Reviews

Good chemistry between the characters.

As for the female lead and male lead, they portrayed their roles very well done, they both nailed it.. They acted naturally. 👍🏼

The storyline is also unique, no cliches and I swear you wouldn’t get bored watching each of 20 episodes.

Music, acting, rewatch value, storyline, etc. good job to those directors and screenwriters...

Hoping to watch whatever upcoming roles they are into...

I’ve heard KJH issue,the way he handled it and the way he apologized, he’s forgiven... everyone of us makes mistakes, we all have our own flaws... In other words, we are not perfect individuals.... So let us move on and look forward to more of his shows... He’s an amazing actor in any way.....

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A GUILTY PLEASURE NO ONE WILL ADMIT TO.

How do I explain My Day? A perfect storm, a chaotic mess that keeps you coming back for more like the series is just all over the place that it makes it super interesting, I mean the fact that it has an 8-star rating generally and I am giving it a 6.5 despite everything should tell you enough.

On to my review, I will first start by saying if you come to My Day with expectations of Oscar level acting and scenes, then you will be disappointed, annoyed, and disgusted. But if you have an open mind you will actually come to enjoy this so much. BTW, gmmtv have NOTHING on oxinfilms in terms of sliding in advertisements, like in fact, gmm can learn from oxinfilms, lol. When I was watching My Day I was watching 17 other ongoing BLs weekly, yet out of the 17, My Day, Gaya Sa Pelikula, and Still 2gether kept me excited for the next week's episode. PLUS EPISODE 8, IT HITS YOU OUT OF NOWHERE, OMG

I am going to be reviewing this as episodes 1 to 3, then 4 upwards because I warn you now, 1 to 3 have been some of the worst episodes I have watched in a BL or series, by episode 4, they step up their game a bit and by episode 5, you have hit some good stuff.

NOTE; Some shows are just to be enjoyed, not necessarily analyzed, discerned, methodically detailed, or examined for ultimate correctness. Sometimes, a show is just for a little humor, laugh, and entertainment. I totally agree that this series is "campy," a little "off-beat," and possibly somewhat politically incorrect at times. But, it does have some "heart," and an occasional "feel good" moment

EPISODES 1 TO 3

Episodes 1 to 3 are just plain chaotic, weird and happens so fast you get whiplash. Like the scene where Sky was begging Ace for a job or how fast Ace suddenly went from mean and terrible to cute and fluffy with Sky. Like then the driving scene and restaurant scene were just......... To summarize it all, episodes 1 to 3 will make you want to lose your mind

EPISODE 4 BEYOND

It's not like I am saying after episode 3 you will start getting perfect episodes, but the series gets better and more enjoyable there is still some cringe here and there but overall, it does not take away from the fun of the series. So the thing about My Day is more of the story of 2 people falling madly in love, giving us the gay version of romcoms and Disney movies per se, than being a story with a specific storyline, like struggling with sexuality or family or any of that. It's meant to be about Sky and Ace Tan getting together, I mean there is the layer of Ace's dad being the worst and a homophobe but it is not the focus of the series, the series is about them falling in love mainly.

There were parts that were like loud and obnoxious but like they are ultimately okay, sometimes their acting was sport on and good, then other times, you would be so perplexed by the acting, as their facial expressions, expressing emotions and tonations were just kinda bad.

There are parts that were like the scene draws out or a part that is so unnecessary to the story but like I don't mind them, anything to make an episode longer is worth it cause I didn't want them to end, like Moira and the entire dog kidnapping scene was such a waste of time but I mean it gave us Sylean insulting Moira savagely, lol.

EPISODE 8
The blessed episode, they sealed themselves in the league of MaxTul, MewGulf, and SaintZee... Like everyone that watched that episode thought that was the ending after the fireworks, then BOOM, they hit us in the face, like Woah Ohh.

Episode 11
Episode 11 so far has been one of the best episodes in terms of control of everything, emotions, acting everything as a whole, like I never expected to feel pain in My Day but episode 11 did that, but the ending confused me a little I won't lie but it wasn't bad or anything

OVERALL.
I love the chemistry between the actors, they go so well together and their ever-present sexual innuendos made it so much better. They were cute and fun, easy-going and a nice way to relax, like episode 6 'dry and wet' remarks or the 'he is used to big ones' or 7 and the reference to 'prove to me you are the top' and all the Sky is the top chant. I loved seeing them on my screen. I mean there was the acting misses but ultimately it was an okay series

Miss Becky was a guilty pleasure, lol, I stan her.

Then also the music is kinda great like I got a few songs from the series so far.

the found it in was interesting like Banana Ketchup or Yam Flavoured Ice Cream or Yam Bread. it picked my interest in trying food from the Philippines

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wish Lom had a different "plan"

Overall: if Lom had just been honest at the beginning (ep 1 or 2), then I could have enjoyed their cute moments. This is based on a book written by MAME which I haven't read and I will review the series on its own merits. MAME also wrote the screenplays for Don't Say No, Love By Chance 2 and TharnType specials. 7 episodes 45 minutes each aired uncut on iQIYI (had steamy scenes starting at the end of ep 4) and cut on YouTube (the steamy parts cut out/shortened). There will be a special episode.

Content Warnings: non con kissing/touching, manhandling, body shaming, manipulation, slaps, homophobia

What I Liked
- cameos/characters from Love In The Air characters (episode 3 of part 4 was great)
- m/m steamy scenes are done well (need the uncut version to see them)
- MAME cameo/reference of signing the guestbook
- the line of "you look perfect now, don't listen to others" (though he's the one who brought Nuea to the gym so...)
- GL couple (but strange that an established couple avoided kissing in the beginning)
- Nuea's family/friends
- Nuea stood up for himself with that farm dude
- production value (especially the color/light)

Room For Improvement:
- Sailom had a terrible "plan", if he had been honest in the beginning then I would have rated this series significantly higher, but all I saw was Sailom lying and hurting Nuea and he knew he was hurting Nuea, it would have been a 2 minute conversation or a text message but Sailom couldn't find the time??? other characters even told Sailom his plan/method was bad
- Yiwa and Sailom had a bad plan as well, how would that work in the long term, what a disservice to their significant others
- Yiwa had to take all the blame and Sailom got everyone's sympathy and lied to his mom, this really rubbed me the wrong way
- the non con kiss
- too many "comedy" sound effects including the gulp noise
- why make them speak English during the wedding vows when they didn't speak English in their series, also the English subtitles were wrong
- unnecessary long water skiing scenes (2 in the first 3 episodes)
- not a good kiss for an established f/f couple
- fictional drunk character who is so drunk he needs help walking but then a few minutes later is an active participant during sex
- nonsense things: Sailom was a sound sleeper, wasn't the wedding supposed to have a huge guest list, looked like 50 guests
- the moms yelling/fighting

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Women on the ball. Delighting, enraging, inspiring, concerning. Excellent script. High-end KDrama.

"Agency" has it all. Viewership has skyrocketed, as have ratings. "Agency" is the hit. Cool freshness, fashion, speed, one or the other rivalry as well as all categories of human manners, even the lowest, underline the handpicked lifestyle ambience. This all guarantees a lot of fun, seriously...

The topic hits the South Korean nerve of the time. The nerve of women in particular, I should add. What may appear to Western eyes as an entertaining office drama with catfights has a completely different explosiveness in the eyes of Asian, especially South Korean viewers: The deeply hidden, rousing topic of the time, which affects everyone, is ´population decline´. The critical nerve bubbling on the surface revolves around ´sexism´ and ´misogyny´. The incumbent President Yoon proclaimed that these topics could be shut into history books, but "Agency" gives him the lie, right on. The KDrama clearly demonstrates how up-to-date it is. More than one South Korean woman in this story, no matter what position – down to the generation of the mothers of those mothers in the series - will find themselves here. And more than one man as well...

It is pleasing to see how razor-sharp and competent the female protagonist proves herself in this man's world. Also pleasantly refreshing side effect here and there: alternative model approaches for female vs. male management styles. And then there is the extravagantly privileged and insolent Jaebeol of the youngest generation who eventually is inspired to break free from her heavy chains of family-clan expectations. Besides their punching power, both lead ladies are palpable, too. Watching the series is a pleasure, even if the topics touched on may also arouse rather different feelings as well... A colorful bouquet of thematically critical, plot-relevant threads is dramaturgically subtly intertwined. In addition to the two female leads, there are also diverting (women´s lib) moving stories about Go Ah-in's employees and colleagues.

Stellar, good-humoured actors. Excellent script. A wonderfully balanced mixture of fun and seriousness, of pace and depth. The coherent details were undeterred on a differentiated, complex overall picture of the current business world. High-end KDrama-'pleasure' – delighting, enraging, inspiring and concerning. And while we are at it, "Agency" is innocently, smilingly, prettily and yet cleverly and valiantly placing a feminism-sting, too.



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SIDE NOTE: --- Misogyny and population decline in South Korean society ---

Without women it won´t do. But South Korean President Yoon has now officially messed with them. There was an enormous wave of protests when he announced that he wanted to abolish the ministry, which had been set up around 20 years ago to support women against sexual assaults and for equal rights, arguing the issue was no longer an issue. Immediately, around 800 organizations formed and stood up. President Yoon, who is promoted and sponsored by a strong conservative, patriarchal current, has blown a hornet's nest. His world – that of macho men – is obviously different from that of contemporary South Korean women.

It is a given fact, that misogyny in South Korea characterizes everyday life throughout all classes. Neither an entrenched, male-dominated business world from the bottom up to the boardrooms, nor professional disadvantage and discrimination of women in the workplace, belong to history yet. In the contrary, recently it has even been fuelled by the election of the current President Yoon. Fortunately, there are opposing movements and criticism. The KDrama "Agency" uses a socially critical magnifying glass here. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go, although a drastic reflection is desperately needed, in order to be redirect economic development towards a positive light.

The current demographic trend is closely linked to the economic and social situation, which is shaped by antiquated patriarchal beliefs. Those old (apparently always happy to be taken off the socio-cultural shelf, dusted off, polished to a high gloss and then put back again) convictions stand in stark contradiction to the high pace of the high-tech modernity of everyday life in South Korea. This tense paradox is already having a negative impact (not just on women's attitudes towards life, but also) on the country´s economy. The official statistics on population development from August 2022 show declining numbers for the first time. Actually, the country's birth rate is the lowest in the world. There is no trend reversal in sight. The population will continue to shrink. And that is already and will even more so affect the economy. The proportion of women in the working population (at 55.1 percent) could certainly be increased. Although South Korean women are very well educated on average, only a little more than half of them actually bring their skills into business life. Among men, on the other hand, 73.7 percent are employed. This is due not least to the misogynist attitude in all areas. The difference in pay between women and men is estimated at 31.1 percent. Nowhere else in the 38 OECD countries is it THAT bad. Added to this is the disadvantage on the career path. Work-life balance is in its infancy, because the motto is: woman to the stove. Executive suites are for men only. Women are rarely seen here. And if so, then often only for ornament or to fill the image of an empty marketing shell (similar to "Agency").

It's high time that the many misogynists among South Korean men (including their president) arrived in the present. In the long run, a trend reversal can only succeed jointly – at eye level.

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Alright, so I started En of Love: Love Mechanics quite skeptical because I did not like Tossara (sue me).

But the story is quite interesting and cool, I like how it wasn't focused around a guy struggling with his sexuality or any of that drama but rather they knew what they wanted and they kind off went for it straight. Yes, there were moments when I physically cringed but on an overall basis, I liked the show, because they were able to pack everything into 4 episodes and gave it a good finish.

STORY: So when the series kicked off after Vee and Mark slept together, I thought it was going to be a Together with me remake when Vee said his girlfriend cannot find out, but then I like the fact that they didn't make it the stereotypical struggle with being gay or not but rather a struggle with love itself that so many people have. The struggle between a loveless love but love you have grown used to, and new exciting love with all the ups and downs that come with it. I like the fact that they were a bit appropriate for once, not portraying them as backstabbing cheaters, but allowing Vee to "properly" break it off with ploy before appropriately getting with Mark. The only downside to this may be the fact that the big drama was not all that (btw never agree to the last kiss with your ex) and the story was cringe and unnecessary sometimes, like Pack, he literally was just a tool to get Vee and Mark back together

Music: They were superb with this, I actually enjoyed the music

Acting: Acting was good too

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If you ever watch "Go Princess, Go! (2015)" , they have pretty much the same plot. Although there were some differences in the storyline, it somewhat still feels the same. But, I must say, I personally prefer Mr. Queen. I liked the execution and the actors were great with their roles. It gives thrill and excitement one episode after another. I remember watching it and waiting for the next episode for a week feels like a decade (LOL) and what makes it worse, the one with the English subs wont be released until the next day the original was aired. This drama does not disappoint.

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Overall, this is a really lovely drama but it won't suit everyone's taste. It has a very laid back feel and has strong indie vibes. It's not really a rom com, but on the other hand there are some parts that are absolutely hilarious. It has some melodramatic tendencies, but the drama as a whole is very uplifting and encouraging. The character's are very down to earth and very likeable. I like the fact that the character's weaknesses show, but that they also grow as individuals, learn about themselves, get happier and grow stronger as a result.

The romance is unique. In many ways I find it extremely realistic. The actors made the romantic scenes look fun and the chemistry was strong. The type of love they portray is very meaningful too, because it's a couple that was first friends, and really consider each other family. It's not a flighty love, but a deep rooted love of loyalty and understanding. But even knowing this, love is challenging and there are often obstacles.

I think the re-watch value of this drama is high, because there are subtle things that can be missed. A lot of imagery and symbolism is used. The side stories and side characters were also really good.

I think if you're in the mood for a very artistic style drama which focuses on characters, it's a good way to go. If you want something fast paced where you don't have to think too much about it, Bubblegum might not really hold your attention for all 16 episodes. There's so much love and beauty in this drama though. I personally feel it's worth watching. I really enjoyed it a lot. I guess what I really loved is, it doesn't feel like every other drama I've watched; it has it's own lovely vibe. It pops and makes you feel happy, want to smile - like bubble gum.

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And here it is! The Best drama of 2014 for me! Right from the start I believed in my guys and they didn't dissapoint me. If you're hesitant to watch it, may you should read this first. Who knows maybe I'll convince you ;)

Crime, detectives, action, invenstigation, blood, killers, victims, secrets, don't just by reading it excite you? I'm the biggest sucker for those kind of dramas and they always manage to make me feel good and give me exciting and indescribable feeling of happines and joy. But this drama was way more different than the others. Unique, original and rare.
Did you ever get a feeling to kickass somebody? Like some person that you can't stand, or is annoying to you? I know you do, cause there is no human being that is nice. Well you can pretend to be, but you can't run from dirty and ugly truth of you. And I know that I'm not wrong, even if I tried to deny who knows how many times. And this is what this drama is about. Speaking from my own angle of view while I was watching this drama I had that badass feeling and I got so into the story that I actually felt their pain, joy and a happiness of putting bad guys in jail to rot. Title "Bad guys" actually says itself so you can at least imagine what I think right?
As I said before I never watched a drama similar to this one. The story is simply brilliant and I want to thank the writer's mind and writer to bringing this drama into a dramaland. Former Detective Oh Gu Tak got a mission from Police Chef that in order to stop rising violent crime he must form a team and catch the culprits. He form a team by taking men with the worstest crimes' cases: a contract serial killer Tae Soo, the youngest serial killer, intellegent Jung Moon and a gangster Woong Chul. Bad guys killing bad guys, doesn't sound original? Every character has it's own story and secrets that are hidden deep inside their heart. By gaining trust the strong bond was formed and they started opening to each other. But, where's a trust there's a betrayal, but if you want to believe that person no matter how deep inside you think that he's wrong and bad betrayal again can be replaced by trust. This is a case of these guys. No matter how bad and dirty they were by learning to betrayal and trust they finally believed in each other. And those moments were so strong, emotional, powerful that they moved me to the bones.

Oh my how much I love Kim Sang Joon ahjussi. He is my love of older actors and I always say that he is born to play badass roles. That style suits him the best and in this drama he was no different. He potrays a former detective Oh Gu Tak who's lost his daughter due to a serial killing where his daughter was the last victim of it. Since then, his only goal was to put the bastard in jail.
Jo Dong Hyeok potrays a sexy contract killer, but very clever men. He's heartless, but when he develops feeling for a woman that he musn't love he changes.
My love Park Hae Jin potrays Lee Jung Moon, the youngest serial killer and very intellegent man. People see him as a psychopath and he has a bad past with Oh Gu Tak. Personally he was the most pitied character. His sad, teary eyes and innocent look were the moments where I couldn't help but cry whenever he was crying.
Awww my badass teddy bear will always be in a heart. Ma Dong Seok potrays Park Woong Cheol, a gangster who in a jail for almost 30 years. His character I experienced as a man who everything resolves with a fist and even though he's a bad man he hates evil people. He can be straight and very protective towards the people he cares.
I don't want to spoil anything to you anymore, but I'll simply just say this: These are guys who play by their own rule!

Every second of this spectacular drama was precious and worth. A deep, dark, violence drama with it's deep and strong characters, wonderful music, well made action scenes, twists that keeped me glued to screen for 11 hours brought me an enjoyment which I haven't enjoyed in a long time. Bad guys simply won my heart and will stay there forever. I LOVE you Bad Guys <3

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Probably best historical drama in 2022

After enjoying Who Rules The World ( first / only Cdrama to enter Netflix Top 100), I searched similar costume dramas with the same leads, and this is how I stumbled upon Love Like The Galaxy.
I believe from all I've seen, this is the best wuxia of 2022 - in a galaxy of dramas, this one shines the brightest !
Story - epic, based on the novel Splendid Stars
Cinematography - spectacular, and note that some of the images you will think are CGI are actually real ! For instance, the fire at the Lantern festival - they built the restaurant frame and burned it..
Director Fei's attention ti details of the era, from costume, to different hair style girls/ ladies, up to the small pieces placed on the floor to hold the mats - it's amazing !
Casting - perfect ! I can not say there is any actor evrn lowest support role, that does not fit the character described in the novel.
OST matching the atmosphere of the drama, has just been released on youtubd fir your listening pleasure..add ti it the flute songs played by the FL.
Acting - best performance award goes to Wu Lei and Zhao Lusi, who succeeded in portraying very complex characters. From microexressions to grand fighting scenes, from stunts performed by themselves to riding horses, they did it without fail - and they are in their early 20's !
Their characters are totally original for Cdrama - both are " damaged" from tgeir childhood and had to rely on themselves, ehich made them smart, cunning, secretive, untrustfull and revengefull. Kindness from others is always viewed with suspicion in the beginning, but their heart is in the right place, discerning right from wrong, irrespective of being family or strangers, they don't condone injustice and betrayal from anyone.
In the midst of rebellion, war, palace fights, family disasters, these two learn to trust and love each oth - their romance is slow burn, but it sets the screen on fire !
The side characters are well developed, bringing both comic relief ( in good taste) like her village grandmother and his sidekicks, tragedy and even misstreatement from her mother ( tough love?!), the array of emotions in each episode range from tears to angst, hate, frustration, pity, laugh until you tear again.
Rewatching value - 10 ! I already rewatched the first season, even changed the setting fir lower speed, because are so many magic moments I might miss while reading the subtitles.

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A Great Watch

I finished this drama even without the subs in the last 4 eps and that says a lot as a watcher: I loved this drama!

Why do I like it? Primarily, I'm a sucker for love stories and this show has a beautiful one. Defying the stereotype of big age gap, maybe 15 years, they made it a non issue as he was just totally smitten and treasured her as she adored him. Their chemistry was off the hook; so many tender scenes, he standing up for her in awkward moments, etc. I enjoyed her cooking, and his pleasure of eating. I was also happy that there wasn't a crazy evil antagonist; pretty mild when compared to many other dramas.

What I wasn't too thrilled about: the side stories didn't latch on. They were more irritating to me than being cute. The plot of adding younger brother as an opponent i felt was added too late that when drama about to wrap.

Overall, I would watch again with skips to the main leads. The story was creative, acting especially by main leads was very good. The accompanying song was good. It had a great ending made to have a second season..Haha! I really loved this cdrama and extending my visits to this group besides kdramas.

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Why a 10/10 ?
That's actually quite simple. At one point, I thought « Wow ». I was already hooked from the start (or rather around episode 3 because that's when the main leads actually meet for the first time) but later I really fell in love with the characters and the story. I was impressed, which nearly never happens. I was so eager to see the next episode that I ended up reading the novel... only to be frustrated by not being able to finish it. Yes, unfortunately for now, you'll only find the first half translated in english on internet. (EDIT : now completed! Advice: watch the drama before reading the novel.)

Story :
It's a little difficult to follow at first because there are a lot of characters and informations to remember. When it started, I thought it would be roughly one case every three episodes. So I didn't really care about the criminals identities and that's where I was wrong. It's actually one big case. The first case leads to the second, which leads to a third even bigger, and so on. Episodes are short but intense on informations. You have to stay focused to follow this drama, be warned.

Drama vs novel
Personnaly, I love them both in a different way. In the novel, I love how intense the main leads relationship is. We don't have their inner thoughs in the drama, so the focus is more on the investigation, which gives off an intense feeling too. Hence, I did not mind the difference, but I'll surely see a lot of things in a different way when I'll rewatch it. For instance, Ji Bai feelings are less obvious in the drama. He smiles at her, confides in her, stays by her side... They just made Xu Xu realization of her feelings more obvious than the novel through her drawings. Still, I think you'll appreciate the drama more if you watch it before reading the novel.

Acting and characters reactions
Realistic. I have to word it that way because, when it's a romantic comedy, chinese and taïwanese dramas tend to exagerate situations. Fortunately, they choose to focus on the investigation for this drama, so the acting is also very serious. The one thing that actually doesn't feel right is Xu Xu drawing cartoons. I felt the way she was portrayed in the novel, being someone really mature and logical, was more realistic.

Music and cinematography
I loved the opening song and even more its clip. So beautiful and kind of sensual, even with animals drawings. It goes well with the cinematography. Some sequences are beautiful. I loved how they make use of some silent moments. One little thing bothered me in the first few episodes. At times, the camera trembled too much, probably to give a suspens feel. But overall, it was really well-done.

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Unexpected

One way to summarize 'The School Nurse Files' would be: "Unexpected, strange and unique."
From the very first minutes of the series you start to wonder what you got yourself into. At the end of episode one you get stuck into this mindset of "I need more, what was this?"
This series won't fit everyone's taste but if you get rid of all common sense and logic you will surely enjoy it.
You won't be able to understand majority of the story if you skip on this one during episodes, the episodes need to be watched in its entirety for them to make some sense and for the story to flow.
As a fan of anime and comics, I can honestly say this fits my taste and it's something I've only seen in Japanese dramas, it's ridiculous to say the least at times, but isn't that something to be enjoyed? The real world is already too bland as it is.
A gem who will be appreciated over time!

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Second Wind

A refreshingly cool wind that blew a young, heart-fluttering love my way.

This far exceeded my expectations. I expected mediocre and was greeted with the memorable innocence of a first love, sincerity in words, actions, and music, conflicts that hit and weren't dragged out, and a beautiful dream small enough to carry in your pocket yet expansive enough as to fly out into the world.

This felt like a secret so gorgeous I wanted to keep it to myself. But I believe it deserves to be seen by many.

Side Note: Don't worry, the chemistry is there and romantic moments aren't brushed aside. This couple shines wonderfully and makes you root for them all along the way.

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Do you want to watch a different type of love stories? Something with deep meaning instead of deep cheesiness? Then Chung King Express is for you or better said: All Wong Kar Wai’s Films are for you.

Since I am going through a massive rewatch mission of old Martial Arts films; I decided to include other old Hong Kong/Chinese films to the rewatch party as well and what’s better than Wong Kar Wai’s genius pieces? After seeing this film again, I can fully understand why I loved it the first time. The magic magnifies even after years of first viewing.

As everyone knows, I am not a romance person or someone who cares about the “moving cinema” at all and I can hardly watch an artistic film and completely appreciate it but all of that is in a world and Wong Kar Wai’s productions in another world. Kar Wai is one of the fewest directors that I look forward to watch their romance tales even if I am not a big fan of the genre. Do you know why? Because he’s a master who knows how to portray love with the intense power of silence to make it feel gripping. The man uses only few pages of script and the rest is told through magnificent ways, the rule in Kar Wai’s films is: everything that’s unspoken is stimulating and even what’s spoken is full of wisdom and hidden meanings.
I am surprised at people who say: “Kar Wai’s films don’t have a plot”, I mean are you sure we’re talking about the same director and films? I am a fan of Wong Kar Wai and his splendid of ways of making love stories because many need to understand that romance films shouldn’t always be: met, smiled, fell in love, kissed and Tada Happily ever after tale story just like they shouldn’t be: met, fell in love, disease, death and cries . Wong Kar Wai’s breaks those rules to create outstanding pieces.
Now, let me just stop here or I won’t be able to refrain myself from talking about that brilliant director.

There’s a story behind this film. Actually, Wong Kar Wai found a problem with editing his film “Ashes of Time” (that was releases the same year by the way) so he left it behind then wrote and directed Chung King Express in the meantime. The film is about coincidences, brief encounters, loneliness and painful love but that’s not what this film is all about, there’s also warmth and fun to enlighten the watch.

Chung King Express is divided into separate narratives about two policemen; the first is about the dark heartbreaking side of love led by Takeshi (who gained his breakthrough due to this film) and femme fatale; the inside-conversation he had were simply intriguing in a way that would make you completely understand the character and its suffering. The second story outclasses the first if I may say. It’s not only because it’s less dark or because it had more run-time but also because it takes on other interesting turns. It’s about Tony who suffers the problems of post-breakup until a cheerful soul came along.

The acting was good and the characters were quite fitting for the storytelling. Takeshi still didn’t gain much experience while doing this film so Tony and his female lead merit more credit.

As usual, Kar Wai’s camerawork was amazingly done and the cinematography was quite alluring for the film’s theme. And let’s not forget ‘California Dreaming’ that was a great choice of theme music.

Watch this if:
-You like Wong Kar Wai’s films or you want to meet his work.
-You appreciate different types of love stories.
-You like artistic love films.

Do not watch if:
-You think Kar Wai films “don’t have a plot”.
-You dislike any of the cast.

Chung King Express is a stylish storytelling of love tales orchestrated by the excellent love stories’ director Wong Kar Wai with a notable set of cast.

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Choices Make the Person

Story:
A slice of life that did a remarkable job portraying how specific life choices molded people into who they become. They all didn’t start off as great or evil characters but because of the people they chose or the choices they made. I think the best part about this story was that it felt true to real world circumstances. The writers truly made you analyze every individual character and the choices they made. It wasn’t easy to just stamp good or bad on them because they didn’t make the choices because of ill intentions but because of human characteristics such as jealousy, sadness, etc. The storyline was cohesive and fluid and allowed us to understand where it went wrong or right for every character. Really a well written script!

Acting:
The actors in this drama did an exceptional job including the supporting cast members. There are 3 actors that were great and really showed their acting prowess - Xiao Zhan, Li Qin & Liu Ruilin. Xiao Zhan really impressed me with how much he improved and how well he was able to portray his character. The scenes where he was supposed to portray grief really hit hard. It wasn’t over the top but felt that he understood how his character would portray that specific emotion.

Would I Recommend:
Yes! I understand the time span of this drama might not be the most appealing and it even swayed me a little. I thought it would be a drama that I would come in for the male lead but not enjoy the story as much except for maybe certain parts. However, I was truly impressed by how much I enjoyed it and even rewatched episodes while waiting for new ones. So, if you could get past the 70s era than I think people can truly enjoy it because it really is a great slice of life drama with an incredibly written script.

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