Completo
I Can Speak
30 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
da aimsat
giu 29, 2018
Completo 0
Generale 9.0
Storia 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Musica 8.5
Valutazione del Rewatch 9.0
How is it humanly possible to make such a brilliant cinema? I’m still awestruck after finishing the movie. The depiction of the main story would come in such a roundabout but in a meaningful way that it was incredible.

I CAN SPEAK – this name is used symbolically, is what came into my mind while watching the movie. It is actually a pseudonym for the main story. Surprisingly viewers cannot speculate what kind of seriousness the story holds at the beginning of the movie. The starting is more or less about the introduction of the characters, their characteristics and their individual lifestyles. It was filled with joviality, frustration, lawlessness, boredom and grouch.

The character of Na Ok Boon aka Goblin Granny is dreaded by everyone. Her main task is to pinpoint her neighbours about the wrongdoings, seditious behavior and illegal practices which disrupt the smooth social order. She is nonchalant and valiant. No amount of scorn or condescend towards her can back her down. She would be always ready to file a complaint against any atom amount of illegal doings to the district office. Apart from this which is her regular work, she is highly eager to earnestly learn English for a special reason. Thus the revelation of her main reason for learning English Language on the second half of the film makes it simply wonderful.

Besides, Na Ok Boon another main character called Park Min Jae, a 33 year old civil servant, is a regular office worker. He had dreamt of being into another profession but somehow ended up as a govt. official for familial reason. Fortunately or unfortunately the fates of Ok Boon and Min Jae are intertwined and with much hesitation at first, eventually Min Jae gives up and starts to teach English to Goblin Granny. He becomes his English teacher and along with his younger brother becomes family of the granny.

As the story progressed, through dramatization of few incidents, it is gradually unraveled why the granny is so enthusiastic and adamant about learning the language. It becomes intelligible that why she wants her past predicaments to be hidden from everyone and what importance this language holds in her life.

The movie is made about a sensitive issue which is heart rendering and capable of making the viewers’ hearts warm with reverence.

Both Na Moon Hee and Lee Je Hoon portrayed exceptional performance of their character. Not even a single moment it feels like they are acting. Their performance was natural especially Na Moon Hee being a veteran actress knows the exact thing to do with her role. They were utterly impressive.

Reviews should be written with critical analyses of important scenes and about the story line by line. However, in MDL it is difficult because we need to maintain caution for not spoiling the story for other viewers. Therefore, I’m forced to keep it short otherwise I had galore of good things to write about this movie.

This is the kind of movie I’ll always cherish and would encourage others to watch. “I Can Speak” is a genuine representation of real cinema – a real art and a true masterpiece.

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Swordsman
30 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
da Aryael
mar 9, 2013
42 di 42 episodi visti
Completo 1
Generale 8.0
Storia 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Musica 9.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 7.0
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Story: Ling Hu Chong (played by Wallace) is a carefree and honourable man. He was the eldest disciple of the Hua Mt Sect and a favourite amongst his juniors and teacher. However, Ling Hu Chong's teacher is an ambitous man with ulterior motives masquerading as a virtous person. As Ling Hu Chong ventures through wulin (the martial arts world), his easy and honest personality garnered him many friends from the 5 mountain sects and the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Eventually, his teacher turned Ling Hu Chong into a scapegoat for all of his evil deeds, including heaping blame of the murder of one of his student on Ling Hu Chong. Lin Hu Chong got kicked out of the Mt Hua Sect. That is when his true adventures begin. The love story in this 2013 version has a good ending, unlike the original story from the novel where all the women Ling Hu Chong loves dies and he is left alone as a wanderer. The most notable change in the storyline comes in the form of Dongfang Bu Bai (played by Joe Chen). In the original story, Dongfang Bu Bai is a man who became the powerful leader of the Sun Moon Holy Sect. He mastered the Kuai Fa Manual. However, in order to master this manual, which is very "Ying" (feminine) in nature, he must castrate himself. The more he learned from the manual, the more feminine he became. Eventually, he regarded himself as a woman and developed romantic feelings for Ling Hu Chong. It was this hint of homosexuality that did not sit well with audiences of the previous versions and readers of the novel. Therefore, in this 2013 version, Dongfang Bu Bai has a new story - one that begins with Dongfang Bu Bai being an actual woman, but in order to succeed in the wulin and not to be bullied ever again, she lives her life as a man. When she meet Ling Hu Chong, she developed feelings for him, but Ling Hu Chong is conflicted as Dongfang Bu Bai is a cold hearted killer. How could an honourable man loves a monster??? Watch and find out.

Acting/Cast: The chemistry between Wallace's Ling Hu Chong and Joe's Dongfang Bu Bai is siiizzzzzling! This is the only version so far when most ppl who had watched it wanted Ling Hu Chong to end up with Dongfang Bu Bai! It is because of this that I give the acting 9/10. It is 1 mark away from perfect because the chemistry between Ling Hu Chong and Ren Ying Ying is neutral at best and yet, it is Ying Ying that Ling Hu Chong ended up marrying at the end. Imagine the frustration of fans of Wallace-Joe! LOL (btw, I do not consider this a spoiler as it is widely known knowledge amongst fans of wuxia series and readers of Louis Cha's novels. There are many versions of this story made in the past. Me thinks the 1996 version is the closest to the novel).

Music: I love the opening OST, "Carefree". Am listening to it as I am writing this review. :)

Rewatch value: It is 42 episodes if you watch from the DVD version and 56 episodes from the tv version. I might re-watch this a few years later when I have the time. I am quite impartial to Swordsman aka The Smiling,Proud Wanderer. I still think that the best novel of Loius Cha comes in the form of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and the Condor Heroes Trilogy. I am waiting with abaited breath now for the 2013 version of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. Rumour has it that it is due to be released mid this year. Fingers crossed!

Overall: It was entertaining while it lasted. I love the scenes between Wallace and Joe... they are the best features of this drama. Joe Cheng makes the most beautiful and coldly powerful Dongfang Bu Bai ever! The other parts are passable. I give this an 8/10. Not bad but not the best wuxia around.

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Hun Shi
30 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
mar 31, 2023
27 di 27 episodi visti
Completo 4
Generale 10
Storia 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Musica 5.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 7.5
OMG. The male lead is one terrific actor. I thought he was in his 30’s and he is only 23! He could change his demeanor in a second - just like a real psychopath . Although the story wasn’t wrapped up entirely. I thought the story line was good and definitely held your interest. Heck, I think we could pick up another series after he comes out of prison / mental ward…. They left that opening. Please watch. And enjoy a good thriller with suspense but most of all a cast that can really act their parts well. Kudos to the ML and FL.
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It's Okay, That's Love
30 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
da Robin
set 3, 2017
16 di 16 episodi visti
Completo 0
Generale 7.0
Storia 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Musica 8.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 6.0
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This is a romance/mystery drama about people who have to deal with mental ilnesses, which is pretty interesting to watch, since this serie deals with this in a pretty mature way.

The acting of this drama is really great, unlike other drama the characters feel more realistic in their behaviour and acting. Music is nice and the general story and theme is pretty interesting.

Yet there are still some problems with this drama, if you are like me, having the second lead syndrome, wanting to watch this because you think you will finally get a less sexist, mature romance, then you might be a bit dissapointed. If you liked coffee prince or hana yori dango, then don't read any further, you'll definitly like this one, just go and watch it! : ), but if you are the kind of person who got red flag reactions when watching them, then you might also find this serie problematic.


One of the problems I had with this serie is that it still has the dominating male, while he is not as abusive as other male leads, there will be some scenes in it that gave me wtf reactions. There is also a side romance story,in which the male finally seems to get a spine, but then turns also in the typical dominating male, which the girl suddenly falls for. I've written down below some of the scenes which decreased the enjoyment I had wathing this show, I've removed the names to make it as less spoilerish as possible,











THIS MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY SPOILERISH, SO DON'T SCROLL BELOW, IF YOU REALLY DON'T WANT ANY SPOILERS!!!

The acting of this drama is really good, and the story and the characters feels more mature than other standard cliche drama's, but for me it went downhill after episode 9. Below are some of the things that destroyed the enjoyment of this show.

- female says she wants no sex on the trip. During the trip man gets suprised that she really meant this, saying that sex the ultimate act of love is, he acts angry and then leaves her. Later she goes to him, they make up and have sex. (ofcourse sex equals love cough cough*, what really would have been an atc of love is if he would've respected her boundaries, their relation is only a few months, and she has serious anxiety issues on intimacy, heck she even had problems with kissing)

- Male suddenly says that he goes out the house and live alone again and thinks that there is no problem with that, for it is because of work. I mean they have a serious relationship, they were living together, and the man suddenly says, "well, I'm going to live alone again for my work"... it is so bs, during the day he could just write at that place, and then just go home.

- female is seriously upset that her ex, who cheated on her, just comes into her house, because he works together with a roommate of hers. Nobody is understanding to her. The man the ex works with even screams at her saying that they otherwise would need to pay money somewhere... again bs they could have gone to the ex's house to talk about their work.

- There are two side characters, a male and a female, they divorced some years ago. The female tells her female friend that she finally realizes that her relationship with the male was 100% her fault (weird that she says this, but okay, it could be...). She says that her man wanted a child, but she secretly took contraceptives, she wanted to continue her career which would be impeded if she would get a child, at some point he found out and they divorced. Ofcourse what she did was wrong, but the fact that she thought that she could not be honest in her relationship already tells me that there was something already wrong in the relationship to begin with.

- Other side characters are a young man and female. In the beginning the girl practically uses him to get new stuff. I understand the female character, her mother left her at an early age, and she has a kind of absent father who fills the home with junk stuff. At some point the young man stops the relationship. I was like yay : D, he finally got some spine, he stops letting him being used. But then the story changes into the toxic idea "that if you save some person you'll get the girl". He helps her father, saying to him that he should not bring the junk home, but sell it to get some money... and suddenly the father actually does that, I am sure that the female character must have said it once in her life to her father, but that must not have impressed him, the young man magically fixed her father.
Then he gets angry at the girl for the fact that she talks bad about her father, he is still your parent afterall, she still should have respect for him... a father who has for a long time neglected her, he tells her how his own father kicked him out of the house, because of his mental ilness, but he still calls him every week to know how he is doing, if she still wants to have a relationship with him, she should say so before the count of three... (I would have rolled my eyes and walked away, but...), she looks at him in awe and says that she wants to be in a relationship with him. I understand that the young man's way of thinking, even though I disagree, what irked me the most was his counting down, like a parent to a child would do. The girl, while using other people, is pretty smart, if the man talked in a rational, equal way, it could've been the start of a mature relationship, yet instead we see how he acts to her like a parent to a child...

- In the end we see that the female protagonist gets pregnant, she's angry. The male protagonist pushed some weeks ago to have sex with her without a condom, which she actually didn't want to. When she tells him that she is pregnant, he silently walks out the room to the other male roommates. He tells them enthusiastingly that he becomes a father. They laugh happily. Female protagonist comes in, still angry. The male protagonist defends himself "But at that night she was so pretty"...(yeah right). The female starts to smile, and they laugh together. Later we hear that her study needs to be suspended two years. At the end the male protagonist jokely tells her to get another baby after this one. She tells him smilingly that she is angry at him, but at the end they still smile and kiss as if nothing has happened.


So this is still a better drama, than most cliche drama's, but everyone who says that this is such a 'mature' romance, they are lying, the cake does not exist, but it still has its sweet moments.

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About Is Love
30 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
mar 8, 2019
30 di 30 episodi visti
Completo 0
Generale 9.0
Storia 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Musica 9.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 10
I watched this drama not expecting anything because as far as my experience modern cdramas turned underwhelming in its later part. BUT i watched this and as i progress i never realized i was already at its last 5 episodes. Its light fun drama that makes you smile. Although Wei Qing was such a jerk in the first parts, he make it up in the later parts. He supports and understands Zhou Shi although his ways are kind of cunning, he wished nothing but the best for Zhou Shi. Also the second fave couple and character is the Genius jiejie she's not like those smart boring genius type. She cares for her friends without losing that genius image. So all in all i very love this drama! :)

Definitely will watch this again again. I hope more modern cdramas are this great and fun. ♥

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Mystic Pop-Up Bar
30 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
giu 26, 2020
12 di 12 episodi visti
Completo 0
Generale 10
Storia 10
Acting/Cast 10
Musica 10
Valutazione del Rewatch 10

A Breath of Fresh Air

Excellent drama.
Amazing acting and story line. Very different from other dramas.A mixture of real life, fantasy, romance, mystery and comedy all bundled up in one. There was NEVER a dull moment.

This drama teaches you a lot about life. A lot of morals could be learnt by watching this drama.
This is a feel good drama. Always left me happy after every episode.

I would give it more than 10 stars if I could.
I am really going to miss this drama.
I am hoping for a season 2.
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Once Upon a Time
30 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
giu 5, 2018
Completo 4
Generale 9.0
Storia 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Musica 10
Valutazione del Rewatch 7.0
As a person who as not read the wuxia or watched the drama I came into watching this with no expectations for it to uphold. I overall Enjoyed the show even though you could tell that it was extremely rushed and confusing at some points, but through the dialogue and interactions I was able to get the gist of things. Some good points of the film is the animation and costumed designs for the main cast.

Overall if your like me and haven't experienced both the novel or drama, you should give it a shot because you might just end up liking it like I did.
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Can We Love?
30 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
mar 15, 2014
20 di 20 episodi visti
Completo 0
Generale 7.0
Storia 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Musica 7.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 6.0
Honestly, I started watching this because I love Uhm Tae Woong. I really had low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised by a drama full of life. The characters of the three main lead women are fully developed. The writer does a good job of transitioning from one woman's story to the next. The women are friends since child hood, but they don't know everything about each other. Makes me wonder what I don't know about my close friends. The writer also does a good job of resolving issues quickly rather than dragging them out. The ending was a little rushed although complete. There is still some Korean cliches such as abusive mother-n-law and birth secrets, but for the most part it was about real life, every day situations.

I adore Eugene. She is wonderful as Yoon Jung Wan with a great mix of strength and sweetness. I also love Kim Yoo Mi. If you haven't watched Cruel City, then I recommend it highly. She plays a more likable, strong character in that drama. In this one I loved to hate her. While understanding her character there were times when I would have loved to hit her. I was unfamiliar with Choi Jung Yoon, but she won me over totally as Kwon Ji Hyun. Her acting is stellar. The male leads are also great. Uhm Tae Woong is just too cute to me. I hope Park Min Woo does more because he is a really good actor.

I HATED Kwon Ji Hyun's appa and brother (can't remember if he was older or younger). They are some hateful people that treated her like a cash cow. Then blamed her for the consequences of their actions. I just wanted to kick their butts.

The music is nice.

I may rewatch this at some point.

If you like romance, family, angst dramas, then I recommend this drama.

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Boss & Me
30 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
da Dounie
nov 6, 2014
34 di 34 episodi visti
Completo 0
Generale 8.5
Storia 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Musica 6.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 8.5
I'm not particularly fan of romantical dramas but when it comes to Taiwanese and Chinese dramas that's my favorite genre ! I decided to give this drama a try for only two reasons , firstly because I'm a big fan of Zhao Zanilia and Secondly for the romance as I enjoy Chinese romance dramas !



I won't say that this story is innovative but the drama was really heartwarming that's why I enjoyed it that much !

The main couple is so cute , it's a real pleasure to see them joking and smiling together and see their love growing and growing ! At first Feng Teng was very cold and distant but as he is in process to know and understand Shan Shan's feelings he started to open his heart little by little to her . be careful //// SPOILER///// About their couple I think there is only one thing missing , we did not get to see them doing activities together like the ones that a couple would do : going to cinema , on an amusement park , eating at a restaurant , travelling ... that kind of things so i'm a bit disappointed that I did not see them having more fun , they were only eating , eating and eating again or staying at home ! ///// END OF SPOILER/////



Now I'm gonna talk about the characters :

Shan Shan is an adorable and cheerful girl , as her friend Liu Liu said she never complains when she is facing some problems whether with Feng Teng or work and maybe that's what I love the most about her !

Feng Teng as I've already said he is a bit cold but he only needs to be loved , and when it's the case he is the most adorable guy in the world , he knows how to take care of his girlfriend and how to please her ! And I admit I'm guilty , I love when the guy is cold outside but just so sweet inside !

For the other characters I really appreciated Liu Liu who always gives precious advice to Shan Shan , Feng Yue who is an adorable sister to Feng Teng and still encouraging her Ge Ge and Shan Shan stay together , Zhenf Qi : the womanizer hehehe but actually it was only a facade to hide himself .

I really want to write a paragraph about Li shu , to be honest the first time I saw her ( she made her first appearance in ep 4 or 5 , don't remember well ) I found her very confident of herself & arrogant, so yes my first impression of her was good ; I mean that I was right about her true intentions ; I don't like people who backstab their -so called- friends however fortunately she evolves and learns from her mistakes !



About the Music : I really enjoy the opening but the ending did not catch my attention and truthfully I always skipped that song , as for the background music it was just so so !





So I recommend you this drama if you're looking for a good Chinese romantical drama and if you're in the mood for something light to relax a bit !



It's my fist time writing a rewiew for MDL so I'm sorry if I made mistakes .

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In Corso 27/27
Zhang Gong Zhu Zhai Shang
30 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
mar 1, 2022
27 di 27 episodi visti
In Corso 6
Generale 8.5
Storia 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Musica 7.5
Valutazione del Rewatch 9.0
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UNEXPECTED DRAMA! DON'T MISSED OUT!

So I'm here reviewing for a web drama which I've never done that previously but I got to be honest here because it's really a great drama to satisfy our guilty pleasure!

Why I say this drama is good because it's story plot touches a lot on areas where mainstream dramas can never air on due to TV regulations. This is what I truly call a female centric story plot because the princess knows when to act "dumb" while waiting for her chance to bring the villain down. She doesn't rely on anyone and knows when to tease the ML and when to be serious. AND not to forget both the main leads' real good looks though the FL is kinda heavy on her makeup but it's fine with me!

But as it is a web drama, the quality of presentation is not as professionally done as compared to the mainstream ones and some of the supporting actors do need improvements on their acting as it is really awkward/unnatural.

Overall, a good drama that you shouldn't missed out on as it is really worth watching~ Definitely a big improvement for story quality in terms of details, line plots, scenery and decent outfits from past web dramas but not yet as professionally produced as mainstream idol dramas.

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The Painter of the Wind
30 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
da wonhwa
mar 18, 2014
20 di 20 episodi visti
Completo 0
Generale 9.0
Storia 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Musica 8.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 7.0
I usually approach shows about artists with trepidation. Even if the artist’s work is extraordinary, the act of creating art – of painting a picture or writing a novel – is rarely dramatically compelling. It can literally be as fun as watching paint dry. It is a testament to the skills of the director and writer of this show that they make the artistic process revelatory and exciting. Partly this is accomplished through gorgeous visual storytelling, as paintings literally come to life, revealing the secrets of their composition. More critically though, Painter of the Wind looks at why art matters – how it can reinforce or challenge power, how it can scandalize and seduce, how it can not only capture the world but remake it in a different image.

However, while this is obviously a show about art, it is equally a show about sex. It uses its cross-dressing premise as a starting point to pose provocative questions about gender and sexuality, and unlike many other shows, it consistently refuses to default to safe, easy choices. It suggests that there is more than one way to read a painting or a relationship, and that societally sanctioned views that champion heterosexual male privilege will miss a great deal of meaning. Like Shin Yun Bok’s paintings, this is a daring, sexy show that is quite happy to reveal more about its world than its inhabitants may want to see.

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Un Marito per Cento Giorni
184 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
ott 31, 2018
16 di 16 episodi visti
Completo 6
Generale 6.0
Storia 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Musica 5.5
Valutazione del Rewatch 4.0
I know most people will call me crazy for not raving about this drama. I will not take away anything from the cast especially our dashing male lead D.O a.k.a Won Deuk/crown prince Yul. It is the cast that made me want to come back (specifically Won Deuk) and watch this drama with their epic one liners.
The acting was superb. From the small characters in Songjoo village to v.p Kim to the King himself. They made this drama what it is.
The plot itself for me it was an okayish story. Not that captivating. The story did not stimulate me or make me want or eager to find out more and neither did it trigger my curiosity. I was like okay okay okay the entire drama. There was never a cliff hanger that would get me to the edge of my seat or make me smile in the midst of my tears. There were no tears to begin with and no huge grin plastered on my face.
I tried reading the comments on discus to find out what the hype was all about.
In my opinion it was just fangirls fangirling on D.O that's all. His acting was superb so yeah it did deserve the fangirling.
In my opinion if you are considering watching this for the story then you will be disappointed. If you are considering watching this because you are a fan of EXO and D.O to be specific then yes you will be blown off your feet....that boy can act.
If you are looking to watch this because you are bored and you have nothing else to watch then...best advice look elesewhere.
These are my opinions you are free to agree or to disagree with me.

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The Birth of The Drama King
26 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
da Kotori
gen 12, 2020
24 di 24 episodi visti
Completo 2
Generale 8.0
Storia 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Musica 8.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 7.0

Extremely funny and sweet BL adapted drama that you will enjoy

I started this drama because it is adapted from a BL novel, seems to have a good looking cast and is enjoying some good reviews. And I was not disappointed.

Story: In order to bring peace to the country, the youngest apprentice from the righteous clan Zhao Qing Feng tries to infiltrate the evil clan by getting close to the demon lord Ji Chuan. As Zhao Qing Feng is a bit socially awkward he is learning the steps from his teacher's book "win someone's heart". However, it turns out that Zhao Qing Feng is actually the long lost brother of Ji Chuan and the two men got close.
The whole drama is just extremely cheesy, cute and funny. I almost fell from my chair from laughing after watching episode 1. There are some very sweet scenes between the two main leads - who are by the way both very good looking and have distinguished personalities that are very likable from the start. Although the drama is a comedy, characters don’t always just make fools of themselves - there is a serious plot running through this drama which makes the viewers pounder about the fate of the main leads and also for the supporting characters. Good news for all BL lovers, though there is the female lead A Fu who fell in love with Zhao Qing Feng, this does not disturb the two main leads. There are some slow moments in the middle and a bit of predictable ending, but overall I did enjoy the drama and found story convincing and sweet.

Acting: The characters are just all very loveable from the start to the end. The two main leads, despite having an idol background without professional acting school training, acted very naturally and brought the distinguished two main lead characters to life. Besides the two gorgeous leads also all other supporting roles have done great work. A Fu, played by Su Xiao Tong, is extremely strong and sweet at the same time. Then you have the cute youngster Xiao Lin who is in love with A Fu and therefore acts coquettishly all the time (there is a great scene in the drama between him and A Fu that made me cry); you also have the gorgeous Dr. Yan, played by Song Ji Yang from Untamed, but is extremely jealous of Zhao Qing Feng; you also have the beautiful Yue Qing Qing, who turns into a REAL MAN when she takes off her makeup and the masculine Wei Qi who has a Taiwanese accent. I am sure you will find one or several characters to your taste.

Production: you can see that this is a drama with a low budget: some outdoor sets can look a bit cheap, some of the props and costumes seem to be a bit off, there are not enough extras in some of the scenes; however I would say the drama did use the budget at the right areas: the most important sets (e.g. the bedroom of Ji Chuan, the kitchen, the entrance to the main hall, the main hall itself, etc.) are nicely created; the choice of colors not too bright red and green but just right, the lighting is well toned; I also very much like the fact that they are using the actual voices of the actors (though sometimes the tones are a bit difficult to hear). They add these cat and dog special sounds to the two main leads when they are fighting - this is just hilarious and brilliant.
This drama has a very funny and contagious title song and a very beautiful ending song which however only started to play by the middle of the drama - also some BGM also only started from the middle (did they suddenly have more money in the middle?).
There a few scenes which are almost good to be hung as a poster (e.g. the drunk scene at the lake, the brother scene at the entrance hall, the bamboo forest scene, the night festival scene, the fighting scenes (esp. the last one - which is very well done!). You can see the production really gave a lot of effort in making this drama and they have done this well with the budget they have - unfortunately they ended up not having enough for marketing so not many people know about this.

Summary: This is a funny, light-hearted drama full of sweet scenes and great acting that will make you smile for sure. This BL adaption has not challenged the Chinese censorship this much as Untamed as it is really only a bromance drama but has retained a lot of sugar for all the fans. I hope all future BL adaption will at least be at the level of the Birth of the Drama King.

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At the Moment
26 persone hanno trovato utile questa recensione
nov 10, 2023
10 di 10 episodi visti
Completo 1
Generale 10
Storia 10
Acting/Cast 10
Musica 10
Valutazione del Rewatch 7.0
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An original take on love in the time of pandemic

Each of the 10 episodes in this anthology series is its own original love story. You don't have to watch them all or in sequential order to enjoy them, but all the main characters make a cameo in ep 10 and we learn a bit more about what's happened to them.

The approach to romance is unique in each episode. One couple meets on a reality tv show while another meets when their spouses are having an affair. There's an ep about a run-in with an ex and another about a playboy who inadvertently gets his comeuppance. In another ep, childhood lovers reunite, and in another, a working class man with a disability finds unexpected connection with a hard-working mom. There's even a psychedelic, out-of-this-world surrealist episode that I don't have words to describe (ep 4). In one of the most charming episodes, a man discovers he loves being a stay-at-home dad, but he and his wife have to negotiate what that means in light of gendered social expectations.

The episodes end with the suggestion of what's next rather than dramatic flash-forwards in time. In other words, the narratives focus on revealing what's going on "at the moment" rather than the details of what comes next.

Expect butterflies and sweetness but also angst and heartbreak in some of them. We see couples of different ages and at different stages of life. There's a sense of realism to the stories and their variety of representations of love. Although the episodes are set during the height of Covid, the pandemic is more of a backdrop than at the center of the narratives.

There are queer stories too. Episode 5 is in the vein of BL while episode 9 is a very touching GL.

The series brings together high production values with an all-star cast! If you’ve followed Taiwanese film and drama series, you will recognize some of your favorite actors and actresses here.

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The Director Who Buys me Dinner
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da jpny01
gen 13, 2023
10 di 10 episodi visti
Completo 0
Generale 5.0
Storia 3.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Musica 3.0
Valutazione del Rewatch 1.0

A total waste of time

There's a caveat to the title above: if you like stories where nothing is ever explained and nobody's motivations make any sense, you will absoluetely LOVE this series.

First of all, how is getting to live for 400 years as a beautiful 20-something a "curse"? That sounds pretty f@$&ing good to me. So if I witness a murder, I get to be young forever? Sign me up.

In the first episode, a lot of very intriguing plot threads are set up, centering on a mysterious director and his fascination for a new employee at his media firm. By the end of the episode, you're hooked and want more.

It's a trick.

You never find out anything. There's a curse, OK. But who cursed them, why, what the curse is, and how it's lifted are never revealed. Not even slightly. There is never an explanation for why the main pair were cursed. The only thing they did is fall in love with each other. Is the message of the story that God hates homosexuals? Because that's the only motivation you can get out of what we see. What is he purpose of Dennis other than as a plot device in the last episode? What did the director do to him? Why is he so f@$&ed up? Is he part of the curse? Who the f@$& is he?

A lot of the run time of the series has the characters running in circles in a repetitive and formulaic pattern of the uke resisting the seme, and in this case it's inexcusable, as instead of running the same tiresome plot point over and over the story could have been advanced and questions answered.

If felt like the writer came up with an idea, never bothered to flesh it out or think it through, then came up against needing an ending so just pushed the "reset" button, making the entire series totally pointless. The ending made no sense - so if they aren't around each other they'll die, and the only way to lift the curse is to die. OK. Great. If that's not the case, why doesn't Dong Baek get sick when he's away from the diretor after the reset? For that matter, how did Dong Baek get through his entire life before meeting the director without dying? Maybe there's a reason, but we sure as f@$& never get it.

The chemistry between the leads is fairly minimal and the kissing would be too chaste even if the characters were 6 years old. I've seen BLs where there's a meter between the pairs' bodies when they kiss, but the actor playing Dong Baek must have gymnastic experience because he manages TWO meters. This series represents everything that's wrong with KBL. A nonsensical story, way too much time wasted on the uke acting like a twelve-year-old Victorian-era virgin, too many cliches and tropes, bad writing, rubber kisses, and actors who obviously think it's icky to touch each other. (To be fair, that could be the directing.)

This is well-filmed, with shots that support the story - the edit when Dong Baek faints on the set and sees the director but it's actually Dennis is superbly done, and the music has it's moments - but the soundtrack indicating passion is not the same as the actors showing passion.

I liked this series a lot for the first couple of episodes, but unfortunately it devolved into a boring, pointless, lazy mess.

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