Reviews

QUEEN OF IDIOCY AND HER BIGGEST SIMP.

A show that looked quite interesting and engaging from its trailer and previews only to end up as a total dud. The episodes get boring with each case and rarely are moments of anything exciting. It is draggy and even gets annoying sometimes especially the entire relationshit arc between the leads.

One of the most dumbest female leads to ever exist. I still don't know how she even managed to become a lawyer. From the previews it looked like she will be one strong willed and badass lady but all you get is an idiotic damsel in distress who just keeps putting herself into dangerous situations, only to be rescued by ML. In almost very ep, she just keep crying and lamenting.

Kang Ki Young finally getting a lead role but just the wrong show. His character is a huge doormat of a simp who just cannot move on from a lady who dumped him to marry someone richer and influential. The entire past love arc was pure crap and would have been better if not kept in the show. Dude keeps on getting hurt by FL's decisions and keeps coming back wiggling his tail.
There is no chemistry between the leads and neither is any character progression. I would say the relation arc between Sara and her ex husband was way better than the ex boyfriend turned coworker dude.

I would say the antagonists were way better than the leads and at some parts I even wanted them to win be it the ex husband or his mother. They did really well with their part.
If you are looking for some exciting law and thriller stuff, this show ain't worth your time.

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Aaaaaabsolute Disarseter

This, I imagine, is what the first draft of the script for "A Perfect Match" looked like:

Scene 1.
[A wet dream.]
[Morning wood.]
[Lingering shots of Xiao Nan showering. Ummmm…. Aaaaaaaaabs.]
[Lather. Rinse. Repeat.]
[Product placement.]
[Dead parents.]
[Gran sad.]

Scene 2.
[Nan's late for an interview. Saves a girl.]
[Boss bad. Girl his sister.]
[Product placement.]
[Dead parents.]
[Gran sad.]

Scene 3.
Evil woman: Flirt with me. I’m the straight devil.
The Villain: I will, baby. Now fuck off, Nan, you perfect-bodied handsome god, you.
[Note to casting: Make sure the villain is the ugliest member of the cast.]
Xiao Nan mewls.
[Lingering shots of Xiao Nan (and the villain) showering. Ummmm…. Aaaaaaaaabs.]
[Lather. Rinse. Repeat.]

Scene 4.
[Xiao Nan and The Boss meet, get drunk, and talk about...]
[Dead parents.]
[Lingering shots of Xiao Nan showering. Ummmm…. Aaaaaaaaabs.]
[Lather. Rinse. Repeat.]
[Product placement.]
[More product placement.]
[Near kiss. Even more product placement.]
[The little girl is a brat.]
Director’s Note: All very well, but where’s the dialogue in this?

Scene 5.
[Introduce a supportive fujoshi.]
[Product placement.]
[Yes, this whole episode is for product placement. It's called multi-level marketing.]
[Lingering shots of Xiao Nan showering. Ummmm…. Aaaaaaaaabs.]
[Lather. Rinse. Repeat.]

Scene 6.
[Boss and Xiao Nan play tennis.]
[Both take their tops off, for no apparent reason.]
[Ummmm.... Aaaaaaaaabs…. Peeeeeeecs… Niiiipples....]
[Boss has an unexpectedly hot body.]
Xiao Nan's Thirst: That tattoo! Wreck me daddy… Destroy me king…
Xiao Nan: I think I might fall in love with you. So, I'm going to go.
Boss: I like you too, so I'm going to let you go.
[Brat sister screams.]
[The villain wants a second serving of Xiao Nan.]
Everyone: Who doesn’t?

Scene 7.
[Brat sister screams again.]
[Xiao Nan shows he can bitch-slap.]
[The villain wants a rematch with the boss. They play tennis. The boss wins. Obvs.]
[The hotties kiss. Finally.]
[Gran sees.]
[Gran sad.]
[Fujoshi consoles.]
[Product placement.]
Director’s Note: Seriously. Will there be any meaningful dialogue in this show?

Writers: Aaaaaaabs…olutely not.

Scene 8.
[Gran sad because boy loves boys.]
Gran: You a whore?
Xiao Nan: No....
[Cut to Xiao Nan, who's now having rampant, rambunctious sex with Boss.]
[Camera cuts back to Gran again, who’s suddenly happy, for no reason whatsoever.]
[Product placement.]
[Lingering shots of Xiao Nan showering. Ummmm…. Aaaaaaaaabs.]
[Lather. Rinse. Repeat.]

Scene 9.
[Tennis match. Someone wins.]
[The villain creates a conflict. Let’s see, he pretends to be injured so that the boss can be jealous?]
[Boss jealous.]
[Lingering shots of... ]
Writers: Wait. What the fuck? Where's the shower scene? What's going on?
Director's Note: I think we've had enough showering, don't you?
Writers: Aaaaaabs... so.. fucking... not!

Scene 10.
[The leads reconcile.]
[Xiao Nan becomes a wife and a cook.]
[The kid's still a brat.]
[Gran's a bit useless.]
[Beach trip. Shirtless frolicking. Ummmm... Aaaaaaaaabs.]
[Product placement.]
[They all live happily ever after... in a surprisingly tiny flat.]
Note from the Producers: What?!?!? That's it? The final scene is not of the boys showering together? After all this fluffing, you won't even finish us off?

Verdict:
This is one of the worst shows I have ever seen. I loved it.


Reader’s Digest:
DO SAY: sPectacular...
DON’T SAY: exPectorant...

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They did us dirty with the way it ended

I’ll preface this by saying I haven’t seen Addicted, nor have I read the piece(s) the series is based on. I am not going to compare it to anything, but I will simply judge it on its own.

The plot is interesting. It’s not something we often get in BLs (yes, I know this is a censored version, but it’s still a BL), and even if we do, it’s rarely done well. Stay With Me has executed it amazingly! The plot is not nearly as simple as it seems at first, which was a really pleasant surprise. While the development of the relationship (romantic or not) between Wu Bi and Su Yu is at the front of the series, it’s not the only focus. We also get to follow how other relationships change and develop over time, mainly those of their family members and close friends.

Wu Bi & Su Yu: I love seeing them together. The two might be quite different but they have an amazing influence on each other. Wu Bi might appear cold, arrogant, short-tempered and uncaring, but in reality, that’s all a front he puts up to protect himself. We get to see him open up more once he gets closer to Su Yu and his family. Su Yu lives only for school because that’s his ticket out of poverty. He is not a demanding child, he never asks for help or anything from his father, because he knows his father is trying his best. He does become more carefree as he gets closer with Wu Bi. He becomes more open and willing to talk about his wants and needs, especially with his Wu Bi. The two might have started off as enemies, rivals, but the way things change was done very well. It was well thought through. Their actions had clear intentions and reasons, as did the way their relationship progressed. I think both actors did great in their roles, they had great chemistry.

Now, this might have been a censored work, but it didn’t really hide what kind of relationship the two have. Their looks, their touches, the little kisses, the way they gravitated towards one another, the innuendoes that were being thrown left and right… they might have left a lot up to our imagination, but they made things as clear as they could.

I absolutely love Su Yu’s dad, miss Zhou and Duo! With all the flaws that Su Yu’s dad had, he has always been immensely proud of his kids – Su Yu, Wu Bi and Dou – and all of their achievements, no matter how big or small they were. He was incredibly supportive of them and always there when they needed him. The same goes for miss Zhou. As for Duo, she was a little ray of sunshine who is always ready to share her words of wisdom with her two older brothers. This was the found family all of them needed to thrive, not just the boys. Not all of them were blood related, some not even by law, but they truly showed what it means to be a family, to love each other, to support each other.

On the other hand, I don’t think Su Yu’s mom and most of Wu Bi’s family have any redeeming qualities. There is something about the cousin that I disliked from the start. Might be his arrogance or just the overall vibe he had, but I don’t think he cares about anyone but himself. His uncles are horrible. They treat everyone around them like dirt and that didn’t really sit well with me. Wu Bi’s father lost any right for redemption once we learned he has been abusive towards his son after his mom passed away. And Su Yu’s mom lost the right for redemption the moment she decided to abandon her child. I don’t care how much they tried to make us sympathize with the two, I think both of them are bad parents.

Which brings me to things I disliked. One thing was Su Yu’s dad saying how all parents love their children. Not all parents do and not all of them deserve to be respected as parents. Children do not owe love and respect to their parents if that is not something they received from them. I know Asian cultures are big on respecting your elders, but it’s actually a very damaging idea. I think certain scenes were very bizarre and didn’t make much sense or were done in an over dramatic way that just made them hard to watch. There are also certain things that I feel lacked proper closure or explanation why it happened like it did. Or how it was even possible. And I am not even talking about the ending here.

That ending though… they better give us a S2, because I am not happy with how it all ended. It does feel like it was a setup for another season, especially how it was all left in the air in the end. It was a scene I knew was coming based on the trailer, but I did not expect it to be left unfinished like that.

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Solid crime drama! Gripping! About an aged, cynical cop struggling in a dark, grim man's world

"Shadow Detective" offers solid crime thriller quality at a high level - gripping, dense, with South Korean Look&Feel!

As a Disney production, the series was produced explicitly for the international streaming audience. Accordingly, within compact 8 episodes the KDrama presents itself rather slim in terms of some characteristic dramaturgical, Korean-style storytelling elements. Nevertheless, a profound script, the committed cast and witty camera manage to create an enormous intensity and three-dimensionality.

"Shadow Detective" takes the audience firmly by the hand. The story does not have to come up with an excess of violence (as is so often the case with international, more masculine orientated streaming productions). I should mention, though, that it's primarily about older men in a man's world - and it's rather dark, grim, cynical.

Against the almost self-evident background of an almost unassailable, corrupt shadow world, the story focuses on the protagonist's inner struggle to do a reasonably good job as a detective despite the ailing system (... and to cope with aging).

Another season has already been announced.

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A must watch healthy relationship

This drama deserves a solid 10 from my perspective .I rarely writes reviews for drama just after finishing it but this deserves exception. . This is story of two people falling in love by understanding each other. So the lead have more screen time than any other unnecessary dramas. This is kind of healing romance with a realistic characters. The actors match the character so well that we can’t imagine anyone else as LZX and YSL.

This drama is an example of how healthy relationship can make a person better. If someone asks a drama on healthy relationship , you guys can show them this for sure. No evil scheming ex-girlfriend or evil parents spectating couple or anything. All are positive people. His ex girlfriend even helped them to get together.

This drama contain romance, comedy and some lessons. The characters are well written. This is just a simple love story between two normal human being we see around ourselves. This drama is like reading a good book. You know reading some book in a chill atmosphere after hectic work , you know what I mean. There is no angst or much drama. The entire focus is on their romance and relationship. They do have deep conversations. Some might say all they do is having lunch and talking but if they listens to their convo well , you will know why they are having that convo. Also in my experience we like someone or develop a relationship by talking with them and understanding each others thoughts, likes and dislikes right?.

Ye Shi Lan(FML) is a paediatrician working in Anxing hospital . She is one of the character many can relate to. She has her own flaws also her own qualifications .She has a purpose for her life, she has a goal, she plans her life with practical way. She wants to fulfil her dream of buying a house which is an influence from her father. She is timid but she is aware of her flaws. She accepts her mistakes, apologise , she tries to correct things. One thing I liked that she was a pessimistic person , when Lu Zhao Xi(ML) gives advise her to think life in a positive way, she actually took it seriously and made herself positive. She is ready to accept the advices if its good. She is someone who we can make understand things. Her relationship with her best friend jiajia is also good. They are not typical best friends you see in dramas. Here they share everything with each other, they are not ashamed to talk anything with each other. Also Jia Jia gives the best advices to her instead of some crazy immature ideas.
I was able to relate to YSL in some scenarios like why she is thinking like that. YSL felt she didn’t deserve Lu Zhao Xi when she felt some affection or like towards him, she saw herself inferior and LZX had so many qualities so that she didn’t find a reason why would LZX like her.

The female lead got the most character development in the show I can say. In first episodes , she seemed unhappy, lack of confident, less outgoing , always keeps herself and always sees things in positive way also she started to get along with colleagues also. Later in episodes you can see, she became more vibrant , active , doing sweet talks with Lu Zhao Xi easily. 

Coming to our ML , Lu Zhao Xi, He is the one of the best ML out there. He is born in a rich family , he got everything but yet he is aware that he is privileged due to his family background . He is not the usual robotic face President/CEO. He is the main reason I got hooked to this drama. He is very considerate , influence people around him positively, respect others, very understanding. You can see in one episode where they were having an event for trying the birth pain stimulator for men and he came forward and gave some good speech there. So such things shows how thoughtful he is . He is a person everyone deserves in their life. He doesn’t misuse his power. He is very playful , easygoing and friendly. He is the standard for a man in girls life. He sees life in an optimistic way. Even when Ye Shi Lan misunderstood him back there in Taoyuan Village, he never took that to heart , he understood why she mistook and never judged her , even he tried to comfort her . When she came to back to hospital he teased her for fun but nothing serious , YSL thought he would take revenge but nothing like that happened. When he was trying to make her jealous but when thing didn’t go as planned he instantly felt regret and depressed because he felt he hurried YSL and affected her mood, he was worried about her. You can see when he realised he liked her more than momentary crush he was afraid to confess not because of the fear of rejection but because he was worried she would feel awkward to face him in future. That much he thinks of her. Lu Zhao Xi is not thunder Leo (usual type). He express his emotions, he express his love , he do a lots of sweet talk. Because even when they become together we will not awkward .


Their relationship is very beautiful. They respect each other , love each other and have a lots of admiration. They never fails to compliment each other and support each other . I love while developing their friendship first, they shared each and everything with each other, because when they become couple they didn't have any big secret hiding from each other. They know most of things about each other.

I watched whole drama with smile on my face. The confession scene was one of the best confession scene I have seen. Only real words, no honey coated promised . During the confession scene, Ye Shi Lan shared all the insecurities with him and I wanted to give a hug to her. LZX understood her worries. And he was able to comfort her.I love how Lu Zhao said, “Though I can’t promise only good things will happen to you in the future, even if something
Bad happens, I’ll try my best to make it in good direction”. I feel this line is good , because no fake promises like I will make only goo things for you in future etc etc. The dialogues are written beautifully , it’s like reading a poem or book. Also the Scenery of Taiyuan village is good.

In short I would totally recommend this drama to anyone. Definitely going to be in my Top list of fav dramas and rewatch list.

Leggi di Più

Solid storyline

Recommended to watch. I knew about this drama from advertisement. The trailer looks interesting so i thought i check out a little bit. But never knew i hooked until the end. From the title i thought this is japanese drama, but i was wrong.(actually it from japanese comic from same name).

I'm a big fan of dramas mostly chinese drama and korean drama. This is first time for me to find chinese drama that contain solid storyline. Mostly i just going to skipped or fast forward most episode of chinese drama because mostly it contains filler that unnecessary. But not this drama.

The acting was superb. Whoever casting the actors and actress made a good job. Many talented young actor and actress. (watched because of juck zhang but now I'm in love with this drama)

The music good, suitable for growth/competition drama.

I had a little bit knowledge about go, this drama give more knowledge about go and behind the scene.

Things that i don't like. 36 episode not enough for me. I need more. I understand that production want follows closely to the comic storyline but don't ended like that. I hope there's season 2.

Rewatch value 10/10. I definitely will watching this drama again.

I hope there are more like this drama out there. Nowadays, it all about survival, growth and rivalry.

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Absolutely hilarious!

Hands down the most fun I've had watching a comedy series in a long time. I was literally rolling on the floor. It's short, but totally worth the time. The casting was also very good (not great, but decent), and the main character played his role flawlessly.
The only criticism I would have is that I'd like for the romantic storyline to be more developed & foreshadowed earlier, as well as for the entire series to be longer. However, if you look at this show purely from the comedic perspective, it's a 10!
And it's super rewatchable :)

The series tackles most cliches in the genre and does it an unexpected, fun way, without offending anybody. It's just so fresh in the sea of BL shows that are similar to each other.
It's an easy recommendation.

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Deserves More Love!

Week after week, I would check the rating here on MDL to see if other people were seeing what I was seeing, yet the rating remains consistently poor. If you've come down to the review section out of curiosity, please don't let the low average rating scare you away! This is a beautiful show that gets better the more you engage with it as a viewer.

I think the thing that might be throwing many people is actually the thing I also like most: namely, that this series is more like a stage play than a TV show. There are a limited number of sets, a relatively small cast of characters, and high dialogue to action ratio. This ties in with the main character's profession as a play actor and also serves in a metacontextual way of engaging with the act of storytelling in a rather novel way. Not only does this show have a main plot and a few subplots, but everything about it is also a love letter to the very notion of storytelling itself. Characters serve as stand-ins for the audience, the chorus, and even the storyteller in turns. It's a fun device that really adds to the depth of each and every shot, line of dialogue, and character choice made along the way.

I also have to applaud the way that this show handles religion and spirituality and the supernatural. It's also a deep dive into grief and loss. Honestly, there's so much to this show! Also, Jared is adorable and it's worth watching for each of his appearances onscreen alone.

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Missing: This Drama

OVERVIEW:
1-10 Episodes; Super
11th Episode; Misses Small Spark
12th Episode; Perfect Finish



Likes:
1)Soul Connecting Stories
2)Connecting Characters
3)Acting
4)Writing
5)Atmosphere
6)Cinematography

Dislikes:
1)NONE

OVERALL:
Don't MISS This Drama

*****************************************



OVERVIEW:
1-10 Episodes; Super
11th Episode; Misses Small Spark
12th Episode; Perfect Finish



Likes:
1)Soul Connecting Stories
2)Connecting Characters
3)Acting
4)Writing
5)Atmosphere
6)Cinematography

Dislikes:
1)NONE

OVERALL:
Don't MISS This Drama

*****************************************

Leggi di Più

Compelling, complex vendetta, expressive play, impressive spirit & cunning plot development

KDrama Orbit starts into 2023 just as the year 2022 had been – full of productions with their fingers put right into the sore of wounds of society, savouring its imbalance with relish. "Payback: Money and Power", again, is one of those. It offers an exciting, astute, complex and clever story about revenge against those giants, who can hardly ever successfully be confronted by legal means. Money helps… those... who want to have things turn out the way that they prefer… who can afford to have things turn out the way that they prefer... who have a strong vision, too.

The underlying premises are pretty sobering, yet well-known territory in KDrama land:
-The system (democracy and the rule of law) serves the money, not the people, because the people who fill the system with life can be bought.
-Power and money are inseparable.
-Hierarchical class thinking is far from overcome. The value of a person's wealth directly determines their value as a human being.
-Huge fortunes and legality rarely go hand in hand.
-The good news for the wealthy: money can buy you justice (and law).
-The bad news for the ordinary: Life is unfair.
-With legal means (alone) justice is not a given.

"Payback: Money and Power" bluntly takes all of these premises and blends them in a vendetta against Goliath revisited. Therefore, David first becomes a Goliath himself. In this case, David's real name is Eun Yong. He has risen from a penniless, simple young man to become the CEO of a private-equity fund who successfully speculates astronomical sums of money. Together with a team, that for him is family, too, he takes on a financial cartel in which politicians and especially the public prosecutor's office are also involved. Thus, it is not played fairly. On the contrary: it is actually life-threatening.

So, at first glance the plot doesn't seem to promise much that's new. Nevertheless, "Payback: Money and Power" offers a dense, strong story, with expressive play and impressive spirit. The presence of the mimes in front of a rough, gloomy background is haunting. To be honest, I paused for a moment - not sure whether I really want to know and see everything or rather drop. Eventually, I couldn't help it, couldn´t let go of it. I WANTED to know and see. The impression, the KDrama left with each episode, was just too powerful... And I'm thoroughly glad about it. A great story. With a considerably cunning plot development. Despite the underlying bitter seriousness an invigorating (for all the refreshing poetic freedom - e.g. not everyone is as talented, tactically adept, self-confident and yet grounded in a good balance of heart, mind and soul as Eun Yong) and encouragingly optimistic perspective.

Oh, actually, here's another premise I forgot to mention at first...
-But what a relief that the law still exists... and also those few, who stick to it, believe in its value and power, and thus keep fighting for it with wits and passion...

Leggi di Più

I really liked this drama. One reason is because I've been searching for exactly this story - reverse roles of the usual drama where the girl is the innocent, sweet person and the guy is the cold, self-centered one. I also liked it because none of the characters were morons or annoying IMO.

Also, it had kissing. I haven't really seen Japanese dramas having skin contact much, and that kinda annoys me. This drama didn't have that anime feel to it either, which I like sometimes, but I know alot of people who don't like Jdramas because of that comical way they talk and stuff. Oh yea, I liked the ending ;D

Overall, I would recommend this drama to all. It was nice to watch. Blah... now I want to find a similar drama!

Leggi di Più

'Iljimae' has left me sitting in a puddle of my own (hypothetical) tears. Although the first 6 episodes are a bit slow, the story soon picks up with a quick-fire, rapid pace that will leave your heart feeling as if it had been pulled out and stamped upon. It was truly a beautiful drama.

The story is similar to Robin Hood, but it's more sophisticated, powerful, moving and gritty than the traditional English folk tale. It is, without giving anything way, a revenge story. However, unlike most revenge stories, it has a heart. Our hero isn't some morally conflicted guy who can't tell right from wrong - in fact, the drama does well by clearly defining the hero's morals and making sure that he never strays too far away from them. It is beautiful to watch the story unfold and see our hero grow.

The father/son relationship was also incredibly moving. You can tell that Seo Dol has this completely unconditional love for Yong (despite him not being his biological son), and their relationship is so special and beautiful. I haven't seen a father/son relationship, like that, in K-Drama - ever. The impact Seo Dol and Yong have on each other just pulls on my heartstrings, and I am usually a person who remains highly unmoved by fiction.

I also have a lot of admiration for Yong's adoptive mother Dan-ee. She appears to be cold and indifferent towards both Seo Dol and Yong (and even her own biological son, Ja Dol/Shi Hoo), but that's just way of trying to protect herself if anything bad happened to either of them. You can tell that she truly loves them.

Overall, the story was very good; however, the romantic aspect of the plot really did weigh it down. I saw no true purpose, asides from being a romantic tool, for Eun Chae; yes, she was caring, kind and seemingly selfless (well, at least that is what she liked to think) but her character lacked development, depth and heart. Every time she would pop up on screen, the story would end up slowing down. She was an unnecessary character, in my opinion, and her romance with Iljimae was highly unconvincing. The second main girl - who actually had a more significant impact, and had a purpose in the story - had much more convincing chemistry with Yong and I would have preferred her to be his primary love interest. She was a brilliant 3-dimensional character - like Yoong - and she had true depth.

I didn't have a problem with Ja Do/Shi Hoo, though. I thought it was kind of weird how he loved Eun Chae (not a spoiler, this is pretty much obvious from the outset of the drama) because he believed her to be his sister, although she wasn't (again, not a spoiler), so that incest-but-not-incest thing kind of grossed me off him for a while. However, his moral conflicts and his struggles with his identity were quite touching, and although he didn't have the same impact as Yoong, I did sympathise with him a lot.

The drama does not suffer from bad acting at all. The cast fully suited their roles, and although Lee Jun-ki is partial to some overacting, it wasn't anything that detracted away from the drama. The actor who played Seo Dol was amazing - that guy put me through emotional highs and lows, and he had amazing chemistry with Lee Jun-ki. I actually felt like I was watching a father/son team whenever those two were on screen with each other.

The best performances, in my opinion, came from Lee Moon Shik, Lee Yong Ah, Lee Jun Ki and Kim Sung Ryung, Lee Won Jong (who was perfect as the delightfully self-serving and wicked, Byun Shik) and Park Shi Hoo. There wasn't really anything that I could call a 'bad performance' in the drama, and though I didn't like Eun Chae, Han Hyo Joo did what she could with such a bland character.

The only reason why this drama doesn't get a perfect 10 from me is because I felt that the romance did actually weigh things down quite a bit and whilst the ending was good, the slight openness of it did irk me off because I prefer more defined endings. (Especially after watching a drama for 20 hours!) However, it was a beautiful story with beautiful characters (and great action scenes) and I recommend it to all. It has heart, humour and depth and it has really perked an interest in the saeguk genre, for me.

Leggi di Più

This was a wonderful drama! I started this drama since I was bored and had nothing to watch but at the end, this drama actually turned out to be one of my favorite dramas. There's a high chance that I'll rewatch this since there was barely any episodes for season 1 (I heard there's a season 2 that will air on May 23, 2018). There's some romance in this drama and the pace is quite fast. The main part is that there isn't an evil villain or anything like that yet so it's not a drama that you will feel annoyed about since this drama is a comedy drama. The comedy part isn't too much like it's not over the top so it's more realistic. Warning: if you do watch this drama be prepared to have a second lead syndrome - Mo Ran (or maybe I'm the only one who has it in this drama?) I prefer the second lead (Mo Ran) over the first one (Tang Yi) for some reason but anyways hope this helped. Finally, I love the osts in this drama and probably the reason why I got into X-Nine which is the group that the male leads are in.

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An incredibly intense espionage thriller

Before getting into the review, here is some historical background for the film:

The film is set during the Second Sino-Japanese War and WWII. There are several powers in play at this time: the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese Nationalist Party or Kuomintang, and Imperial Japan. Imperial Japan invaded Manchuria (located in northeastern China) in the early 1930s and established the puppet state of Manchukuo. It was here where they hoped to establish a base from where they would continue their expansion into Asia.

In 1937, after many years of conflict, Japan occupied Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing. The Nanjing Massacre occurred at this time. After the fall of Nanjing, which had been the capital of the Republic of China at that time, the Kuomintang moved the capital west to Chongqing, under Jiang Jieshi's leadership. During this time, the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang formed a temporary alliance, suspending the years of civil conflict between them, although their vie for power continued.

In 1940, Wang Jingwei, who was once a member of the Kuomintang but had always been in opposition against Jiang Jieshi, collaborated with Japan to establish the Wang Jingwei regime. They claimed to be the leadership of the Republic of China, when in fact they were a puppet government of Japan, overseeing the Japanese-occupied territory in eastern China, under Japan's control. They established their capital in Nanjing and used the Kuomintang flag. The Axis powers recognized the Wang Jingwei regime, while the Allied powers still recognized Jiang Jieshi as the leader of the Republic of China.

From 1937-1941, Japan had left a few neighbourhoods in Shanghai unoccupied, because that was where the American-British joint settlement and French Concession were located. Many people fled to this area to live at that time. After Pearl Harbor in 1941, the entirety of Shanghai became occupied by Japan. Many cities were bombed during these years, including Guangzhou, which experienced bombings for 14 months in 1937-1938.

During this era of war, which is also called the War of Resistance in China, espionage networks were established to try to undermine the enemy. Hidden Blade tells a story about these individuals.

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Even without knowing the historical context, Hidden Blade presents a visual feast of vivid characters and imagery. Cheng Er uses a non-linear narrative approach to reveal the stories of these characters. The main characters, Mr. He (Tony Leung) and Mr. Ye (Wang Yibo), are both enigmatic and morally ambiguous. We meet Mr. He, the charming man who hides intimidation behind a pleasant smile, and Mr. Ye, a rootless man who does not shy away from violence. Tony Leung does not disappoint as the veteran actor that he is, as the man who can tell stories with just his eyes or a slight smile, and he delivers a charismatic performance that reaffirms why he is such a revered actor. Wang Yibo delivers a phenomenal performance to match. Mr. Ye is a compelling character who is mesmerizing, perplexing, suave, and incredibly human at the same time. Wang Yibo does a fantastic job of portraying this complex character with mysterious motives, who seems to hide much more than he lets on behind his cool and composed appearance. He excels at playing a character whose inner turmoil is silently repressed.

The cast of side characters are also worth mentioning, with memorable performances from all of the actors. I take half a star off only because I feel that the female character stories could have been explored further. Zhou Xun makes a special appearance as Ms. Chen, and although her part is brief, she captivates the audience from the moment she walks onto the scene with her package of pastries and she leaves an emotional impact on the audience even in the short time that she has on screen. Jiang Shuying (Ms. Jiang) and Zhang Jingyi (Ms. Fang) are both charming as well, however their opportunity to showcase their strengths is quite limited.

The cinematography is well-executed and the attention to detail is remarkable. In one interview, Cheng Er reveals that even the ties that are worn by the characters are all actual ties from that era that have been collected. The music also compliments the scenes beautifully, adding further to the tension which Cheng Er builds so skillfully throughout the film. The choreography of the fight scenes is also top-tier and will not disappoint.

As a movie depicting times of war, there are several scenes that are difficult to watch and Cheng Er does not shy away from showing the cruelty of what people may have experienced. General content warnings without spoilers include torture, suffocation, death of an animal, implied rape (not depicted), as well as genre-typical violence that one may expect from an espionage war thriller.

Overall, the cast and crew have created a incredibly intense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you thinking about many scenes even after finishing the film. There are many parallels drawn throughout the film and it is a film that only gets better with rewatching as one lets the details marinate. At the end you're left with a lingering admiration for the individuals who struggled to free themselves from the oppression that they lived under. In doing so, they have sacrificed their own lives, their relationships, and even their own values in their effort to forge a path forward, towards a future where the nameless ones might once again stand in the sunlight.

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This drama in one word is: sad. It left me depressed and thinking about life for a long time after I watched this. And as a Christian, it's even more sad and heartbreaking. (I"m not sure though if people will understand what I mean.. hehe.)

So why'd I rate it highly? Well, because the drama was brilliantly executed.

Story: The plot was unique unlike most dramas that tend to be a total cliche plus the story really had a deep meaning about revenge, hatred, redemption, love, and faith. But since this is a remake of a korean drama, the credit for the story should probably be given to the korean writer. :)

Acting/Cast: I think all of the actors did a really great job at portraying their characters and making the audience understand and sympathize with the characters' struggles especially Ohno Satoshi. Although some say that he was a little stiff, I think how he portrayed Naruse was the best direction for the character because with just his facial expressions, you can understand and feel what Naruse is going through emotionally. His best actor award for this drama was truly deserved by him.

Music: Jdramas usually have only one or two songs for the soundtrack but here, they had a variety of music that went with every scene smoothly adding tension to the drama.

Rewatch value: I only gave it a 6 because it's not something I'd want to watch over and over again. As I've said, it is a sad drama. It would probably take a month or two before I'd want to watch it all over again.

All in all, this drama, in my opinion, was one of the best that I've seen. Watch it so you can see! :)

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