Reviews

A love so pure, it burns throughout adulthood lasting a lifetime

Definitely not your average fluffy high school drama. It has mature themes and deep story-telling which got me hooked right from EP 1! I went in with zero expectations only to be left wanting more after completing the drama..it was that good and I barely even write reviews..I just couldn't pass on without writing one for this. It deserves a review for me.

I watched the drama and just finished reading the manhwa. I liked both versions but I definitely have a soft spot for the drama one. The live adaptation was very well done and the story was executed nicely. I especially liked the fact that in the drama they touched on the letter that seme had left in the DVD and expanded on how uke wrote an entire novel as a response to seme's letter. And how uke's novel was then turned into a movie that seme wanted to make as his final project before graduation..it was heartwarming that they didn't forget to add it in the drama. In the manhwa..the letter was never mentioned again after uke had read it..and it was forgotten just like that..I thought it was quite a pity..
For reference, I am using the term "Uke (Minase/Jinhyuk) & Seme (Hirukawa/Heechan)" here as I'm talking about both versions of the webtoon and drama..so this helps avoid any confusion with the characters' names.

Another change was that the bullying wasn't included in the drama..which I felt was the right choice..instead they shifted the focus on seme's domestic violence issue that happened. The drama depicted real life struggles of DV..that was quite triggering but this also raised awareness about how common this problem is and how there's more to what meets the eyes; you never know when someone is being abused and they never ask for help..its a vicious cycle and hard to get out of unless you have someone you can rely on. The drama showed exactly that..the uke was a light to the seme during his most challenging time. I'm not saying the manhwa didn't show this either but just pointing out that the drama chose to focus on DV instead of the bullying.

We're introduced to the roles of aggressors, victims & bystanders and some might say that the bullying was important to depict this theme. However, omitting the bullying to represent these 3 roles with DV was enough in the drama. I felt that the director knew it didn't really need to have the bullying to portray these and that the domestic abuse was more than enough to show us the 3 roles. Aggressor being seme's father, Victim being the seme and Bystander being Minase; there were 2 scenes were uke was a bystander while witnessing the abuse. One was when he first found out about heechan getting beaten and 2nd was when they were watching the movie at seme's house and the father burst into the house and uke had to run away..he wanted to do something about it but didn't due to fear of all the complications that will arise once he called the police..him being interrogated..his parents having to be called in because what happened etc...So I feel that the director choosing to just have the domestic violence centered in the drama was enough to not only highlight the 3 roles we know of but to also raise awareness of an issue we've don't always see as "common" because bullying is something we always know that happens in school and the audience are more than familiar with it..However, DV is not always touched on.. because it's such a sensitive topic and triggering for others too. And like I mentioned there's more to what meets the eyes..because we don't always know when someone is being abused..it just goes unnoticed until someone discovers it..so I respect the director's decision and understand why he chose to focus on DV for the drama. It was quite a solid choice in my opinion.

Overall..because of how they managed to tie all this up all nicely in the drama..I fell for the live adaptation and it'll have a special place in my heart. They really did an amazing job following the manhwa closely for the drama..I have no complaints whatsoever because the special episode that we got was basically the side stories after the manhwa had ended. They gave us the whole complete package. The casting was perfect. The acting was great, especially Minase's crying scenes and the chemistry between the two of them was just overflowing from my screen..the tension was unreal..everything again just felt natural..not cheesy nor cringe. Also the longing and yearning..it was so much more in depth..its no wonder people said they bawled their eyes out watching the drama..including myself of course. Definitely a great Japanese bl story, and I'm usually very picky with bl but this one definitely deserves all the attention it was getting. I can see why it was worth the hype.

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It could´ve been so much better!

Ok, I´ve finished watching it. I doubted before I started to watch because of all the posts about the bad editing, which is absolutely awful. Too many fundamental scenes were cut and made my heart ache because this drama had a great production and the plot had many great highlights to explore.

What was missing:

- The first kiss of the MC in episode 6 when ML was drunk
- Also at the end of episode 6 when ML proposes ingame and FL asks to the FL how she wants to be called (Wife, darling, honey etc) and she says if he agrees to have a real relationship she will pick one.
- Confession in episode 16... Come on!!! WTF??? how do you miss that???!!!
- When ML discovers his boss is FL´s older brother.

What could have been better:

- If the writers wanted a "love triangle" for the FL, then director/production please cast someone that could´ve been seen as an opponent to BWJ, not an actor close to an uncle. Or if you wanted an older suitor, please mind you are filming an Idol Drama and cast someone aesthetically coordinated with the rest of the cast.

- ML´s grandpa was adorable, he could have had a couple of scenes more sprinkled in the last episodes.

- Writers: did you try to make a SC with Lu Guang Han & Gu Qiao Bei a bromance, a BL, a mentor/disciple or a dage/didi relationship? Because you hinted all that and finally we didn´t have either. I think could have been better if you didn't force a girlfriend for LGH in the last episode and just leave it open for viewers to interpret.

- Please send a red fat envelope to "S**ting Stars" because the hidden top actress/absent mother and the assistant/mean top actor we´ve seen it last year and better done.

- First drama I´ve watched with Bi Wen Jun and Zhang Xue Ying and for me, she ATED IT. Cute without being dumb or sickly sweet, quite natural. BWJ flunked the first half for me because his "tsundere" was lacking personality. Few actors can pull a tsundere without being confused with a brick. Park Seo Joon in "What´s wrong with Secretary Kim?" set the bar too high for me and quite difficult to reach for the majority of idol actors. The second half when he starts to pursue the FL more out in the open and he warms up is where he starts to shine. When he ends up as a cute henpecked boyfriend in the last couple of episodes he takes the crown.

- Regarding what is missing in edition, is not the first time government makes cuts in dramas, but is the first time the production didn't fix it properly. I don't remember any other drama where the editing was so lame that made the plot lose sense at some point. Oh... I forgot "She and her Perfect Roommate".... sorry "Husband". After all the cut scenes between YM and XK we went from a chocolate cake in the trailers to a pudding when it was released, but at least the plot made sense.

Is it worth watching?

The production and the game scenes were on point. Red carpets and awards ceremonies were also great. The ending was one of the most satisfactory for me in the recent same niche rom-coms.

The chemistry between the leads was good and ended even better. The the dage/meme relationship was insanely well done and fun to watch. Is one of the highlights of the drama.

The conflicts were solved quickly and the evil-doers got the reward they deserved.

If the writers polished the script and the editing was done better after the government review, this drama could have been easily a "Love O2O" 2.0. Had the storyline, the actors and the production to reach the same level or top it. BWJ is not yet at Yang Yang´s level, but his FL was far better than Zheng Shuang, at least for me. So that makes the MCs even.

If the viewer is warned about the missing scenes and wants to watch a good quality production rom-com, worth the try if there isn't another drama on queue.

Rewatch Value:

Yes, I probably will rewatch it. I don't know yet if it is because I really enjoyed the good points listed above or because my brain is still trying to put all the pieces together.

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I am an idiot. I remember loving the trailer of this show and the whole idea of a mom coming to school was so refreshing. But the first episode had such serious themes and I realized that there won't be much romance between the main cast (Bang Wool being married and everything), I never picked it up. But a few days back I was watching these funny videos on YouTube (Asian Drama On Crack I think) and they had so many funny moments from Angry mom (my favorite in the whole compilation even though I hadn't even watched the show!) I was literally compelled to pick this show again.

The plot is perfect. It won some kind MBC scenario award and while I don't know that is exactly, I can vouch that the script fully deserved it. The plot dealt with various school related issues and a lot more. It was so refreshing and hilarious. It never became stale even during the second half of the show (something that happens quite often) and just kept getting better and better. There was no romance but there were ships that didn't exactly sink (which was a huge surprise). This show has set a trend with shows like "Make A Woman Cry" and now "Second Time Twenty Years Old" coming up with similar situation.

The characters were wonderful. I have watched Kim Hee Sun in Faith and while I liked her there, this is where I fell in love with her. She was effortless! Park No Ah's character has received some criticism for being incompetent and useless. But he was somebody I could relate to. We're both "greenhouse kids" who refuse to see the harsh realities of the world but we're both trying to come out at our own pace. Kang Ja's friend Gong Joo and her minions were so awesome. I loved the guys' wigs. Bok Dong was my favorite. He was so cute when he fell for Kang Ja and the times he was like "Don't touch my body" XD Baro's character was completely in contrast with with his previous role in Reply 1994. But he was flawless here and those glasses really helped him look more like a bully (lol). Yoo Jung was her best as usual. She's a wonderful actress who keeps getting better and better. Rest of the negative characters and the supporting characters were great. The one negative character that stood out for me was Chairman Hong. After watching him as a funny character in Protect The Boss, it is really hard to see him do roles like this. He is an abusive person who gets a kick from hitting women. But the actor is versatile. Kudos to him.

The music is different from the typical OST and I absolutely loved it. People who loved shows like School 2013 and 2015 should definitely watch this. It's your thing. And if you're a drama addict in general and have enough time, you would breeze through this show in a couple of days without skipping stuff. That's the addiction level of this show. I'm so glad I watched this!

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Great Educational Drama

First off I'd like to say that this is mainly an educational anti-fraud drama. Don't expect action packed drama, sizzling romance, thriller, or any of that sort. If you're here looking for action or romance you will be disappointed. Don't bother watching if you get bored easily at lectures, Reba's character and other characters will try to lecture you in various Chinese laws and saying it out loud many times! Watch this only if you want to learn about Chinese laws and how the people's procuratorate work with the public safety bureau in handling cases. If you like Chinese crime drama, this is worth a shot. This drama has a theme of female empowerment, and like what her character says in the end, there are not many female prosecutors in real life. The drama is mostly told from the FL's pov and she has much more screen time than the ML, her character is powerful, independent, and intelligent.

Reba's acting in this drama is very good, she uses her own voice too. I am happy to see that she took this challenge and performed admirably, and I can't wait for her next upcoming realistic drama which is already announced. In general every actors and actresses perform their job well. The plot is quite interesting, grounded, and realistic, it is not as convoluted or epic like in some fictional detective drama because it is based on real cases after all. However it is not very predictable, and the show will make you keep guessing what each character is actually like. The topic is interesting, cyber crime fraud is a pretty recent phenomenon and there are not many shows that deals with that, compared to more traditional crime such as fighting illegal drugs. While not as epic and deep as those anti-corruption cdramas with high douban rating (eg. The Knockout, In The Name of The People), I think the story is good enough and most importantly, this drama serves its main purpose which is to educate the masses in the form that is more palatable. Unfortunately, this purpose also mean that there are a lot of lines in the script which serve to "educate" the viewer rather than being interesting or advancing the plot, which will bore some viewers.

Domestically this drama is well received, and they are considering a sequel. The MDL rating in this drama is very unfair, and best ignored if you like this genre. There are too many people who review bomb this for various reasons:
- People who only come here for Reba and they can't handle a serious non-romance drama. Serious drama in general is underrated on this site.
- People who watch dramas for handsome young actors. Dramas without good looking actors are also underrated here.
- People who get triggered by the positive portrayal of Chinese government.
- This drama starts slow, and many cases are introduced making it quite confusing in the beginning and therefore people don't have the patience for it. However it gets more interesting after the country F arc and eventually more and more things get clearer.

Overall this drama is not perfect but it definitely is not worse than many of those idol romance dramas with better rating here. Always keep in mind that the target audience for this are domestic audience, not foreign fans.

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Hi everyone,
Just a quick take on this HELLO AGAIN...
It's a satisfying watch, it makes you cry, sympathise, it makes you laugh, it gives you goosebumps....
The acting was pretty good... you almost can feel them...the kisses were on point (I've developed an obssession with kissing scenes...)
Its just one of those dramas you don't regret watching...even if you think some of it is cheesy...
I loved the banter between the leads... it was funny and well somewhat irritating....but all in all great..
Communication is the key.
I just liked it..

So have a go and decide for yourselves!!!

Xoxo
Uni

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An essay about an unforgettable journey.

I’m not gonna lie, I hyped myself quite a lot while watching. I heard how complicated and mindblowing of a ride the show is, and how hard it is to predict the twists, I thought of it as a challenge. And a challenge it was - frustrating in the best way possible.

The issue with mystery shows is, they are either painfully predictable, or unpredictable to the point of randomness, when there is no point in trying to figure things out yourself, because the writers never give enough hints to make it happen. Someday or One Day is a hidden gem that was able to both deliver enough information I could somehow puzzle the pieces together and form my own theories, while keeping the mystery alive. A miracle most shows are unable to achieve.

It’s truly a masterfully crafted time travel, and I always have some issues with time travel stories. Me saying it’s good is a statement I never thought I would make about a time related story. With all the time lines, all the crossed paths and changes to the events, nothing was lost, nothing was contradicting, nothing felt out of place.

What is even more surprising, the plot itself is truly not that complex if you strip all the time travel aspects away. It’s a tale of loneliness, friendship, sacrifice and love. It was like a labyrinth that had an entrance and exit point right next to each other. Simple story presented in a complex and enticing way. While the core of the show were the characters and their relationships, I do believe it was more plot than character driven overall.

Was everything about the plot perfect? No. I do believe the psychiatrist's time traveling was one time travel too much and that arc was borderline makjang material. At the same time I accept that without it, it would be impossible to deliver the same conclusion to the story, which, after I slept on it, I found actually fitting and strangely beautiful.

Since it was not simply time travel, but actually body migration, I was disappointed how it was never truly a topic of conversation. How the characters never stopped to truly think about how morally questionable it is to live in someone else’s body. It was briefly mention at the end after Yun Ru’s suicide, but it was not enough for me.

I do believe some sequences are unnecessarily put in incorrect, non linear order, just to make the viewer more confused, when I felt the story was confusing enough without it. Yes, it all came together at the end, it is still a fact that at times I felt like I needed to start writing notes to make sure I can keep up with the story.

The last 3 episodes are something that is hard for me to make a judgment on. While I was not thrilled watching them, since the tone shifted from tight mystery to personal drama, after some consideration, they were necessary to give the show closure. As much as it was a love story, it was also a journey to acceptance of the loss.

Huang Yu Xuan was a character desperate to find her lost lover, to go back to the blissful days they shared. She was not able to heal from her loss, so when the opportunity arose to fix the future she could not accept - she took it. And yet, all that was futile and by the end, she had to accept she cannot produce the future she wants without hurting other people. I found her decision to destroy the tape brave and selfless. Not only did she give up reuniting with the love of her life (as she could not truly be sure they will be able to find each other in the future), she also gave up all the precious memories she had with him - all to keep the people she learned to care about alive.

It is true that she had faith that they would find each other, but she could not be sure about it. She took a chance, gave up the control over the events and put her trust in the connection they had, that was able to overcome countless setbacks.

Then we have Li Zi Wei. While I did find him adorable, dedicated, dreamy and perfect in all boyfriend type of ways, I did think he as an individual character did not have much to offer. Someday or One Day is his love story, but he does not really exist outside of it like the rest of the characters. And it makes it hard for me to truly talk about him, because there is not that much to address. He survived years of pain with the hope of reuniting with Yu Xuan. His love for her was deep. And yet, somehow I craved any scenes that were not connected with Yu Xuan, for example his friendship with Jun Jie. Things that would make him more than just Yu Xuan soulmate, lover, 2nd half.

The 3rd of the trio friends - Jun Jie. The character that was the hardest to read and one that left the most space for viewers interpretation. Was his love for Yun Ru based on his desire to save her? Or was he interested in her because he thought they were similar, could potentially understand each other? Personally, I found him to be one of the more heartbreaking characters. He made so much effort and yet it was inevitable he would be hurt by the end. All the tweaks to the timelines, all the changes and attempts to make things better, and yet he was always the one to suffer the consequences. I’m honestly happy that by the end of the show his life got back to normal and it was no longer affected by the two main characters trying to find each other and create the future they desperately wanted.

Talking about the characters, I cannot ignore both Chen Yun Ru and Wang Quan Sheng. First of all, justice for the boy. He got nothing from it. He suffered alive, got his body used by a lovesick guy after his death, and by the end of it all, his future was not affected in any positive way, he still ended up taking his own life. How much he was used in this scenario is honestly quite sad.

Chen Yun Ru had a little bit more agency. We get to know her more, understand her struggles on more than a surface level. She gets her 2nd chance and hopefully learns how to heal. Sadly, I find her story to be both hopeful and questionable with the presentation.

I am not sure how I feel about her change of heart at the end. Someone with such deep psychological issues getting better after hearing “manage your expectations” seems just silly. The vague message makes sense, don’t get me wrong. Many people are unhappy with their lives as they don’t see and don’t appreciate the things they have, fixating on things they want, but cannot achieve. And when their expectations are not met, they become even more unsure of themselves and unsatisfied with their lives. The issue is, Yun Ru was not just a gloomy and pessimistic girl who had issues making friends. Depression is not something you can easily change by fixing your mindset, and she was depressed. She tried to kill herself, and asked to be killed. So the idea that the few lines from Yu Xuan made such a huge difference felt flat.

I also feel like the message was quite conflicting. On one hand we were told her suicide was the result of the judgmental society who tried to changed her to match their expectations, the idea that whatever she did, it was never enough, because people did not accept her for who she was. But then they end her arc with the idea that it’s her who had to fix her expectations, not the society's approach towards people who do not meet the “norm”. So which one is it?

Time to talk about the glorious performances. Ko Chia Yen amazed me. Being able to deliver a believable portrayal of not only 2 characters, but in different stages of their life, making sure the small changes of approach and personalities make sense, making sure Yun Ru and Yu Xuan truly feel like two different people - she achieved it all.

Greg Hsu Li Zi Wei was painfully beautiful. The striking difference between his take on the teenage boy with cheerful demeanor and the adult version who suffered both physically and psychologically was perfect.

As for the production - I will never ever listen to Last Dance EVER again. This song goes right next to The Heirs “Moment” as the song used so much in a drama I’m actually sick of it. It’s a beautiful song, but I think I heard it enough for the lifetime.

Visually speaking it was low key beautiful. It felt like all these stunning moments we can actually encounter in our lives if we pay enough attention.

All that said, at the end of the day it’s a simple story about love and loneliness, presented in the most complex and convoluted, yet best way possible. It’s not a perfect drama, it’s not a perfect story and it’s not a perfect presentation of it, and yet I was invested from beginning till the end. I made wild theories and tried to uncover the truth as I watched every episode, and for that I am grateful. It made me rethink many issues and consider various situations from different angles. It invited me to explore various takes on the same problem and how, depending on one’s personality, preferences, expectations and past experiences, other people might see them in their own distinct way.

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A werid but unique experience

_____Story_____
Pros: The plot was unique, and so were the characters. The portrayal of people's internal conflicts astounded me. Ae Jin was so helpless at school that she pretended to be someone other than herself most of the time. She found pleasure in her second identity that she couldn't find in herself. The plot moved quickly, and the way things were revealed was intriguing.
Cons: The beginning was a lot of fun, but by the time we got to the middle, the drama had sunk. I won't say why because doing so would be a spoiler.
I really liked the idea that this drama was attempting to convey.

______Acting_____
Shim Dal Gi (Koo Ae Jin) and Choi Bo Min performed admirably (Kim Ho In). Dal Gi's performance as Ae Jin was superb, and Bo Min was successful in giving Ho In a psycho yet attractive vibe. He made a favourable first impression on me, and I was encouraged to watch his other dramas. The one flaw in Dal Gi's acting was that she exaggerated her performance. But, at times, I felt it was necessary because she was behaving like a mentally ill person.

_____Rewatch Value_____
The main reason why the rewatch value for this drama is high is because of the amount of episodes and its duration.

______Overall______
Shadow Beauty is neither a good nor a bad web series on the whole. This drama has its own set of weak and strong points. Some may enjoy it, while others may not. It all depends on how you look at it. Personally, I enjoyed it. I won't say it's a must-watch, but it's definitely worth watching, and I recommend it to everyone who reads this.

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I loved this drama. I find it so sad and telling that so many people didn't. I'm sorry that it's so hard to follow for some people. Perhaps it shows the dismal literary education given in public schools nowadays...
As another person said, this tale is reminiscent of the Bronte sisters - as of course the writers throw in viewers' faces through out LOL I wonder how many of those watching EVER read Wuthering Heights?
At any rate, those pretending our heroine didn't grow weren't paying attention. She was misled from the very beginning about the characters of both these men, which led to her making the original choices she did. Her original self never questioned her perception of reality, dying without truly understanding either man.
I have to interject here that I think the 1980s version of our detective, despite what we find out in the last episode, was basically a good, decent man who would have been horrified by his reincarnated self's actions. In fact, when that prosecutor decides to redeem himself, I think it's because he did get his memories of his previous incarnation back. I had been totally in sympathy with our 1980s detective, but when he reappeared as that self-righteous prosecutor, so willing to bend the rules and manufacture evidence just because HE had decided someone was guilty? Oh, no. Hated him and even wondered if HE was the reincarnation of the supposed serial killer.
Speaking of that tortured soul of a '2nd lead' ? Well, HE had been led around by the nose by that father of his! I'd been convinced that he'd hallucinated his father, at first - that he'd killed his abusive father & then developed 2 personalities. I kept that idea for at least a third of the drama because the writers did a very good job of leading us down that rabbit hole! Another red herring - at first it seemed as if our heroine had gotten the heart OF that 'murderer'.
Now, our leading lady is not as quick to judge as her previous self. She does think about things more thoroughly, without accepting everything at face value. She lets herself get drawn in by our prosecutor, but she hasn't a clue about his real character in the present. With our reincarnated 'murderer', however, she does gradually find out what he's like - she's drawn to him because she feels pain & pity every time she sees him.
Those people whining about 'stalker stalker' - BOTH these guys 'stalked' this woman, you know. Also, it was out of fear for her safety, not out of some 'stalker perversion'. But some people simply fail to see nuances at all.
Bottom line, the entire drama shows how the main female lead slowly figures out the TRUE characters of both these men, and also which one cares deepest for her, and also which one SHE truly cares most for! I found this journey to be somewhat hard to follow at times, and some questions remain unanswered (our detective from the 1980s didn't die from being knifed - those guys in black suits came & dragged him off somewhere, & bashed his head in with a rock - this NEVER gets addressed properly). Also the whole 'switching of the artificial insemination donor' is just brushed off a bit too easily.
However, I did indeed like the ending - found it satisfying. Our reincarnated heroine put her past behind her, knowing that she'd not been fully informed in that life, and faced the future with the man who truly loved her enough to die for her (while giving her to his rival). That's just soul-fulfilling.

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When eyes speak more than words

This my first GL series and I am not disappointed .

The story is so good and unique with super gorgeous two female leads . May who is a blind girl , tries to take care of her love everyday . And Ai -oon is a badass but soft hearted person who tried to fulfill her sister's wish . She accidently discovered she herself also likes Oom's girlfriend May and then they started a new journey .

I was waiting for a good series and finally I have found it . Don't think second time you should watch it or not . Just try one or two episodes , you will understand . Excellent visuals , cinematography with a bit of mysterious story plotline .

9.5/10 for me . You will not feel regretful .

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A Brilliantly Written Republican Drama on Financial Warfare at Macau During WWII

THE PREMISE

The story set in Macau during WWII spesifically after the Pearl Harbour bombing on how our male lead: He Xian, on his efforts in saving the economy of Macau from collapsing. What made this drama different from other Republican dramas are due to its focus on the financial and economy side of war in the battle of getting resources, maintaining value of currency and also exchange of intelligence at Macau at that time.

And what made Macau such an interesting place? This is because Macau is an 'isolated island' that are not occupaid by Japanese Imperialism. Thus it maintain a free market and law and due to its 'free' statue, lots of Chinese refugees find refuge on this Island during the war which made the Island's population tripled at that time.

UNITED FRONT

Another reasons on what made the drama so interesting due to how openly the people there practice their political ideologies. Usually, in Republican dramas, most people are so secretive whether they are Communist or Nationalist but here, they are very open even in front of Japan army and they can even openly conduct events to collect donation for war funds. This is because Macau is a 'free' nation under the Portuguese during that time which allowed this kind of free dynamics that are so different than rest of China at that time.

I think what makes me appreciate this drama the most is that it's not the usual Communist VS Nationalist political ideology but simply a united Chinese people fighting oppression by the Japanese Imperial Army. Mostly all of the war resources they get in this drama are given to the nationalist front army that fought the war at that time. No prejudice, no shade and no propaganda to show who is right and who is wrong.

HISTORICAL ACCURACY

The historical accuracy that the production team wanted to potray in this drama is simply amazing. They constructed 20 old buildings for the shooting of this drama. The writer also went to Macau 20 times in order to study the events that happened during that time and also interviewed the remaining descendants of He Xian which is our male protagonist in this drama. Since this drama based on his life and how he saved Macau at that time, the writer ensures that he properly wrote his life story during this period accurately to preserve his legacy and contribution he did that earned him the title of 'King of Macau' by the people there.

THE ACTING

This is the first time Ren Jialun is acting in this kind of role. He usually playing the cool, aloof and restrained characters but here he is just a banker and a normal citizen getting caught in war and fighting to survive with his family. And he gave He Xian such layers and emotional depth and narrative that we truly see him as He Xian instead of Ren Jialun the actor. The way he actually trembles when gun are pointed towards his head, how you can actually see fears in his eyes on many critical situations to how his whole body trembling with fatigue after carrying 1 whole boat of grain are simply amazing. He embodied the character to the fullest -- he made He Xian so human, yet so extraordinary at the same time. Then we have Lan Ying Ying as Yin Wan. She is playing the same resilient and strong woman role as she did in This Thriving Land and she did it so well. So can see the strength in her resolution and how she is so calm and steadfast even in difficult situations. She made Yin Wan such an intelligent character and it's so easy to root for her. Then we have Li Chun as the sweet and lovely Qi Wen. So so beautiful despite all the tears that she shed and she has this silent strength in her that is so admirable. She play the passionate wife so delicately that you can see her love for her husband in everything that she does - - standing beside him unwavering no matter how impossible are the situations. She is a scene stealer everytime she appears on screen. I love how the writer made her so lovely despite having her own mind.

THE CONFLICTS & COMPLEX CHARACTERS

I truly love the conflicts! It is just so nerve wrecking as the stakes are always so high and very realistic based on real life situations. I love how all characters even the Japanese are written with nuance as they all felt very human and complex. Everyone has their own troubles, goals, and objectives. He Xian has his own worries that he faced with ensuring the survival of his family to staying true to his principles to the later part in the drama where he is trying to save the economy of Macau from collapsing. Then we have the brotherhood gang with their own goal to capture their traitors and He Xian seemed to unintentionally assist the said traitor. Then the officer who took bribes and was caught and his own way of seeking justice. Then we have the espionage side of the whole political sides of the Chinese people. Then add to the mixed of the neutral Portuguese government who in charge of Macau. And this didn't include the Japanese who is the biggest enemy of them all. This drama covers the depiction of lives of people during the war from the elite, merchant, authority, police, spy, resistance army and normal citizen.

THE AMAZING WRITING FULL OF SILVER LININGS

I love how everything just seamlessly woven together between all these parties. The drama opens with He Xian applying for banking license at Macau and how his lives intertwined with all these people later. I like how the drama established from the first episode how brilliant is He Xian with the forex exchange scene since we need to know that and understand why he is able to open his own bank despite his unprevileged background. And I feel bad for him regarding the US dollar plot since it did paint him in bad light especially among his peers. Then add the destruction of his bank which makes him penniless at the end with 4 mouths to feed. So many thing happened yet there are silver lining in all these conflicts since he touched people everywhere with his kind and good hearts. And the scene where the boat dweller people comes and saved them, how awesome is that scene? This is usually a very good indication of well written dramas where the writer mixed happiness and tragedy equally that made watching experience highly satisfying.

I like how they show us the brutality of war and how it affect different people. Like how the British people used prisoners to do really dangerous stuffs or how they just left Hong Kong to fend on its own after the bombing. Or how the banking people cope with the Japanese takeover of Hong Kong and their failure in destroying all the notes and it ended up with Japanese getting 100 millions of cash for free just like that. To how useless is the Portugal government when they supposed to be neutral. Then add the foreign businessman that only interested to get more profit in the war.

I also like how the women are written here. The main characters are still men but despite that, they are not written as simply in support roles but active roles. Whether it's the female lead; Yin Wan and her help in getting funds for the war to He Xian's wife; Qi Wen which is written as more than simply his backbone. Her worries, her attempt to ask him not to go for the last day to hand over the last deposits, to asking him to help her in preparing to move to Macau made her simply human with her own thoughts despite her lovely and supportive nature as a wife. And how she has her own money, knowing how to manage the difficult situations and how she is ready to defend her husband even in front of hooligans -- and most of all, her trust in him has never weaver even at the the lowest point of their lives. It made sense why He Xian can affort to be 'reckless' sometimes since he has a really reliable wife to support him physically and emotionally.

And everytime I thought He Xian can't go anymore low (like how his son got sick due to malnourishment), then the drama gave us another scene that makes us question the brutality of war and how it affect normal people. When Mr. Ma comes to his house and see what his family prepared for New Year dinner, I swear my heart sank with him. 😢 He must feel very guilty how the small favour he asked from He Xian makes him hits rock bottom like that.

Then the scene where He Xian broke down in front of all his friends and family, I think many of us didn't realized how horrible the things he had to go through that day. Having to go through mass grave to find Xiao Yu, the girl who saved his entire family and later run away from his house due to his inability to provide for her and her mother is some crazy stuff you can't get over with. That kind of rock bottom place you reached in your life that basically kill all your desire to live. And that's whats war did to normal people.

I love how everytime they show rock bottom scenes like this, the writer never fail to write silver linings to the whole tragedy and make the drama so uplifting and full of hope at the same time. Amazing amazing writing.

THE ROMANCE

I love He Xian little family. ❤️ I love how He Xian always tell his wife everything - - or even when he wants to make any business decision that will effect the family, he always tell her as well and ask her permissions.

In one of the episodes, you can know how Qi Wen was worried to death for He Xian. She always had her eyes on him before he leaves then when he comes back, she just burst to tears with how relief she is.

Usually in Republican dramas, husband and wife always have kind of distant relationship but I love how the writer portrayed He Xian and Qi Wen as such affectionate couple. They always holds hand, they always hold each other's hands lol, reassuring each other and despite having 2 small kids, they still seemed like a newly married couple when they are alone together.

And even when they are with friends eating together at different table, He Xian will look at Qi Wen and smile at her. I just love all this tender and soft gestures they always reserve for each other. Their relationship makes the turbulence time they are facing at that time seemed bearable.

CONCLUSION

Everything about the drama has been amazing so far especially the acting, writing and directing. Don't miss this gem of a drama if you want to watch soemthing truly well written that made you gain knowledge whether in history or finance while watching this.

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So you have heard this show is good, but you are wondering whether a 12 episode show about a famous chef will be interesting for you. However, this show is about so much more than just cooking and is definitely one of the best Japanese drama’s out there. I’ll explain why in this spoiler free review :) .

Story: The show is based on the true story of Akiyama, a young man who shows little potential to be successful in life, but will somehow become the emperor’s chef someday. The story is the main strong point of this drama. The story is not about ‘just cooking’, but focuses on Akiyama and his family and friends who have to overcome various obstacles. It is hard to explain why the story is interesting without spoiling, but let's just say the story is more about pursuing a dream/ family problems/love/etc and not about 'kitchen trouble'.
It is made clear from the beginning that Akiyama will be the emperor’s chef, so the question is not whether he will succeed, but how. Akiyama must make a lot of sacrifices to pursue his dream and that’s where the drama aspect comes in. The story is about how we need the help of other’s to be successful, but simultaneously can be slowed down by getting too attached to these same people. This forces Akiyama to make hard and dramatic decisions.
Akiyama is a bit selfish, doesn’t mind bending some rules and has a quick temper, which makes his character very interesting. There are various side-characters, who all have their own problems, ambitions and agenda. The screen time is well divided and they all get their moments to shine, which will make you care about their fates as well.
Moreover, the story is well divided over the twelve episodes. Some might think that the first episode is slow, but after that the story makes progress every episode. Around episode 3 / 4 I was already hooked. The ending is also well written and is likely to have a lasting impact. The show is sometimes funny, often dramatic and continuously inspiring.

What makes this show truly great, is that the good story is combined with flawless acting. Takeru Sato shines as his role and deserves all the recognition he got for this part. As time progresses Akiyama’s personality matures. Sato aptly portrays all the different Akiyama’s through changes in posture / voice / expression very naturally so you will hardly notice it. Moreover, he is able to play both the funny and the dramatic scenes very well.
Kuroki Haru does a great job as Toshiko with the use of some subtle but great acting. She has great chemistry with Takeru. Suzuki Ryohei was the biggest surprise for me. In this show he proves he can also play a different role than the usual brute type he plays. He played his emotional older brother role very well. Hopefully this will make him play more varied roles in the future. Most of the secondary characters are portrayed quite well by the actors, who are able to give their characters personality with only limited screen time (BANZAI!).Furthermore, I really liked the acting of the French girl and the old shop owner. Besides the French girl, there are various foreign actors in this show, but I was not very impressed by their acting. Two secondary characters even annoyed me with their poor acting skills. But it was probably hard to find good acting for the various smaller foreign roles. They were not in many episodes, so it didn’t bother me that much. The main cast (that also includes a foreign actor)did a great job.

The music was quite good. There were nice sound effects, and some good tunes. They complemented the show nicely.
Rewatch value: I do not usually rewatch shows, but I will probably rewatch this one someday if I crave for some good story telling.

I normally do not give 10’s (other than 1 Litre of Tears), but this show has a brilliant story, combined with great acting. Besides some very small complaints, this show was just perfect. This will remain the one of the best Japanese shows for a very long time. Give this show a chance, you will not regret it. BANZAI!

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A cut above.

This is a wonderfully produced drama that deserves a lot more attention. It is a riveting tale of sibling rivalry that spans a time of rapid change and turbulence in modern Chinese history. Jiang Mosheng and Lu Yuanzhi are both adopted and apprenticed by Master Su Jingan of Sancai (Triple Cut) House, couturier of the Qing Imperial Court. Sancai House routinely outshines other rival houses in the workmanship, symbolism and design of the intricate ornamentation of the Dowager Empress' court robes, allegedly due to their seamless stitch, a tradecraft that is passed down from one generation to another. Master Su's most bitter rival is his former fellow apprentice, Master Bai Henian of Sihe House.

Jiang Mosheng is the older, steady, responsible brother and heir apparent, whose great talent is meaningfully enhanced by his passion and dedication. Lu Yuanzhi is the hot headed, audacious and visionary brother; a rare talent whose brilliance is nothing short of genius. His recklessness however lands him in serious trouble. To save him, Mosheng cuts ties with Sancai House, defects to Sihe House and accepts Master Bai as his foster father. This sets the brothers down a complicated path of reluctant rivalry, conflicting loyalties, mutual friendships, convenient alliances, mistrust, betrayal and forgiveness. The most prominent feature of this drama is the Abel and Cain relationship between the brothers and it is well written, consistent and riveting. Both of them are flawed characters and neither is completely blameless for how things play out between them. Although Yuanzhi learns to rein in his recklessness and temper as he matures, it still manages to get the better of him. His culpability over Mosheng's sacrifice constantly lingers in the air between them. Even though he can be such an ass, I have to sympathise with Mosheng's battle with his own worst instincts in the shadow of someone who is perpetually a cut above. Both Zhang Haowei and Hong Yao delivered excellent, empathetic performances, alternately frustrating, enraging and beguiling me at all the right moments.

How the design of the cheongsam or qipao evolves to reflect the changing attitudes of times is the main, fascinating centrepiece of the drama. While not in the same league as the more modern and sophisticated qipaos of Wong Kar Wai's iconic In The Mood for Love, all of the outfits from the Qing court robes to the Western flapper dresses are simply gorgeous and I truly enjoyed the mini history of Chinese costume. How the female characters are dressed is also symbolic of who they are - Yaoyao is a remnant of the past at sharp contrast with Lijun, the ultimate, progressive modern woman. Kang Ning sits in the middle - she embraces change in a way that marries it with tradition; and thus she is truly Yuanzhi's muse. True to character, both Kang Ning and Lijun have a very refreshing attitude towards relationships and love that I truly enjoy and they fight to write their own stories even when events conspire against them. The only character I didn't like is Yaoyao who is your typical c-drama archetype but she is written that way as a foil for the other two. There are enough dimensional, grey and consequential characters in this drama that I am very satisfied with the character aspects of it. Most of these key roles are performed by veteran actors whose acting often surpasses the quality of the dialogue. I laughed my head off at the dynamics between Lijun, Feiyu and her father.

This is largely a character driven drama where the main characters have to cope with the changing times as they transition from the Qing era to the Republican era and Japanese incursion. While the pace is fast with many exciting and unexpected turns along the way, not all of the sub plots and arcs are consistently well written. Some of the stressing events that the main characters face are a bit contrived, can be lazily written and at times defy logic. But between excellent acting and all the interesting character developments, I found the plot holes quite easy to forgive. I do appreciate how all of the characters go through rough times, experience loss, how actions have consequences and justice is often blind. The villains are decent but less interesting than the characters themselves, some of whom are quite grey if not outright vile.

I am happy to recommend this as a very enjoyable watch with some good fresh takes on old tropes. Overall for me this is an 8.0.

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First of all, I'm currently reading the manga and I'm a big fan of Miike, so I went to watch it with quite high expectations. Aaand it was good, really good.

The bad points:
- The dialogues sometimes were sooo very cheesy
- Sometimes the acting was a bit...er...too much

And now the good:
- the story is totally crazy and over the top, but it never takes itself seriously. Yeah, even all the people in the movie think everything happening on screen is absurd.
- same goes for special effects: you know it's not just badly done CGI, but something that was meant to be so cartoonish.
- there's some gore, but not too much to be unbearable (mind it, the movie is still far from family-friendly, but there's no Koroshiya Ichi-style stuff)
- good looking actors everywhere, everywhere!
- the characters get some backside stories without being overly dramatic
- you can never, never tell what's going to happen next.
- it's fast paced, funny and full of suspense from beginning to end!

All in all, it's a good take on survival games horror, and I am soo much waiting for a follow up! Not for the fainthearted but I would recommend it to everyone else!

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I loved this movie, the months I was waiting to watch it were not wasted...
Han Hyo-Joo confirmed one more time her acting talent and bringing tears to my eyes.
If somebody asks me to tell them about this movie in two words, I'll say 'warm sun'... This movie gave so many warm feelings...
Director's and cameraman's work is brilliant... The game of lights in this movie, in my opinion, is one of the main positive effects... Because of the light in the movie... everything is printed in the smallest details in my brain... the girls clothes... the guys hair... the sun in the room... the beautiful kiss... the family feeling with the dog... the massage...the drama watching time...their field full of the yellowest flowers...her, touching his face to 'see' him... (I can go on, until I've told the whole movie..thehe).
Though the plot is not something brilliant and new for a Korean movie, actors and the crew makes the movie unforgettable, in my opinion..
Watch it, you won't regret!

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