Reviews

Wonderful People in a Wonderful World

"In the middle of life's journey, I got lost and wandered. No matter how much time passes,losing someone precious to you will always be lonesome. I will try to keep going. If i keep going, one day the pain will lessen. I hope all those grieving find comfort. I hope the world will be more friendly to those in pain. I hope a beautiful world will come while you overcome your pain."

I never thought a story of revenge and salvation can be this satisfying.

Full on heavy drama shows are never my priority to watch. With so much content nowadays, you have to have a list of priority and this initially wasnt in my top, but i ended up eagerly waiting for each episodes. This series is anxiety-inducing but is also satisfying and inspirational.

The first episode hooks you in. The perfect perfect casting of Kin Nam Joo and Kim Kang Woo as perfect husband and wife Eun Soo Hyun and Hang Soo Ho, and parents who tragically lost their kid due to a an accident. The accident and the justice system's inability to punish the criminals made Soo Hyun take matters in to her hands - destryoing her once perfect life by killing the man responsible for the death of her son. This is the story of her (and her husband's) disappointments, healing, salvation and triumph.

The series also introduced us to Gwon Seon Yul. A man-child seeking revenge to those who have destryoed his family - with a surprise casting of Cha Eun Woo. The character needed the depth of someone who has lost everything in life - someone you are supposed to despise but is too good looking to hate. He fits the bill perfectly and I am pleasantly surprised with how well he acted in this series - i never thought Id say this but with the right direction he has finally proven something and has indeed become an Actor here.

Fanatics beware this is the part were i say some things you might hate. The story, to be quite honest, is not really unique - in fact a lot of times it verges on the typical melodrama soap opera. The overall plot is predictable and we can see from a mile away who the real culprit is. The attempt to make Seon Yul's character the fadeaway villain is also not convincing - like I said in the last pharagraph Cha Eun Woo is just too good looking to hate and you know all their efforts for a fakeout is not believable. Also, I am sorry to say but for me, the pacing too can sometimes be a little slow (I watched most of it in 1.25 speed) with a lot of emphasis on quiet, thinking scenes.

With all that said, this is still a very satisfying and inspirational series and the series finale was executed beautifully - tieing up Soo Hyun and Seon Yul's storeis perfectly and leaving viewers with a feeling of hope that no matter how dire their cumstances are, good things are still bound to happen and that no matter how hard life is, thare are still wonderful people and this is still a wonderful world to live in.

Maybe a hard sell for a rewatch, but seeing it one time is enough to send its message. Overall its a 9.5, especially for the acting and direction. A show most reccommendable to watch.

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Underwhelming

Honestly cutting the show into 2 parts was so stupid to begin with. It messed up the flow and the narrative of the story. I found part 2 to be bland compared to the first part. The writing became weak and there was also lack of flow with the scenes. The flashbacks became repetitive, like i get showing the backstory and all but most of those didnt explain what was happening.

I felt that the characters were underused, there was potential but there was more time spent on useless plot lines. The way the show was wrapped was underwhelming like just ended in a odd place and it didnt feel like a ending at all. There were so many unanswered questions like goodness me...like whyyy. Like what the purpose of the people in white were. The hint at another season was off-putting. The acting and the music was the main reason that kept me going.

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I Will Rewatch it for a long time

so good.. i hooked even in first episode. i read a manga too, they put some scene to other eps so i feel bit confused. but really, in this 3 episode(sept 2th) i already rewatch more than 10 times! i prefer to rewatch a good drama than watch a new drama that didin't good. but this drama actually so good. even this drama did'nt complated yet, but i really like it so bad!! しかも、キッスもあるからびっくりした😅😅😅 でもいいんじゃない。めっちゃいいね！お楽しみに❗



i hope we can get the sequel or season 2🙏🏻

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A typical feel good romance but BETTER...!!

so I have waited for few weeks to write a review of this drama in case it disappoints me... But boy was I wrong.... Believe me, it has its elements where it feels like it will take a turn into typical cliched drama but it surprises you in the best way possible.

The characters at a first glance are not new, a hot-headed filled with mood swings having broken past ML, can't help herself a damsel in distress FL and jealous out for revenge second male lead. BUT the characters have depth, they change except (second female lead, but let's pretend she doesn't exist), they are shown to be more than just their initial characteristics.

Both the leads have really good chaotic, continuous bickering chemistry and I have a bias for such trope.

So watch this drama if you want to enjoy the good old butterflies along with their actions having certain logic and reason.

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I liked it, but I just wasn't a big fan of it. Seeing how high the ratings were, I was expecting a different thing. I guess it has to do with the fact that I needed a heavy-plot type of story but this was more of a slice of life-ish show, which is perfectly fine, don't get me wrong. I just wasn't feeling like 'oh my god, this episode was so exciting, I need to watch the next one right now!'. I was more like 'finished this episode, I'll see the next one tomorrow if I have time'. You get what I mean? It's weird.
Acting was great though, characters and the band itself were soo wholesome! It's nice to take a break from dramas with too many shitty characters. Anyways, as I always say, I base my ratings on overall enjoyment. The show was not the best of the year but it was a comfortable and cozy watch. 7.5.

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To begin with the casting is amazing i really loved the main leads ans well as the supporting characters .

James:- i loved watching the dashing he looked very handsome dressed up in suit. he pulled out the character of Nai very well he was very supportive caring and helpful towards everyone in the show. though he was insulted many a times by Nok he still cared for her in her hard times.

Taew:- she was very looking very beautiful in the show, her dressing sense was amazing. she loved her family very much and was ready to go to any extent to keep her family together. at times she was very rude and arrogant towards Nai as she was jealous of him to be as she thought her father valued him more and said him hurting words but later she really cared for him as she got to know him.

As for the other cast they were amazing the office colleagues were amazing they cracked jokes and it was fun watching it. Also Noks's mother was fab she was caring towards Nai and loved him like her own son and her scenes were delightful and the scenes between Nok's parents was funny when they argue with each other . Everyone was amazing in the show except of Penny(the servant's daughter) i have no idea why did she hate Nok so much though Nok was rude her her but it was because of her own behavior. she was jealous of Nok to such an extent that she kidnapped her, crated misunderstanding with Nai.

As for the story everyone knows about it the romantic scenes between Nai and Nok were beautiful specially after marriage. the patience Nai had for Nok is amazing

Though the title of show is game sanaeha but i cannot see any game being played Nok started this game to snatch everything that Nai had the position in company, her family love but she ended falling in love with him
As for the re-watch value there are some scenes which you will like to watch many times like office scenes romantic scenes honeymoon scene or the first month anniversary scene or baby scenes.

So i waited for this series for a long time and i really enjoyed it watching!!!!!

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This was a great family drama, I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters stories. It has a great balance of family drama, comedy, romance, and crazy "happenings" in every episode to keep you entertained and invested in the story. Every character is unique and charming in their own way - you'll love them, hate them or maybe even a little of both at times ;) I think it's a great family drama that everyone should watch - especially if you want to learn how to treat your family better. It teaches a good lesson on that point.

Cast: My favorite character was Dal Bong (Hyung Sik) I think he resembled his father in personality and traits the most - he was the most caring kid this guy had - even in his immaturity he was still pretty mature lol His character brings life to this drama with all his charm, cuteness, emotions, temper, awkwardness & that "fake laughter" of his that was so similar to his dads^^ Seol Woo the country bumpkin as I call her is my second favorite. Kang Shim & Tae Joo were the hilarious couple - man that guy can make lots of weird, crazy, strange ugly funny faces lol - but he was quite charming when he was serious <3 & KS can sure make a person cry :'( The Dad is my next favorite - his only fault - being a little too self-less. Then we have the cousin Young Sul - always looking for trouble might I say lol The rest are all on equal boats for me - I never really liked Kang Jae (the older brother) he was way too emotion-less and distant but there were a couple scenes where he made me cry. He's arrogant and I've never liked arrogant people - they rub me the wrong way... oh and Dal Bong's "friend" Eun Ho was a great part of the cast too, he really riles Dal Bong's feathers up and it was entertaining most of the time, a few times I got mad at him but that quickly dissipated every time :P

Music: On the Road by Choi Baek Ho, I Told You by Yozoh, Father's Youth by ? (I really like this song but I don't know the artist)

Re-watch Value: 9/10 I really enjoyed it and will re-watch it again someday.

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Shitsuren Chocolatier is a story about love and heartbreak; it says it in the title. You pretty much know what you're going to get once you start watching. It is very conventional, but also unconventional in a sense. For once, we get to see a man making a fool of himself and chasing after a woman in the name of unrequited love. This is something refreshing since we usually see it the other way around. It also refreshing to see characters that have flaws that are open and not hidden. We can feel free to hate the characters for these flaws, or appreciate the way in which these flaws are put in the forefront, and perhaps even learn from them. The story is conventional in that there is the typical love triangle and the various entanglements that are a result of that love triangle.

Usually in J-dramas the topic of sex is one that is not addressed at all; in this drama, it is there and openly seen, but not in a lewd and raunchy manner (unfortunately which is seen far too much in American dramas) so that is a relief. We see characters actually acting like adults and not middle school students that are afraid to hold hands. There are actually kiss scenes that are quite believable and not overly awkward to watch. The romance scenes are not too steamy to the point that you would get uncomfortable if someone were to walk into the room when you were watching.

Another positive point is the music, setting, and atmosphere. This drama was beautifully shot and has a great soundtrack of memorable songs that get stuck in your head for the entire week after watching an episode. I myself have been listening to the soundtrack a lot. Ken Arai did a great job in capturing the perfect compositions for the various moments in the drama. I also like how the theme of chocolate was included in the drama. It is not strictly a food drama but the importance of this beloved treat in the various love interest's lives is an interesting and apt addition, without overriding the other aspects of the plot and making it another culinary porn type of series.

Things I did not like about the drama were the lack of characterization for certain characters, especially Rikudou and Sekiya , and to an extent Saeko. Rikudou could have been a very memorable character if utilized properly, but unfortunately his presence was one that contributed very little to the drama as a whole. Sato Ryuuta did a great job in all of the scenes that he was in. Sekiya was just a pointless throwaway character. The actor's performance was not memorable and neither was the character. As for Saeko, I feel like we could have seen more what makes her the person she is, like a bit of her past, her hopes, dreams, ambitions. Instead, she is regulated to an empty manic pixie dream girl who really is defined by the men she is with. Sure, there were some good instances of female bonding with Kaoruko , but the character was not developed enough. The same can be said about Olivier as well.

Also, the drama does a poor job of addressing heavy subjects such as domestic violence and infidelity. I feel the characters have done things that are taboos and generally accepted as wrongs, but very little repentance is shown. It really sends a clouded message. As for the ending, I very much though that it summed things up nicely, apart from certain unrealistic and overly optimistic aspects. I'm glad the ending wasn't the typical drama ending, but this opinion may not be shared by others.

All in all, it was a entertaining drama from start to finish, though definitely not perfect. So for that, I give it an 8 overall.

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Where was this Sword and Fairy?

Like the many others I thought that you'd have to watch the other Chinese Paladin series to start this one. Luckily you don't have to do that! The series is based off of video games, and each series pretty much stands alone.

This adaptation of Chinese Paladin 6 is called Sword and Fairy, and weirdly enough it's airing at the same time of another Chinese Paladin series. Between the two I chose to watch this one because of Xu Kai,

It's not extraordinary (but it had the makings of a fantastic drama. At the beginning drama is fun and not too dense with mellow, and I can go either way honestly. I like a lot of different dramas and was skeptical because of the wondrous nature of this one. A handful of episodes in and I'm buying into how the world works and where the drama seems to lead. Which is an interesting place considering its main premise is surrounding a looming disaster brought by a demon lord that may or may not be our FL? What is even better than that is the cult that worships this Lord Ming and hilariously mistaken our FL, Qi, played by Esther Yu, as this demon lord. So her and her sworn brother (lol not buying that) are in the middle of it all trying to reclaim their (mainly Qi's identity). Surely enough handfuls of more episodes and there is a lot I can't buy into so easily. I think the show started being bad when a certain someone found out their origins. Then it was a lot of back and forth between two settings and not a lot of organic sets. I am someone that is more into real life settings and weather and etc.

I haven't seen anything like it honestly. It's unique with the costumes, and especially the dynamic between the FL and the ML. Qi is very dumb and I see the complaints about the dubbing and the 'annoying' voice, but be serious with yourself on this. This character only knows three years of life other than a reoccurring dream. She is naive and how she sounds equals to that, I have always been wary of Esther Yu because of the voice but why? It works so well here and she is hilarious. She doesn't phone in what she is playing and make it annoying, she has charm and the acting chops to fill in many diverse roles and funny and naive ones alike. Xu Kai who plays the ML, Jin Zhao, isn't as naive as her, but they are both as unfortunate honestly. They both know nothing about their whereabouts, other than that they woke up together so that makes them to be born on the same day. He is protective of her and just as skeptical as anyone that wants anything to do with her. I am loving the dynamic between them, their teasing is great to watch and that makes me excited for a potential romance at the beginning slowly falls into a mess. Their relationship isn't developed and instead you watch the other characters and their relationships. I really didn't get what I bargained for.

The mystery behind the leads is interesting, as. you don't know exactly what the two even are. Are they human? Demon? Are they bound by fate? Again, I don't know how the Chinese Paladin series really work, but I see a lot of fights, characters, and wonder if it will get heavy into plot or if they will just go place to place. The latter is what happens.. honestly a mix of both. It is hard to take seriously at times with how fake everything looks.. the effort is there but it just overall seems cheap by the end of 36 episodes.

I think about what the drama is trying to accomplish and rate based on that. So if this drama is appealing to the demographic in China it is doing very well. People are happy and better than that, this drama has been acknowledged by one of the producers from the source material. So that alone tells me it is doing something right.

Although upon watching the whole series it seems I am asking myself... what really happened? What was the point? All of these pretty faces in this drama can't amount to anything if they are barely in it by the time the series ends. Xu Kai and Esther Yu are still great.. but unfortunate.

There is a lot of what I care about and nothing of what I do. So that is really less Xu Kai and more side characters. The chemistry between the leads is the best it can do I guess.. but it's not electric when comparing to much better dramas with much better performances. It is due to the script.. because I know the leads have it in them. This story is just convuluted. There is so much happening and it is hard to keep up, but it is pretty entertaining. In the end I am wishing for more stories with more heart. This one was just a video game adaptation, that really didn't have its own unique narrative to tell. There was only so much that could happen and in the end it was pretty stale.. but it had Xu Kai and I love him to death.

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STORY: A fantasy about a reincarnated guy, Xiao Mo, with no memory of his past living in the modern-day who has a spiritual guardian Lu Bai (a fairy fox) protecting him because in Xiao Mo's past life, he sacrificed himself to save Lu Bai. Xiao Mo is now a dork that bumbles through life at the mercy of his sister and his friends who are always looking out for him. Being the first season, it's slow in parts as the story is being established. There is some fan service but no real BL to speak of.

NOTE: The official YouTube channel does not have subtitles and blocked Fruitylads's posts. Try Google. Also, these episodes average 25 minutes with a staggering 5.5 minutes of opening/closing credits!

ACTING/CAST: The ENTIRE cast are all very HOT! You will see a scene where Lu Bai does Cosplay; I am at a loss for words to explain how amazing he looks. There's so much good chemistry here, especially between Xiao Mo and Lu Bai. The cast are young and inexperienced, and it shows.

MUSIC: I like the main theme and the credits and there's some good background music, like the haunting piano melody when something bad is happening.

REWATCH VALUE: Yes. Already have. I simply love the story and concept even if all the BL was cut out of it.

OVERALL: I love fantasy but wish there was more focus on a bromance instead of just fan service. Watch the prequel movies too.

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I think Jugglers is the perfect example of a filler drama.  It was watchable, but I was never excited about new episodes.  It's a story that's been done a million times before...  a romance between a cold boss and his meddling employee, the only person who takes the time to get to know him.  This drama delivers the romcom moments as expected. The other focus of the story is the life of personal assistants (aka Jugglers), who appear to be the unsung heroes of the corporate world.  The problem with the juggler story is that it honestly wasn't that interesting.  This drama tries to add all kinds of scandals, and betrayals, and self realization to the juggler world, but none of it stayed interesting for long. I think the problem is that they tried to juggle too many uninteresting storylines.

First I'll mention what worked, and for me that was Choi Daniel. This is the part where I confess that I probably kept watching because I was developing a crush on Nam Chi Won at the same time Yoon Yi was. Being handsome has a lot to do with it, but he really was great in his role.  I loved finding out more weird and adorkable things about him hiding behind his rigid and serious exterior. I also thought Yoon Yi was cute without crossing too far over into annoyingville. I think the romance between these too really worked well, and carried the show. There are lots of cute, sweet, and even some sexy moments. Some moments were a bit too cheesy for me, but that goes back to the bad writing, not the acting.

I think the same can be said for Lee Won Keun and Kang Hye Jung. Their relationship was definitely weird, but adorable. Although I liked watching  how their characters became closer, and think their relationship arc was better than the main couple, I still feel like making them deal with stupid  storylines made them a little less appealing.  

The rest of the supporting cast was mostly good. I liked the office worker cast, though they were mainly there for quick commentary, and comic relief.  I was a little less impressed with  the 4 girl friends. Their scenes all together were pretty boring, and since their friendship is a large part of the plot, that's not a good thing. I especially wish that they gave her coffee making friend more of a story besides just being the mediator.  Then there are the villainous bosses, who were so over the top that I couldn't take that part of the story seriously.  Some situations were funny, but they got to be so repetitive, that I could no longer laugh without cringing a little.  They also waited too long to add depth to some of the characters.  The last episode is way to late to try to make me sympathize with a person who's been in jerk mode for 15 episodes. Too many of the supporting characters were written to be one note.

I think some of the disconnect with me and this drama may be also cultural. I can't really relate to dating scandal plots, and I don't see the big deal about divorce,  or being an older employee... So what were major issues for the characters didn't seem so major to me. The office rivalries also couldn't hold my interest, and I was often tempted to skip scenes.  Obviously that means a low rewatch score from me too.

Overall,  I enjoyed enough of it to keep watching till the very end, but I can't quite recommend it, or say that it was good. It took a while to grow on me, then managed to hold my interest, but I can see myself forgetting all about this drama in a few months. If you like romance dramas, and you don't have anything exciting in your queue, this could be a good way to fill the time.  It's probably much better to binge watch too, so you don't get bored, or tempted to drop it.  At the very least you've got Daniel being as cute as possible for 16 episodes, and for me that was good enough!

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two people being each others light

ill start by saying this drama handled the subject of su*c*de very well for being such a short drama. shows that just a simple encounter can change your mindset and your outlook on life. our ML was there for our FL every time it mattered most.. Haiba was just the light in Mokotos life that she needed and must i say that she was what he needed as well. they were adorable and the chemistry was on point. their little moments were everything.

even if you're not a fan of student x teacher relationships i would till give it a try. it doesn't have those creepy vibes that some dramas have with those tags. this was so well done. just wish it was longer, that's why im hoping for S2! :')

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I just finish the drama and I'm shock. The story was good and it had power female characters. MC was a good hero and I ship him with Xun Er. I really happy that they didn't go the harem route for the MC like in the book. I hope he pick one girl to stay with.
The only thing I dislike was that it has a lot of loop holes in the story, but there not too bad. You still can get the plot flow even though some time things are clearly missing. The story plot goes normal speed and isn't slow like a manga or webtoon tends to be.
I really hope there a season 2 and the MC comes back(there been rumors that his not coming back). I hope the MC pick ome girl and keep it that way for season 2.

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The creepiest, most disturbing, most terrifying study of the human mind!

Finally a drama made me write a review and this one deserves all the golden stars.

The story keeps you constantly on the edge of your seat and keeps you guessing all the way through. The ominous atmosphere makes you feel like something terribly bad is going to happen any second. This drama studies human mind in such a terrifying and fascinating way.
Acting is top-notch! I checked this drama out purely because I love Lee Dong Wook and think he's the most beautiful man alive but I'd never seen this side of him before and I'm so glad I have now. This became my new favorite roll of his. All the actors in this drama knocked it out of the park.
The OST fits perfectly and even though I prefer OST pt. 1 by The Rose, I truly love and enjoy all the four songs.
Strangers from Hell is in my opinion a perfect gateway drug into dramaland for any lover of true crime or creepy psychological stuff in general. WE NEED MORE DRAMAS LIKE THIS!

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