped into the dark and by the end of each episode I was still in the dark? Not really.

I saw a lot of people commenting on the lack of the lore explanation before each episode, but most of the time there is nothing to explain. Urban Legends usually leave more questions than answers, as they are supposed to be simply entertaining and not complex masterpieces. For example, the Dimension is based on the elevator game. Follow the rules and you might end up in a different dimension. If you break any: you're dead. That's it. That's how creepy pastas and urban legends work: they have little content, no explanations and a lot of "plot holes", but they are fun to read (or watch, in this case).

The story that stood out the most to me was Dimension. It got me excited. The choice for the music was true perfection, I was smiling the whole time (damn... this makes me sound like a psychopath when you think about the content of the show and this episode). I also appreciated how the stories were all connected and clearly took place in the same area/universe, as they referred to each other.

The production value was inconsistent, that I must admit. The directing and editing itself was nice and the team did a good job with creating some interesting pictures, but at times, they tried to do more than they were capable of. The CGI was painful to watch in a few episodes. Thankfully, more often than not, they used practical effects, which saved it. Being perfectly honest with you guys, I enjoyed the bad CGI. The whole show was a fun, silly ride for me so the "creepy CGI baby" was just a cherry on top.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes silly creepy pastas and urban legends and does not expect any complex and interesting lore. It's fun and entertaining, and even though it's supposed to be a horror, it brought me more laughter than scares.

Read More

Feels like a fanfic written by an inexperienced teen.

And yet I enjoyed it so much. Let’s get real - the writing of everything except for the romance was laughable. When I found out that the actors actually had some training with the professionals, it made it even worse. Without it, I could excuse it on the lack of research, but there was some effort put into it, so why is the result so bad?

All that, it was pure entertainment. I must say, I actually enjoyed the villain the most. He had such a massive negative brain energy I could not stop laughing watching his shenanigans. Especially in the last episodes, everything was so dramatic, when realistically speaking nothing made much sense. It had its cons though - I felt nothing, no pain, no angst, no sadness - nothing. The lack of brains from the villain and the plot completely distracted me from actually connecting to the characters.

Then we have the medical aspect. It was so bad I honestly don’t even want to talk about it. The glorious closeups to the actors' faces as the medical procedures are happening, because the actor cannot deliver them in a realistic way - this tells you all you need to know.

Putting the villain and the medical aspects aside (which means just ignoring a massive portion of the plot lol), the romance itself was great. I liked how they emphasized that the characters make each other better, and how you need to put an actual effort in relationships - no first love type of a deal. The chemistry was great and very natural - no awkwardness, unless the scene literally demanded it.

I also had no issues with the performances. There were no groundbreaking deliveries, but everyone did a good job with their respective roles.

Overall, it was so dumb it ended up being great.

Read More

Purest form of entertainment.

Realism does not exist in the dictionary of the creators, that’s for sure. And it goes beyond the usual fantasy/adventure elements in shows like that. Did it bother me? No. I laughed and joked about it, and moved on. The plot moves so fast, there is no time to think about all the ridiculous aspects.

Tomb of the Sea does a fairly good job establishing characters, their motivations and overall world buildup. You can watch it without any prior knowledge of the series and the prequels, and still enjoy and understand it. It follows quite a few plotlines - Gutong Jing adventure, Wang conspiracy, politics between Nine Clans, and all the small flirty romances. Sounds like a lot, but it's truly not hard to grasp when watching.

The large cast of the characters makes it easy to find someone to relate to, love and, if that's what you fancy, hate. Personally, I adopted Li Cu. At first, my attention was more on Wu Xie, but as the drama progressed, this slightly emo and over the top child stole my heart. Surprisingly, I had a soft spot for Liang Wan - quite flawed, but also a loveable and fun character, which brought a more realistic reaction to all the events unfolding.

One aspect I truly loved about the characters was the realistic portrayal of teenagers. The hero complex, the lack of situation analysis and getting yourself into danger without even taking a second to truly think about the consequences, the over the top and sometimes childish interactions - all of that made me think about the time I was their age and was just as stupid.

For a drama with 52 episodes, it’s surprisingly binge-watchable. The plot moves fast, even if the timeline makes little sense. Word of advice - don’t try to keep up with how much time passed for each side plot, you won’t be able to puzzle it out anyway. You might think just a week has passed, and they fit you with the revelation that it’s been a month or more. They cut off some plot lines to come back to the characters a few episodes later, with me having no idea what they were doing and what happened to them between the events I witnessed. Just go with the flow and don’t question it.

The soundtrack could not be more perfect. Chen Xue Ran’s Song of the Desert became one of my favorite songs in 2021. It was so good, I did not even skip ending credits scenes after each episode, just so I could listen to it.

Overall, it’s a flawed drama - weird plot pacing progression, makeup that can survive sandstorms, cutting plot lines and then coming back to them as if no time passed, and yet, I truly enjoyed it a lot. I also appreciate the death count - nothing more frustrating than when no one dies in a story like that. It would be too Disney for me.

If I had to name one thing that truly bothered me, it was the treatment towards the kids. At times it was simply physical and mental abuse, and it did make me feel uncomfortable at times, especially since the drama never explained why the characters had to be high schoolers. In my eyes, they could have been easily made into young adults, and not much would change plot wise.

Read More

Rom-com turned psychological thriller

Imagine all the unhealthy relationships in dramas. Now, multiply that image by 100. And guess what, it still does not get close to the toxic ride I’ve got from this show.

Truth to be told, the first 10-11 episodes were a top grade hate watch. I had so much fun with how ridiculous the plot was, how toxic the ML was and yet no one saw any problems with it. After that though, it turned into a snooze fest. It was not even entertaining enough for a solid hate watch anymore.

Ling Yi Zhou is easily the worst main lead in the history of romance dramas, and yet, no one had much problems with his awful schemes, including the female lead.

I don’t even want to talk about Xia Lin. Girl needs some serious psychological help. Honestly don’t know who had more issues, her or ML.

Anything good about the show? Chu Yan, one of the semi realistic people. The chemistry between Xu Kai Cheng and Simona Wang was really good and natural. I almost enjoyed their domestic scenes when I was able to block the toxic parts out of my brain for a few seconds here and there.

Overall: I don’t know. I had fun at first because of the ridiculous writing - the plot twists were so over the top and gross (if we talk about real life) I was crying from laughing, but after some time it got boring… There are some makjang plot lines that cannot be topped. The show picked at episode 11, and went downhill from there.

Read More

Seeking the chance without regret

Beautifully written and directed tale on chasing after your dreams and hopes regardless of external factors, whenever they are your age, family, social expectations or past demons keeping you away from taking that chance.

The true star of the show was Shim Deok Chul played by Park In Hwan. Both, how the character was written, and then portrayed on screen made me as a viewer relate to him, empathize with his journey and root for his success even though, practically speaking, we had close to nothing in common. The story was so touching and beautiful that it left me dehydrated because of all the crying (not all the tears were sad).

Acting wise, I had a small beef with Song Kang - his emotional scenes were just… not emotional. The sadness, fear, loss, frustration his character was supposed to feel, were not translated via his acting on screen.

Sadly, Shim Deok Chul arc was both the blessing and the curse of the drama. All the other plot lines felt flat when compared - there were just too many characters that at the end of the day, were relaying the same message. Dropping some characters from the script, and allowing the rest to present better structured and developed plot lines could have potentially elevated the quality of the overall storytelling.

The production quality was, dare I say, perfect. Props to Song Kang double and the director for filming the ballet scenes in a way that was consistent and it did not feel like I’m watching two completely different people doing completely separate takes of the same scene.

The OST is one big bop, having both slower and sentimental songs and faster tracks.

Overall, it was a ride that, at times, was tough to emotionally deal with, but still worth all the tears. It did not leave me completely depressed, as I was fearing, taking into consideration the used themes. What I’ve got was a beautiful conclusion to a beautiful story.

Read More

Fast, fun, and already fading.

Almost worked, but not quite right. The characters were fun, the set up was interesting, the chemistry did sparkle a few times, but why do I feel so unsatisfied with what I’ve got?

What I enjoyed was the curse of extremes - I liked how they presented both bad luck and good fortune as potential sources of negativity and isolation. On one hand Fukuhara Kota kept to himself, because he was afraid of affecting others with misfortune. On the other hand Naoya struggled with creating deep connections with people after countless bad experiences of being exploited because of his good luck.

The grass is never greener on the other side, it’s green where it’s taken care of. It was great to witness how the characters slowly come to that conclusion. They learned how to change perspectives as a way of dealing with their circumstances. Instead of running away from potential issues, they focused on the positive outcomes they previously neglected.

When I think about the characters as individuals though, Fukuhara Kota was quite confusing. Technically they told me he built a fake personality as a way to protect himself, but I don’t think they were truly clear about what aspects of how he acts were fake and what was real. The drama opened with him approaching Naoya with the “fake”, but later when he shows his true self, it’s not really much different - he still is bubbly, overexcited about certain things… The only difference is how he lets himself explore and present frustration which he was more likely to conceal before. That said, I did adore the inside voice commentary Kota kept giving whenever something he disliked happened, but he still wanted to play fake nice about it.

Then we have Shinomiya Naoya lacking some depth. I wish they dived deeper into his insecurities concerning his good luck and how he kept being used by people around him. We did not really get much of it and he was a bit too perfect for me liking. Patient, caring, nice - I cannot even name any flaw in the character. And the flaws are what makes them feel real.

The romance was surprisingly the weakest part. Kota was so hyperactive and animated it was hard to truly get into his chemistry with more laid back Naoya - they did not keep the tension between the characters, always breaking it with some overexaggerated reactions from Kota. While I did enjoy the few looks of adoration Naoya delivered, overall there was something missing… I feel like many scenes did not use the full potential of the set up presented and it was always somehow half-baked.

I did like all the performances, be it from the main cast or the supporting one. Even with limited screentime and their stories not being shown, Naoya’s friends did feel like distinctive individuals.

Overall, this was an extremely fun and fast watch that I will equally extremely fast forget.

Read More

Way more slice of life than I thought it would be.

Even though there is no comedy genre, I somehow went into it thinking it would be far more silly in terms of plot, characters and relationship. What I’ve got had far more depth and complexity and even if I disagreed with certain choices, I understood where they were coming from. Be it result of miscommunication, fear, insecurity, need for growth, care or love - nothing felt arbitrary.

But also, not this drama turning me into a redditor screaming “divorce!”, “break up!”, “move on!”. The conflicts were so annoyingly real it was impossible not to connect to the characters and experience what they are feeling. Be it fear of losing or starting a relationship, shame concerning their own desires and wants, incompatibility - whatever the core of the issue was, they managed to present it in an easy to understand and relatable manner.

Maybe because the characters and conflicts had so much depth I did not feel fully satisfied? These 8 episodes were enough to give me set up and proper closure, but not enough development.

As for the sex - yes, there is sex in the drama. Quite a lot of it. No, it’s not “artsy blurred make out scenes ending on hand holding”. The sex scenes are actually really… normal. Which is kind of the point of the show - sex is normal. What surprised me was the almost complete lack of nudity. Even during the scenes we know characters are naked, we don’t really see much thanks to the well planned camera work and use of props.

Acting wise - I dare anyone to have any complaints. No matter how normal or eccentric the characters might have been, how exciting, mundane, heartbreaking or uplifting were the moments in their lives, the actors delivered.

I saw many people describe this drama as educational, which I would for sure agree with, but I think it’s more about encouraging reflection about topics like sex, intimacy, honesty, communication, relationships, setbacks and traumas. It’s not just “sex lessons”, it’s life lessons and sex is just a part of it.

Read More

What the author had in mind?

First thing first: trigger warning for real animal cruelty. Damn 2000's was a different time for this movie to be able to exist. It's mostly fish, but they are not that nice towards dog, bird and frog either...

This movie is kind of hypnotising - you cannot stop watching not matter how gross and weird it gets. You question everything and yet you don't hit that pause button. I think the depth of that movie is hidden deep down in the mind of the author. Is this deep symbolism, or is it a shallow pretentious symbolism? I don't know.

The movie has little to no dialogue and yet it was directed in a way I did understand easily what was going on and what the characters were thinking and feeling (it was all fucked up, but I could grasp it). It's a story of two broken people becoming more broken and more fucked up.

The acting was great, not gonna lie. Seo Jung as Hee Jin was simply disturbing.

Overall... that was quite an experience and I don't think I know even one person I would recommend this movie to.

Read More

Going into this show one needs to understand this is not really a dating show. It definitely focuses on the hardships of existing couples and any “dates” seem more like a distraction from what’s going on. You won’t really get butterflies watching it, there is no “hot tea” of who likes whom and why. It’s more frustration, pain and a lot of sadness and this is kind of why I liked it.

Quite quickly you can figure out no new couples will form here. While the dates provide a new perspective for the couples to view their own relationship, it would be painfully ridiculous and unrealistic for any of these people to fall in love with a new person in just two weeks. And that’s one of the aspects I did not like - short duration. I honestly don’t think 2 weeks is enough of a time for a show with a premise like that. It probably would be better if the filming took a month - just keep them all in Seoul and let them go to work, so they don’t take a full 2 weeks off.

Because the duration was so short, a lot of things felt rushed and we kind of got bombarded with new developments, constant arguments and unresolved issues. I cannot even imagine how exhausting it must have been for the participants.

That said, it’s still a surprisingly great show. Somehow, no matter how flawed the relationships might have been, I rooted for most of them to stay together. It was nice to watch them learn how to communicate with each other and appreciate the bond they have.

Read More

Bumpy road with not so smooth storytelling.

Copycat Killer is for sure not anything groundbreaking, but it has its charm thanks to the 90’ set up and great performances.

It’s best to watch it without trying to figure it all out. If you start to pay too much attention to the plot and certain details, you’ll start to get more and more frustrated. Yes, it’s the case of poorly done detective work and letting the killer get away a few too many times before the final face off. If you just go with the flow, it’s a rather entertaining watch and game of wits from people who don't really have that much wits in the first place.

Honestly speaking, I truly enjoyed the first 3 and last 3 episodes, but the middle part was just not well constructed and, at least for me, it failed to connect the initial set up to the given conclusion. All the revelations made sense, but they never truly felt earned. I also wished we had more background on the mastermind, more information and explanation for his motives. They spent a lot of time developing things that by the end did not matter as much as the vital aspect that were left underdeveloped.

Copycat Kill in a not so subtle way delivers a message about the biased portrayal of victims in media and the negative consequences of chasing after topics, disregarding feelings of people who are involved. While the message was clear, even that felt a bit wishy-washy in the presentation.

Best aspect of the drama? Undoubtedly the performances. Chris Wu aced the role of the justice driven, hardworking prosecutor with a tragic past. The raw emotions and vulnerability he delivered on screen amazed me quite a few times. That was truly a one man story. Technically speaking there were 7 main characters, but by the end of the show, everyone seemed like a supporting character for Guo Xiao Qi’s journey.

Personally, I loved the production quality. Great and detailed set designs, beautiful use of lighting, smooth editing and transitions between scenes. The 90’ aesthetics were presented in a realistic way without making the show look dated. The few gore scenes had perfectly done makeup and practical effects. It's not over the top graphic just to shock the audience, but it also does not shy away from the reality of the gruesome crime.

Overall, a nice watch. Nothing thrilling enough that would make you binge watch in one sitting, but something that might make you want to watch an episode every few days.

Read More

The initial hesitation and resignation I felt when I started watching, turned into interest and excitement by the end. I mean, I did not think a group of annoying and obnoxious teens that are basically asking to be killed could make a fun watch - I was wrong.

Somehow, I slowly got invested. I honestly didn’t care who would survive, I just wanted a few dead, and after each vote I got more and more anxious and annoyed - what if they will survive? Not really caring about these kids is actually a good thing. This movie is not made to awaken empathy in viewers, it’s not deep, and does not serve as social commentary. You are here for the thrills of who will die and who will survive the mind games.

What I also liked about this story is how we saw both the participants and the operators' perspective. Personally, I think it made the movie more digestible.

Acting was good. I don’t think it needed strong performances. Asakura Fuyuna was probably my favorite.

Overall, surprisingly fun, building the tension and thrills as it goes with a great ending that actually made me appreciate it even more.

Read More

Being brave does not mean not being afraid...

It means doing what's right despite your fears. Great message for a movie that obviously has kids as their target audience. And for kids I would for sure recommend it.

It was painfully cheesy, especially the ending. The messages were literally slapped into my face, no ambiguity, no need to dwell on them more. The power of love, care, friendship, bravery, apology, reconciliation - everything kids should be learning about, you have it here.

Watanabe Kei is honestly a great character - usure and scared, but willing to learn and improve if it means helping others and saving his younger brother. He is not a perfect hero, he is a normal kid that other children can relate to. What helps is also an amazing performance from Terada Kokoro - this child knows how to scream and has actually great comedic and dramatic skills.

Production was nice, typical for fantasy movies for younger audiences, focused on the practical makeup and costumes with CGI just as an addition slapped on top.

Overall, while I obviously was not in mind of the creators when they made it, I still had a great time and even cried by the end. As cheesy as it was, it’s a nice and simple story that can teach kids some life lessons.

Read More

Another nonsensical movie for the win.

The most surprising thing is: it was not that bad at the beginning. I would even call it decent. I went into it thinking “piranhaconda”, but got an opening of a not bad disaster movie. The joy did not last though, and it turned into a full on laughter about all the absurdities.

Trying to find logic and realism would be harder than finding Wally with blindfold on. Truly nothing made sense. The villain was comical, the physics did not work, the crocodile had some magical powers to do all the stunts he did. Most characters had a negative will to live too. As brainless as it was, I did have fun watching.

My favorite part was when the crocodile was running wild and everyone on set was looking everywhere, but the crocodile. Obviously they did not even use a toy electric car to give the actors indication where the animal is supposed to be at any given scene - unintentional comedy goals.

Have to say though, while the CGI was not great, it was actually better than many Chinese wuxia shows I have seen. Easier to make it decent with all the dark sets - you can care less about the details. Still, surprised with the not awful quality.

Overall, it’s a good fun watch with a group of friends. You can place bets on who will die first too, or who will survive till the end.

Read More