Reviews

the drama is about ?&?

it starts with fl having a crush on ml not knowing it was mutual but the circumstances were not in the favour then.
cut to the present she writing a novel based on her own then feelings and things start to go down. ml got involved and helped her out. and then they come face to face to their feelings and the misunderstandings are cleared. fluffy and kinda 2016 vibes.
what actually made me watch it is how they face themselves and their lives. it's indeed fateful how the story unfolded. how just some words from someone can give one enough strength to face whatever the battle he/she is fighting. one person can be completely wrong about someone, even if they think they know it all about the person. then accepting the fact of them being wrong and their resolve to start anew and get to know each other again.
one can be 'acting' out of the character to get noticed by that particular person, but when the persona breaks, will the certain someone still accept you as you really are? will you be fine after your persona is scattered, in front of the very person you made it for?
people say this drama is as the other rom-fluff stuff but do you really watch it? the character's insecurities, their growth and their whole arc ? how the certain circumstances affect them and their decisions?
for me the drama is kinda journey from running away from their fears or insecurities to finally facing them in whatever form they can. overcoming the hesitation, that unspoken understanding and the healing.
of course the drama has scenes make you giggle or curl your toes, but it also has the element of showing what it feels like to return to love. this is not the intense drama but a comfort watch with a hot tea in hands while sitting in a blanket.

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An honest review of an underrated series

Hi everyone!
First and FOREMOST the plot summary does no justice to what a beautiful refreshing drama this is.
Lemme explain why,
1. Don’t judge the rating, As a person who enjoyed- it’s okay to not be okay , DOTS, crash landing on you, RIAB book, what’s wrong with Secretary Kim I ENJOYED THIS DRAMA.
2. This is one of the most REFRESHING Korean dramas I’ve seen in a while. I just feel like people aren’t used to this kind of new aspect. The interview format is lovely. Love the different kinds opinions to taboo topics.
3. I LOVE LOVE THE CINEMATOGRAPHY. No words. Just breathtaking.
4. Even though there is a flashback and present- it’s so beautifully and carefully executed so that it’s always refreshing. LOVED THE BEACH SCENES.
5. There is a bit of a mystery to it and the plot slowly develops but I LOVE THE MOMENTS. THE DRUNK GIRL MOMENT , THE COKE MOMENT AND SO MANYYY MOREEE
6. Another thing I loved is how we don’t have to wait for a kiss between the main leads forever.
7. The tribute to some of the best kinda music out there is fabulous! The rock bands.
8. This drama is an entirely different vibe, you might be scared to give it a try but do go ahead and watch the first 3 episodes. It might be your cup of tea.
9. Gotta love my confident side couples as well. That is a Why a 9/10. I’m waiting for more on them as well.
10. I just strongly believe this is not a 7.9/10 kinda drama. I got super sad looking at the rating. THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THAT. And the actors deserve so much credit for going ahead with producing something new. I REALLY LOVE THAT this is one helluva COMFORTING UNIQUE WATCH. (Atleast for me) It’s really got a very nice energy to it! Watch it!!
Hope you enjoyed the review,
Good day pals;) <33

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Most Beautiful Drama of All Time

I’ve done a review for the full version of this drama Chenqing Ling (The Untamed) - it’s long with details (my review). In this review, I don’t want to reiterate what I’ve written before. I just want to do a "short" one for the new viewers.

Many viewers who have not watched the drama wonder if they should watch the special version or the full version. Many viewers are also uncertain why this drama has such high rating and if they are missing out anything, and if they should start watching it themselves. Some viewers also say they are disappointed and the drama doesn’t live up to their expectation.

I have read both extreme ends of the comments. Some viewers have watched this drama for umpteen times, read the novel, watched the donghua (anime), read the manhua (manga), watched all the BTS’s, read all the fanfics, fanvids, etc. (I must admit I’ve done likewise.) On the other extreme, many viewers cannot even get passed the first few episodes and cannot understand what the hype is all about. When they come to this platform (MyDramaList) to question, instead of getting answers, they get clobbered.

This drama is based on a very popular BL novel. To pass censorship in China, the BL part is suppressed if not totally eliminated. But, the production team has cleverly disguised the BL elements into thousands of little moments inserted throughout the series, including within the music, and these little moments are open to interpretation: BL fans see romance right away whereas others see only platonic friendship (that was my first impression in my first viewing). Either way, the story portrays chivalry, selflessness, and magnanimity. It provides many life lessons for all viewers.

This special edition is basically a shorter version of the drama. The original series has a slow start. Many viewers who have not read the novel get pretty confused, myself included. Many even drop the series because of it. In this special edition, the beginning 2 episodes of the original version are cut off; it goes straight to the very beginning of the timeline – 16 years ago. It also includes some scenes (very few) that are not in the original version. It cuts off many peripheral characters and scenes, and focuses more on the two main leads and their relationship. Like it or not, it is this relationship (among others) that has created the largest deluge for viewers who have watched and love this drama. It is also one of the main reasons that propels Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo, the two main leads, into stardom. Currently the duo are the most popular actors in China, receiving countless awards.

For viewers who just want to test the water, the special edition may be a good start. However, the original full version provides better explanation and overall plot of the story. A lot of the questions of this drama have been addressed here: https://mydramalist.com/discussions/the-untamed.

This drama means very different things to different people. For many fans, this is the best drama of ALL TIME. For me, this is true also because it touches certain parts of my heart. It stirs up all kinds of emotions in me which I’ve never experienced before in other dramas – happiness, sadness, light-heartedness, agony, hopefulness, hopelessness, among others. It brings me through a lot of painful experiences, and yet gives me a lot of sweetness in between and in the end.

Yes, I’d say this is a MUST-WATCH drama. It really doesn’t matter which gender and what sexual orientation you are. It doesn’t matter which culture you’ve come from. After all, we all live on the same planet, go through similar injustices in life, and most of all, can relate to the characters one way or another.

Two thumbs up!

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I wanted to love this drama. My friend got me to watch and told me it was cute and adorable and a lot of fun. I believed her. The first 10 episodes were great and I was honestly enjoying it. Then the big plot twist happened in episode 11 and from that point on, the drama was honestly ruined for me.

***SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER****

STORY:
This was really the only problem I had with this drama because I actually liked the acting and the chemistry between characters was great.
It started off fairly cliche - ???? - Cruel, harsh boss and the ??? cute, young, innocent girl are thrown together. Contract marriage, eventually fall in love for real. All great. I actually really appreciated that this time around, the male lead wasn't an ass to her the whole time before he realized his feelings, but he was very respectful of her, treated her well, was super cute to her. Great start!
The first episode I thought it was gonna be super melodramatic what with the boyfriend cheating, the sickness diagnosis, etc. It seemed like this was gonna be a downer drama. I was wrong. It was bubbly and romantic and cute. Everything continued on - relationship was cute, they kept getting closer, they finally fall in love.

AND THEN THE BIG PLOT TWIST. and this is where it went downhill for me.

***SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER****
***SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER****
***SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER****
***SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER****

You find out that NOT ONLY was the female lead NEVER sick with Leukemia, but that the male lead knew about it from the beginning. What could be worse than that? THE MALE LEAD WAS BEHIND THE WHOLE THING. From day one, he was the one who manipulated the female lead, the doctors, down to keeping her holed up in some private facility for two months while she "recovers" (which they conveniently skipped over in the drama and they go straight from getting married to her being fully recovered in under 2 mins). It was ALL a ploy by the male lead to get the female lead to fall in love with him.

The drama continues to try and make it seem like he did it all for a noble cause - cause he really fell in love with her over the past two years when he was at his worst and she was the bright star that made him happy to live and whatnot. That's all great and that's a great love story. BUT THE FACT THAT HE ESSENTIALLY STALKED HER FOR TWO YEARS, FAKED HER ILLNESS AND FRAUDED HER INTO MARRIAGE MAKES ALL OF THIS JUST CREEPY AND NOT OK.

I know that the drama was trying to make it seem innocent, and she of course forgives him for all of this, but honestly I couldn't get over that plot point. It was too creepy and too stalkerish. If this was real life, there was no shot in hell that she would forgive him and continue their relationship.

Legit if they had kept everything the same - him falling for her prior to really meeting her, but actually had her be sick and have him donate his bone marrow, and all the subsequent story points - MINUS THE PART WHERE HE FRAUDED HER - I would be perfectly fine and I would have been able to enjoy the second half of this drama. But honestly, I can't believe they romanticized a legit stalker and manipulator and tried to make him seem noble. I can't.

Ugh.

ACTING:
I think the actors were all really good. I loved the leads (at first) and thought their relationship was surprisingly refreshing for a Chinese drama (where most of the time it ends up being the same plot lines). I was super into the male lead and thought he had a good suave personality, as well as being caring and thoughtful.

REWATCH:
Absolutely not. Knowing that one plot twist really I just can't with this drama. They try to make it cute and relatable, but it's just not for me. It's creepy and stalkerish.

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I am speechless. I can't even express how I feel. This whole movie was a mind game, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. So many events, so many lives, but one purpose. I wish to write something as dark and meaningful like this someday.

I doubted that I would like this movie at first. The dialogue in the first scene was long. But I came to understand it was important. I don't regret the stubbornness I had to sit through that particular scene. Then came the confessions. Just...wow! What a brilliant scheme! This was a really clever one.

The music was very good and it achieved the desired effect. Even added an artistic tinge.

The characters were very well portrayed. I even sympathized with the worst of them (psycho kid). Had a conflicting sense of hating the things he did and feeling sorry for his situation.

I hold great admiration to the writer of this movie. Thank you, this actually had everything I ever wanted to see in a movie. It leaves a deep impression that I won't be able to shake off anytime soon.

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Comparison with Chinese original "Go Princess Go"

Since I watched both the Chinese original "Go Princess Go" and this Korean remake, let me comment on some similarities and differences, and why you should watch both :)

1. Completely different storylines
Other than the "modern playboy's soul enters ancient queen's body" setting, everything else is redone. The Chinese drama was in the early webdrama days and featured an imaginary ancient time, while the Korean actually corresponds to one of the real kings in history. The Koreans took this short-lived king and remade him into a different (more interesting) character in the drama, and based a lot of clan feuds / political conflicts around this time period. This is very different from the Chinese drama, which had much less politics and much more just pure slapstick comedy.
So if you're into period dramas, this one will give you everything you need -- history, politics, as well as a very gripping fight for what is right.

2. AMAZING costuming and set
The Chinese drama was made in the early webdrama days with obscenely low budget, so they took the low budget and made it into one of their jokes. They had one electric fan to do all special effects with, they didn't have money for realistic costumes so they remade a lot of modern dresses, and the set was just ???
(That is not to say the Chinese drama is poorly made -- as I said, they took the low budget and they ran with it; and they made SUCH A FUNNY DRAMA from it that the historical inaccuracies can be ignored)

This Korean one, on the other hand, is made with a standard drama budget, so they really made the whole scenery so much more exquisite. Standard period drama costuming and accessories, and standard period drama sets... etc. Pretty clothes, pretty backgrounds -- what's not to like?

3. The comedy is just as existent!
You'd think that with the politics and the real costumes, that the Korean drama would be much more serious and boring. Not true. Thanks to the scriptwriters' cleverness and the actors' amazing acting/adlibbing, we got just as funny of a story (if not more so). From the wild (history-friendly) re-explanations of common modern words in the "Queen's Dictionary" to the facial expressions and physical comedy, Mr. Queen will have you laughing on the floor and screenshotting all those ramyun references :0)

Basically you can treat Mr. Queen and Go Princess Go as two completely separate works. Both have their perks and charming points. Both are entertaining to watch. One requires a little bit more brain power than the other because of its extra enriched storyline (Mr. Queen), but the complexity is also what made this drama do as well as it did.

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It’s more than just a romance drama…

And that can be either a selling point or a red flag, depending on what you are looking for. Personally, I loved it.

The Eight Sense starts as a story mostly focused on Ji Hyun, a student that moved from the countryside to Seoul to attend a university. Trying to fit into a larger and fast paced environment, working part time and taking classes - having just one friend from the same town. And then he comes across Jae Won. And that’s when the romance starts, Ji Hyun slowly starts to get out of his comfort zone and the plot starts to shift more towards Jae Won.

For me, Jae Won is the star of the drama. His character just resonates with me more. Initially presented as this popular guy who just got back from the military. Guy that has it all: friends, girls liking him, rich and influential parents and an extroverted personality that makes his daily life so much easier. But there is so much more to this character and we slowly see the unhealed wounds as the plot starts to focus on his side more and more.

Both characters went through enormous change throughout this short drama. Both matured and learned more about themselves. While the romance was amazing, organic, well paced and perfectly delivered, the individual stories were the aspect that made me love the drama more. Creating your characters as more than just a pair, making sure they are presented as individuals with their own stories, social circles. Not locking them inside the romance bubble where they are never seen interacting with other people in a context that is detached from their relationship - that’s when you know there was some proper effort put into writing.

I cannot compliment The Eighth Sense enough on how they presented and dealt with mental health issues. This might be one of the best representations in k-bls we have seen so far. It showcases how complex of an issue it might be. How at times we don’t even know how much people around us are struggling, because they learned how to mask it. How the healing takes more than just occasional visits to a specialist. How the system of social support and having people you trust around you is also a vital aspect of recovery. How there is no one solution, magic pill that can fix it all - it’s a long process that needs many elements working together to have a positive and long lasting effect. But also, how it’s obtainable, how it’s not impossible to get out of that dark place, no matter how hopeless it might feel at the moment.

As for the acting - no complaints. Both Im Ji Sub and Oh Jun Taek did justice to their characters and delivered a realistic and believable performance. The Eighth Sense also has an amazing cast of vibrant supporting characters. I adored the female-male friendships thanks to Yoon Won’s and Ae Ri’s fun personalities and great delivery by Lee Mi Ra and Seo Ji An. I hated Eun Ji and Tae Hyung with all my passion and it was also possible only because of how well acted the roles were - props to Park Hae In and Jang Young Joon. It also made me think how we all have flaws, some just have a bit more than others… But we still need to learn how to coexist with them, otherwise it will just make our lives harder.

All that said, here comes issues I had. The editing was at times truly painful. I understand that in some cases it was probably a stylistic choice that visually represented the state the characters were in, but it did not really feel like it. It just felt like a messy and jumpy editing. In most cases the directing and editing was okay. first two episodes had an amazing indie feel to it and I fell in love with it right away, but the middle part of the story just felt a bit sloppy. Some scenes felt on the nose, but I don’t think it was the issue of the scenes alone, but rather the fact they were played one after another.

Overall, highly recommended, but not to people who just want a romance driven story with little to no distraction from that aspect. This show does not even have that many scenes of leads together, compared to other dramas in that genre. It’s more of the characters walking next to each other rather than characters walking together. Sometimes one person stops for a moment. Sometimes one person picks up the pace leaving the other behind. There are individual detours before they can both reach the destination.

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I went into this expecting it to be just a chill, casual watch. Predicted I'd end up rating it like an 8 - not bad, but not stellar. HAH. I was wrong.

This drama.. Where do I begin? Phenomenal acting aside (which, I mean, look at that cast, they did fantastic), the story was amazing. I saw so many people saying that they knew nothing about baseball but were still enjoying the show. Why is that? Because the show isn't actually about the sport, it's about the people. What made this drama so great was that it was heavily character driven. You don't have to understand the mechanics behind baseball management because you understand the basics: if the characters get what they want, you're happy for them, and if something bad happens, you hurt for them. Each one of these characters were so special, and the writers--round of applause to the writers, folks--were able to take characters that you didn't care about or that you actually disliked and made you root for them. That is skill right there. The bond between the staff and the bond between the baseball team were addicting. And the twists and turns, and watching them build up this team from nothing was so thrilling! And to top it all off, there were some really great messages woven throughout the drama.

I'm going to miss these characters so much. I know it's a hopeless dream (pun intended lol), but I would love for them to make a season two.

10/10 would recommend.

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Two young men with opposite personalities sparked love and growth in each other’s lives.

STORY
Coming from Korea, I already expected it to have a seemingly interesting and unique plot. The story beautifully portrays a growing relationship between two young men with completely different careers. Their opposite personalities added depth to their characters, and I love how they helped each other develop. I would also mention how I really liked that they added a character that depicts a “confident gay” as I may say without hesitations or whatsoever when it comes to what he truly likes (no more “I do not like men, I only like him” lines which irritate me, I guess haha). It felt like they were existing in a world where homophobia does not exist, and they just took everything casually.

The story also shows a glimpse of the entertainment/showbiz industry. The struggles of living a normal life as an actor and the realities of the controversies they get involved in. Also shows how media can be deceiving, and how it affects the lives of celebrities.

I really find the story cute and full of fluff with the continuous engagement of the couple. Their interactions made me want to fall in love again, and how they managed to make each other a better person. The pacing is beautifully done, and I love how things are not rushed nor too slow for this drama. They are taking their time and there is something within the story that makes it feel comforting.

The ending was great and sweet I really wish there was more. And what I think the edge of this drama compared to other recent Korean ones was the pacing, I do not feel that the ending was rushed. Everything was explained correctly and most of the things were settled at the end.

Their story makes me want to watch more episodes but sadly, it’s only 9 episodes that are roughly 10-15 minutes long.

ACTING
In terms of acting, I would say that they really act natural around each other. I love their chemistry and the cast did a great job portraying their own characters. It does not feel forced and awkward at all. They’ve done it well especially the main couple because every time they have cute little interactions, I would quickly smile knowing how comfortable they are with each other.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Since this is from Korea, I do not have issues with the cinematography as it is a lot better than the ones I previously watched from Thailand. In comparison, the production value of this drama is good and met the standards of the recent Korean BL dramas I’ve seen before.

MUSIC
The music is okay for me, I wish there were more songs in the drama but the ones used really suit the atmosphere of the scene.

Overall, this drama is very good in my opinion and probably my favourite among the recent ones that Korea has produced (Color Rush, WYEL, Mr Heart, Wish You). I fell in love with the cuteness of the plot and I really wish it was longer. Nonetheless, this is good and it made it into my favourites.

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1) The reason I watched this:

I have a psychiatrist friend who insisted on watching this film. She already knows that I don't mind any sort of special story no matter how horrific it is; I was fully prepared to any type of scenes and so I watched it.

2) Storyline/Plot:

They weren't kidding when they said "This movie contains EXTREMELY graphic child abuse! Do not watch if you are easily disturbed.", I intentionally repeated it because this film isn't directed to all types of audience, even if you are an adult you can easily be disturbed.

Positive points:

*It's a true story that focus on a world wide issue: a great topic.
*The producer wasn't afraid of showing the horrible fact to the audience.
*The script writers did a great job by delievering a masterpiece.

Negative points:

For me there isn't.
*Some people would feel sick or shocked that's why I said it's not directed to everyone but if those scenes were absent then it couldn't be fun to watch considering its theme; it was realistic and special in a great way.

Story: 9.75/10

3) Acting/Cast:

I really loved each and everyone of them here.
*It was different yet cool to see Gong Yoo in a serious role.
*The three children have done a great job because their roles were mainly sentimental and they were skilled to portray that aspect.
*The actors knew how to deliever feelings and leave us affected with their issues.

Cast: 8.5/10
Acting: 9.5/10

4)The ending:

It wasn't what anyone wanted but it was great because it was realistic.

The ending: 8/10

5) My impression (How did it affect me):

*As I said earlier I don't mind any sort of special stories, this film was interesting enough to keep me hooked up for two hours.
*The grafic child abuse is what gave this film its taste no matter how horrible it was.
*I got the conclusion that this world is full of bad people but they only need one courageous person to change the whole thing.
*Protecting children's innocence is our responsibility as adults.

My impression: 9.5/10

6) Overall:

I repeat this film has shocking abuse scenes therefore, if you're a sensitive person don't even think about watching this.
*If you like special stories and don't mind the abusive scenes then you would like this.
*Human rights lovers may want to check this out.
*Don't be fooled about the fact that Gong Yoo is the main lead, it's nothing like his previous Dramas/Films.
*If you're looking for a romantic story then you shouldn't be reading this in the first place.
*I repeat for the last time sensitive people KEEP OUT!

Overall: 9.5/10

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Easy to follow

Easy to follow. The story line is very simple. Watched it because I’m so intrigued of xing feis acting skills. I’ve watched kdramas & cdrama and a lot of story are repetitive with no eye catching acting skills but not xing fei. She does knows to cry, laugh, smile, sad, angry, scared frustrated in natural ways, that’s why I’m pulled in to watch more of her work. She doesn’t disappoint. This story is to how to overcome psychological difficulties. And she really can pull the “I’m in love with you” character no matter whom she’s paired with in non cheesy way.

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This review will not contain any spoilers, but it will be a long, emotional one--and at some points, very personal. You can skip to the end for a tl;dr summary of the review if you do not wish to read everything.

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If I could name a drama equivalent to The Handmaiden, it would be SKY Castle.

SKY Castle is a satirical drama that criticizes practices from corrupt business hierarchy to extreme parenting environments. The drama has impeccable directing, story is full of plot twists, comedy is subtle and melds well, and the cliffhangers are absolutely wild. The drama tends to often be dramatized, especially as it is a satirical work, but the underlying themes are never truly lost.

SKY Castle focuses on a person's wellbeing above all else, be it education, money, or job position. Yes, the aforementioned are important, but at what cost? Certainly not at the expense of giving up all of one's happiness or opportunity for happiness. This drama hits extra close to home and really resonates with people who relate with any of the characters' upbringings, which is fairly common amongst Asian households with views along the conservative side of the spectrum.

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As someone that grew up in an environment frighteningly similar to some of the children in the drama, these issues are very real. Some elements of the drama are definitely exaggerated, but parenting ideals are unfortunately very accurate. When I was growing up, anything not perfect was considered failure. Got a B on an exam? Unacceptable. Got an A, but it wasn't 100%? Not good enough. Actually getting perfect? No compliment, only expected to upkeep the results. It wasn't uncommon for me to experience physical abuse for disobeying anything or not achieving expectations. This type of harsh environment is displayed in SKY Castle, and it really unveils how damaging it is to a family.

Abuse shouldn't be a tolerated, period. The drama displays the issues that can arise through punishment especially, as opposed to positive reinforcement . The cycle of punishment can create a rift between a parent and child that gradually expands and expands, eventually leading igniting hatred. So many parents also project their ambitions and dreams onto their children saying it's for the best, never asking or caring what their children want. In some cases, everything works out fine; in others, the child adapts a similar perspective as the parents, and the abusive cycle repeats. In many cases, this absolutely destroys children's relationships with their parents. Often times I thought about suicide, running away from home--these options seemed better than the torture that was presented by my parents. These are serious issues that potentially tread on life and death, and it's very well highlighted within the drama.

At times it wasn't even the studying that was the most draining part of my childhood, but the fact that I felt unloved, only there to satisfy my parents' desires. Endlessly I was told to become a doctor, a lawyer, or insert whatever high paying prestigious occupation. Who cares about what I want, right? Children aren't and shouldn't be a parent's opportunity at a second chance towards their dream; they are their own people, and should be respected as so. Here's a quote that really resonated with me in the drama:
"Who cares if they acknowledge you or not? I just want to be happy."

I was also constantly compared to other children, told how I was inferior to them. "These children can do this and that; why aren't you able to?" This competitive mindset is dangerous; often parents will disregard their children's wellbeing for the sole sake of pushing them towards the absolute limit to be better everyone around them. And...for what purpose? To satisfy the parents' eligibility for bragging rights. Of all things, they push and push and push their children...for bragging rights. Does it matter that your child is smarter or more successful than other children if they're in complete agony?

My relationship with my parents to this day is completely broken. I don't tell them any of my worries and fears, what I'm doing, how I'm doing, because it's unimportant to them if I'm not 'successful' to their standards. Can you imagine being so afraid to tell your parents--who should supposedly be closest to you--anything because you will be disregarded, not acknowledged, and shamed? The characters in SKY Castle can. It's a shame that the people you should be able to lean on are the ones you're afraid of most.

"The greater your suffering, the greater your enlightenment."
This is another quote that I feel can be attributed greatly to SKY Castle on the whole. Often times it's not until you lose everything that you see all that you took for granted. With what this drama presents, hopefully people become more aware of their situations to where such tragedies needn't occur.
At the same time, the drama doesn't fail to also showcase that not everyone is capable of change. Some people, despite losing everything refuse to acknowledge to mistakes and change for the better; they are too blinded by their ego and necessity to be right. That's an unfortunate reality.

With everything previously said, I want to iterate that education is of course vital; this drama definitely isn't making a statement that education isn't needed. It's the balance of a good education with one's wellbeing. Of course, SKY Castle also attributes this not only to education, but jobs, money, titles, and backgrounds as well.

I'm really glad that SKY Castle addresses so all of these issues, and sheds light on how damaging these practices are. Having personally experienced the harsher end of this type of parenting, I don't expect my parents nor many others to change, but small steps in bringing awareness I hope at least has some degree of an impact. This is a very meaningful drama, and I hope everyone that watches it can at least gain something from watching it.

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Moving on towards the characters, cast, and acting--everyone did an absolutely phenomenal job.

This drama built and developed characters astoundingly well. Aside one certain character, I could sympathize or empathize with every character on at least some significant level. Even towards characters that I viewed in poor light, I could sympathize with. Despite me not agreeing to so many actions from various people, I could not help but admire the lengths they would go to, especially out of love. It is apparent that many of these characters aren't inherently bad people; you can see that their conscience is slowly eaten away by guilt. They are just widely driven by greed and love for their children, that their perspective is clouded in misjudgment. I couldn't hate them as people for those reasons, only their actions. I believe that is great execution of character depth and development. I've not seen a more convincing performance than from SKY Castle's cast; they were exceptional.

What allowed SKY Castle to be so successful in creating tension and shifting moods ever so flawlessly was its exquisite incorporation of music. The music complemented the brilliant directing and production of the drama. The flow of the drama was never inconsistent. Pure comedic relief scenes were few, but meshed with the drama very well through its music. Ha Jin's "We All Lie" creates a very intense atmosphere, in combination with the cliffhangers, leave you craving for more every episode.

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SKY Castle gradually garnered a massive audience as the drama progressed through its satirical portrayal of malpractices, corruption, extreme controversial conservative parenting, neglect, and more. Brilliant directing and production, engaging plot, convincing acting with a powerfully befitting soundtrack to boot. This drama is very well worth your time, further compounded if you can even slightly relate to any of the issues it brings up.

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Hana Yori Dango was the reason I discovered dramas. I was watching the anime (and loving it) when I found out it had a "live action" version. I downloaded it and started watching it and the rest is history. Going back to the present, a few days ago I decided to rewatch it, because I wanted to see if it was as good as I remembered or if I was just being biased because it was my first drama. My conclusion: It WAS good.
I think almost everybody who is familiar with this story knows that there are several adaptations for it. It all started with the manga, then the anime, then the 1995 movie and then 4 drama adaptions from China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. This version, the JDrama one is my favorite. Reasons? Here I go.
Story:
The story isn't your typical Cinderella. Yes, there's a poor girl and a rich guy and yes, he falls in love with her, but this Cinderella definitely doesn't want the charming prince to return her glass slipper. For me this story is a master piece not because of the love story, but because of its crudeness. It deals bluntly with heavy issues (even more forbidden in Japan) like bullying, rape, tolerance, corruption, class differences and the general injustice that is high school. I think this a story that every teenage girl should know of, because it says that you don't have to be anything to please a guy.Instead, you should worry about the things surrounding you and how you can make a change.
The love story is pretty good and addictive too. You have a strong female character who deals with a LOT of things throughout the story. She isn't searching for love, she has her hands already full with school and her family. She isn't pretty OR nice. Neither is she elegant or flirty. BUT, she is loyal to her friends and always defends people against injustice. She is honourable and honest, she always speaks her mind, even if it will get her in huge trouble afterwards. She's also fearless and does what most people are afraid to. Watching this now, I realize that Makino has been my role model throughout my teenage years and has helped me morph into the person I am today. I am still very far from being like her, but she's a truly inspirational character who makes me always push myself harder.
Then there's Domyouji, who is far from your perfect prince charming. To put it mildly, he's a total jerk and a bully. He's used to getting his way and everybody is afraid of him. He's a really rotten human being, if that can even be called human. But, when Makino confronts him instead of running away from him, he falls instantly in love with her. For me one of the greatest thing about HYD is seeing Domyouji slowly changing from being the monster that he was at first to a truly beautiful human being. His love for Makino makes him grow as a person, become someone kind and adorable, and he learns a little more about life, and accepts that he can't always have his way.
Acting:
All the cast does a perfect job. They made the characters from the manga come alive completely, instead of changing them. The chemistry between Inoue Mao and Matsumoto Jun is so real that I often wish they were a couple in real life while watching them, and the chemistry between the F4 is great too. They really came together as a group of friends who always have their back for each other.
The thing about this story is that you don't say: wow this person is a great actor/actress. It is the kind of awesome acting that makes you forget they're acting. It's simply natural and perfect.
Music:
The OST is really good. It's not mad good, but it's the kind of music that gets stucked in your head for several days in a row. It has been on my iPod for several years, and I sometimes use it as a ringtone from my phone.
Rewatch:
I've watched this several times and I will keep rewatching it, because I learn something new about it every time I watch it.
Overall:
This is one of those dramas that for ME, is really a must. If you haven't watched it, I recommend it greatly. I don't know if you'll think of it as high as I do, but I seriously think you'll like it, what are you waiting for? :)

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THIS IS A MASTERPIECE!!

Story - For those who love the novel and dissapointed because there's no BL in this, DON'T WORRY!! The bromance is wonderful and will make you can't stop smiling. The story is rather faithful to the novel (not exactly the same tho).. they adapted many sweet scenes of LWJ and WWX.. (Trust me, they adapted almost everything except the confession scene and steamy scenes). For the additional plots, I don't have any problem with them.. it doesn't really change anything (maybe only more screentimes for minor characters like Wen Qing and Jiang Yanli).. And I think they add a new character, Xue Chonghai, to smooth the story.. It was a big question in the novel HOW DID WWX LEARN DEMON CULTIVATION? And the story about Xue Chonghai is to answer the question..

This drama really has exceed everyone's expectations.. like, at first, in China, many the original novel fans can't accept the show (because there's no BL or Xiao Zhan & Wang Yibo don't have WWX & LWJ's charm, etc) and so The Untamed only got a low rating (4.8 in douban) but it keeps on increasing after the show airing.. now it has reached 8.0!! I think it proves the beauty of this show..

Acting/Cast - Both Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo did a great job in this drama!! At first, I though Xiao Zhan wouldn't suit WWX since he doesn't look like someone who talks a lot.. but I WAS WRONG.. WWX IS MADE FOR XIAO ZHAN!! And for Wang Yibo.. there're not many expressions shown by Lan Wangji here.. but I think Wang Yibo did a great job showing a cool but caring Lan Wangji~ >< The other supporting actors are new but really did a great job.. especially Yu Bin who played our little angel, Wen Ning~ like when he was stabbed, I can feel his pain too ugh.. ToT

Music - This drama has a set of beautiful songs.. the ending song, Wu Ji, sung by Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo and Yi Nan Ping are my favs.. Yi Nan Ping is a theme song for A Xian, A Cheng, and A Li.. the lyrics is so heartwrenching (I almost cried when the song was played).. and there are character songs too.. like Bu Wang sung by Wang Yibo for Lan Wangji's character song, Qu Jin Chen Qing by Xiao Zhan for Wei Wuxian's, Chi Zi by Yu Bin for Wen Ning's, Bu You by Liu Haikuan for Lan Xichen's, etc.. all of them have beautiful lyrics that tell the story of each characters.. MY EARS ARE BLESSED!!

Rewatch Value - DEFINITELY!! I can rewatch this wonderful drama again and again..

Overall - A must watch drama!! There is a complete set of genre inside.. comedy, mystery, friendship, family, romance.. >///<

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TL;DR? Just absolutely wonderful. Full of lots of tears and laughter and romance, this drama has something for any romance enthusiast.


I will admit something here. I dropped this drama three times! The first time, I barely lasted 20 seconds, so maybe that doesn't count. The second time I made it a whole 5 minutes, and the third time I made it to 10. I just could not stand the lead actor. He was weird, and that laugh was so awkward, but not quite in a good way like Dokko Jin from The Greatest Love. I thought there was no way I'd watch it.


But then something really awesome happened. One of my drama besties started texting me about how amazing her new drama was, and how much chemistry the lead couple had. I scoffed when she told me it was FTLY. So I decided it would get one more shot from me before being relegated to my growing dropped list.


And thank god for that! I started it up for the fourth time, and this time I made it to when the leads met. And then I was 6 episodes in before I even realized what was happening. This weird, annoying character had somehow managed to work his way into my heart, and I was absolutely hooked. That annoying laugh? I was now looking forward to it. His weird behavior? Suddenly romantic. It was like a switch had flipped, and there was no turning back.


I hope you forgive all of that insane rambling! I swear, I do have a point! Three of my other Kdrama friends had also started and dropped this drama after the first few minutes, thinking it wasn't going to be up their alley. That makes me think there might be even more of you out there who are hesitant about this drama, and I really, really want to encourage to give it a shot!


Lee Gun is a caustic, lovable jerk. He is the quintessential CEO character, a little brash with people outside of his circle and definitely a little self-serving. Kim Mi Young is the exact opposite, known as the post-it girl because she is easy to get rid of and she admittedly has no backbone or ability to say no. They are as different as night and day, and yet when they come together they are the absolute best versions of each other.


In terms of character growth, this show is the absolute best. I don't think a single character made it through this show without maturing and changing. This drama was sad at times, and I will admit to a couple scenes that had me bawling like a baby. But even through all of the tears, it is absolutely worth it.


If you've made it all the way to the end of this inane review, I hope that you will consider giving FTLY a shot. The romance, the story line, the characters, all of it combines to make an absolutely unforgettable story.

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