Reviews

Death Proof.

This is a good but very dark comedy, one that I am pleasantly surprised to see in a Chinese production. Although with some modification, this is an obvious knock off of a fantastic but much darker Western production that many are likely to be familiar with. I don't have a huge problem with that and must applaud the effort to localise the story and tone it down for Chinese audiences. That said, it is an incredibly dark theme and at times the macabre gallows humor accentuates rather than distracts from the underlying despondency.

Mi Chong is an introverted, anti-social young man who can just no longer be bothered to live. He meticulously winds up his affairs and plans his exit but is rudely interrupted by a drowning girl, Zhi Liao. Zhi Liao is his polar opposite, a bad-ass, extroverted and rebellious girl who is nothing but trouble. As he gets reluctantly drawn into her affairs, the hapless Mi Chong cannot seem to be able depart in peace; all of his efforts to do away with himself are comically disrupted. As he gets swept up in a whirlwind of danger and whacky mis-adventures that seem to plague Zhi Liao, he begins to wonder if he suddenly became death proof. While they go on the run together, this unlikely couple starts to recognise they are each other's mutual salvation. As their enemies encircle them, is the final irony that Mi Chong ends up fighting to save his life rather than end it?

Most of the time the whacky plot hits the right notes in terms of dark humor, irony and quirkiness. That said, there were also many times I found nothing funny about the depth of Mi Chong's despair and I am surprised something this dark got pass censorship. And I was not satisfied that Zhi Liao does not have the slightest inkling what Mi Chong was going through. It is a big flaw in the relationship design, the fact that she never comes to appreciate how disturbed he was. While the actress Vivienne Tien did a good job overall, she overacted notably in the ending arc and her rage and anger failed to move me. Although it became clear that they grew to trust and rely on each other, the chemistry between the couple didn't change enough to convince me that the dynamics turned romantic. The surrounding cast was unexceptional with some cringe performances, notably Zhi Liao's brother. This is clearly a modest production but overall a uniquely enjoyable, quirky short watch.

My rating for this is a 7.5 for a delightful attempt at dark comedy. It still has rough edges and the wit and humor in places veers too far off to the slapstick and does not match the wit, audacity and sheer magic of the drama it obviously drew its inspiration from. Where it does exceed it is that it closes with a very positive message about life, how it should be lived and how not to let the past define the future.

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Modern drama actually worth watching!

I absolutely adore the modern drama " The Rational Life" on Netflix: What a pearl!
I usually don't watch modern dramas because they either turn too unrealistically dramatic or they're simply boring with their office work. But this one is soo wholesome and reflective of society. It reminds me a bit of the book 'Kim JiYoung, born 1982' in its way of portraying societal struggles for women. On top of that we have a slowly developed romance between the FL, Qin Lan, and the ML, Dylan Wang, which starts out as a friendship and builds up. I really enjoy this set-up of a romance drama.

Furthermore, all side-characters presented gets their story told. They don't get too much screen time in comparison to the main couple, like in other dramas, but at the same time they don't get too little time to develop their storyline; a storyline that is actually worth watching as well. I particularly love the storyline of the childless couple, the female lead's best friend and her husband, because it is so rare that such a story gets told.

My overall score is 10/10, despite the music and rewatch value was deemed lower. Personally, those two categories aren't my most important ones. Yes, a great OST can enhance the experience, but an awful storyline will forever be an awful storyline no matter if the music is great or not. And for the rewatch value: sometimes dramas should only be watched once; this is one of them. I might go back to find some life quotes and scenes with the side couple, but that's the only thing. I wouldn't like to destroy the wonderful feeling I had when watching this.

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Light hearted, fun, cute, sweet and cheesy this drama made me smile a lot. I loved the family, they were lovable and funny and the story was filled with cute/sweet scenes.

Of course, like a lot of Asian action/romance dramas I've watched there was a lot of overly exaggerated "gotta be cool" fight scenes that came off almost silly and a lot of situations and problems could have been solved to easily or weren't logical so it made it a bit dumb in somethings.

Also the feelings didn't always touch you the way I think they were supposed to which would have made the re-watch value for me higher, but I smiled so much through this drama I didn't mind the not so great parts. I just smiled away through whole scenes, not just funny bits but the sweet, cute, bring a tear to your eye cause I wish that would happen to me though it's cheesy as hell, kinda smiling.

Also, there was trust and understanding for the most part between the leads, though, as usual, there are communication issues, but it was overall very likeable, fun, cute and super sweet.

Not high on physical romance, lots of hugging but not so much kissing or set you on fire type stuff but still very romantic and sweet, also I liked that the couple were together as a couple before the end of the drama. The writer did do a good job of keeping the couple together while trying to overcome outside problems.

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From the very first episode, I was hooked to the story. The story was interesting and intriguing too since we are eager to understand the motives behind Tomoya's action. We are given bits and pieces of the puzzle at a time and are eager to know if our hypothesis is correct or not. The acting was really great. We get to experience the pain of both parties and see the extend of how this incident affects them. The music was just so perfect for the drama and I fell in love with the ending song. I'm not too sure if I would rewatch this drama, though. Overall, it's a beautiful drama that will get you to reflect upon your life and your relationships with others.

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The best way for me to describe this drama is a train wreck that I couldn't look away from. "Birth of a Beauty" is a romcom that turns quickly into one of the most ridiculous melodramas I have ever seen. The story makes absolutely no sense, and demands that you suspend complete disbelief from the start, yet somehow it still manages to be entertaining enough that I just couldn't bring myself to drop it.

What I think saves this drama is the cast, particularly Joo Sang Wook and Han Ye Seul's chemistry. Han Ye Seul plays Sara, the beauty in the title, who has undergone a complete transformation due to a tragic past. Joo Sang Wook plays Han Tae Hee, who has a mysterious past of his own, and who helps Sara adjust to her new life. They are very cute together, which will probably get romance fans hooked early on, but it doesn't take long before the melodrama takes over, and by the halfway mark romcom fans may be ready to abandon this drama completely.

Eventually cute banter between the two of them (I loved that he calls her Ahjumma) turns into frustrating obstacles filled with clichés. There's also a cast of villains that are really good at being horrible, that inspire an elaborate revenge plot, and the quintessential kdrama battle over the family business. Now I love a good melodrama, but like I said, I think the plot made very little sense, and was full of holes. This is why I had to give the cast a 9. They really are what kept this drama watchable. Sure, some characters were definitely more one dimensional than others, but in such an overdramatic drama, they did managed to keep the story somehow believable enough for me to want to see how it all would all end.

Another issue I had with this drama is that 21 episodes felt way too long. They do manage to pack in lots of extreme plot points, but I think they mostly backfired and made the story start to drag and feel boring. I was tired of getting mad at characters for making dumb choices, watching repetitive scenes between characters, and seeing too many flashbacks. I could not see myself ever watching this drama again, which may seem harsh, but the good parts just weren't good enough for me to want to sit through all of these episodes again.

This drama does attempt to reiterate the idea that what makes a woman beautiful is more than how she looks on the outside, but the problem is that it still makes Ha Jae Sook's looks the punchline of every joke possible. In my opinion she's the real MVP of this drama, and her scenes were the only ones that made me feel even slightly emotional, but I hated the fact that she was basically branded as practically hideous. I can't imagine looking like her and feeling good while watching this, no matter how much this drama tried to make the plot about self acceptance, and inner strength, the damage was already done. Some parts literally felt like a commercial for diet pills.

Overall, I thought this drama was a cute romcom about an unlikely couple overcoming obstacles together, that got hijacked by a bad revenge melodrama. I say this as a person who is normally a fan of epic revenge stories, but this story just made too little sense. By the end, I wasn't disappointed that I completed it, but most of the interest I had in the beginning was long gone. I can't recommend watching this knowing that there are so many other dramas that tell a similar story much better... there are even some dramas that I thought were mediocre but I would recommend them before this one. Still, I didn't hate it, so if you're a fan of anyone in the cast, that might be an incentive to watch this one just to say you did.

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One of the worst dramas of 2021

Stay away from this one guys, it's horrible. Really, I can't find one single reason to watch this. I finished it with the strength of hate and lots os fast-fowarding.

There is nothing redeeming about this drama. The script is bad, the scenarios are boring, the characters are dumb, even the plot twists are awful.

It was supposed to be all fluffy, and teen, but iended up being 24 episodes of nothing. Really, they start with a plot, but they don't finish it. Then start another one, and guess what? They don't properly give it closure. I have the feeling that they got a drama that had 50 episodes, badly chopped it and then stitched it all in one that has 24 episodes of bad editing. There're so many loose ends that it almost makes no sense a lot of times.

Just save your time and put this one aside.

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Nirvana not to be found in this lifetime

Enemies to friends to lovers - a simple way to think of this story, but there is much more to enjoy about this drama than the two leads falling for each other. In fact, there are truly three leads in this story - and the interconnectedness of their lives and fates really drives this story forward as they learn to love and fight for what is right in a world of deceit in the quest for power.

The story sags a bit towards the end - I feel the whole war with the state of Wei was unnecessary. There is no build up with the king/emperor of Wei, and I would have rather the story focused on the complicated emperor of Liang instead. And while I would have liked for a better end for Wei Zhao, there was probably no feasible way for him to be alive after what he does to the emperor.

Be warned: the first 10 or so episodes have some hard-to-watch moments as the male and female leads go at each other while being enemies - some of it is downright torture. It's a testament to the pacing and development of their relationship and the actors' performances to make their romance eventually believable with some palpable chemistry.

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I wasn't planning to write a review but when I finished this drama and realised that so few people have watched this drama, I knew I definitely needed to write a review for this masterpiece.

To be honest, the only reason I picked up this drama was when I coincidentally saw the subtitles of this drama being updated on 27th July on Dramacool and came to mydramalist to find out that the drama had finished airing. The summary did not intrigue me, and the ratings didn't really interest me either since very few have rated this drama. But I decided to give it a try still as after some research, I found out that the anime version was really popular(I've never watched it though).

When I first started watching a few days ago, I had dropped this drama thrice in the first episode because it bored me so much. I kept moving onto other dramas and decided to come back to it today because most of the good dramas always pick up in the second episode, to name a few would be My Ahjussi, Strangers From Hell and much more. And I'm so glad that I came back, this drama completely caught my attention right at the very beginning of episode 2 and it just kept getting more and more intriguing. I finished bingeing the whole drama today, and am mindblown, it was that good.

I laughed, I smiled and I cried. I never cared nor knew what rakugo was about until I watched this drama. What first caught my attention was the mystery surrounding Konatsu's parents' death. I'm no newbie to mystery dramas but the way the story was told and shown left me wanting more. I also enjoyed watching all the rakugo scenes and even went to google some of the performances.

If I think back about it, the story itself wasn't that special except for the rakugo parts. But it was the way they told the story and it's characters which made a huge impression on me. And of course, the actors were amazing too, especially Okada Masaki. I've watched a lot of his dramas before but he never really caught my eye until this drama. My eyes followed him every time he was on screen. He's an actor I'm going to look out for in future dramas.

This is a severely underrated gem which I recommend everyone to give a try if you are looking for a unique story. If you are just here for the romance, then look elsewhere. Because here, you are going to learn about rakugo, friendship, what it means to be a family and different kinds of love.

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UNEXPECTEDLY GOOD, FUNNY & ENTERTAINING

I was surprised watching this series,though I had finished watching the original drama but this one got me hooked up till the end. I found myself enjoying every episode of it!

Character and acting wise for the main leads are good. I love the second lead here, he is the 2nd lead also in Eternal love (my fave series). Furthermore, the FL & ML has chemistry and they convey it well.

Story wise, I am amazed how they wrapped it up and I found it satisfying though. Not as the same as the original one. I love that they add some addition in the series and adopted some which is applicable to their culture.

TOTALLY ENJOYABLE, FUNNY AND SATISFYING!

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Charismatic Dynamic Duo solving common folks problems.

Completed: 10/9/2022 - 8.25

If I remember correctly, “Ishiko to Haneo: Sonna Koto de Uttaemasu?” is my first Japanese legal drama. I picked an easy and fun one to watch, which focuses on one case per episode. The cases here are all about the regular people. We can probably look around our own circles and find people who experience or know of someone who experiences similar legal issues. In that sense, this becomes an easy watch and most of the legal terms used can be understood by us regular folks without a legal background.

Even though the cases are simple, each has its own flavor and twists. I am not an expert in legal dramas, but I am always pleasantly surprised at the end of each episode when the truth is revealed. Sometimes the truth is heartbreaking, but oftentimes, it’s heartwarming. I am not usually a big fan of episodic dramas but this drama keeps me interested from start to finish.

The main attraction of this drama is our dynamic duo, Haneoka (ML/lawyer) and Ishida (FL/paralegal). I love their bantering and fun interactions. The chemistry is great and there’s good character development for both of them. They both appeared to be smart and capable, but deep down they are dealing with their own self-esteem issues. The way they work and complement each other is the best part of the show.

If you are a romance lover like me, you might be disappointed here. Yes, there is a side plot of romance, but it’s not really done very well. The ‘ship’ that I was rooting for didn’t set sail. I would say the romance is my biggest criticism of this drama. I would rather they take the whole romance plot out of the drama and just focus on the camaraderie and friendship of the three leads.

Acting is great all-around. I’ve seen all three leads in other dramas before and it’s nice to see them again in different roles. My last drama of Armura Kasamu (FL) was “Chugakusei Nikki” where she plays a high school teacher and is attracted to her student. These are two very different roles and she’s excellent in both. My last drama of Makamura Topoya (ML) was “Kono Koi Atatamemasu ka”, where he plays a cool CEO, very different than the flamboyant character in this drama. There are a few somewhat serious scenes in this drama and he did a fantastic job.

The regular supporting cast is small but mighty. It’s so good to watch a drama without any annoying characters. On another note, I don’t remember any songs from this drama. We also have some interesting fashion choices, especially the colorful shirts that ML wears in the beginning of the drama. You can see how his fashion sense changes as his character develops. FL has some nice outfits as well.

It seems like there will be a short spinoff season but the focus is on FL, the soba shop owner and the customers, and not the two MLs here. Speaking of the soba shop owner, what is up with the large quantity of food here? I’ve never seen such HUGE portions of food in a Japanese drama. Did you see the mountains of noodles and rice??

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The first time i watched this movie was in grade 11. I had never watched a thai movie before but my best friend (who's thai) was telling me how she had been rewatching it all weekend and that we had to watch it together. This movie is a really great romantic comedy and it's really suited for those times when you just want to watch something quirky, fun, but still has those serious moments. The plot isn't anything special or out of the blue, it follows the usual rom-com setting and process but there are scenes that are unique in themselves. I find thailand rom-coms in general to be very unique, and it's a good kind of unique. They know how to do rom-coms to their best and purest form. The movie is hilarious throughout and it's just so relatable, it makes you feel SO nostalgic about those days in primary/middle/high school days when we are all oh-so foolish.

There are bad point's about this movie though. As already stated by another reviewer, beauty is one of the themes in this film, and most probably know that, not only in thai media, but in most asian media, light skin is seen as beautiful. Luckily, in this movie, they make up for it by the end of the movie. I don't want to spoil the movie so i won't say why. Another bad point was the ending. I just felt it was a little childish/unrealistic, but don't make that stop you from watching the film. it isn't THAT bad.

Overall, the movie isn't one to skip!

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I usually am not a fan of musicals. There are a few instances, though, in which the story told is so beautiful and the acting so engrossing, I forget the genre and let myself be absorbed in the story told via music.



Perhaps love is one of those instances. The movie by Peter Chan has been compared to Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge" and indeed it shares with this last the same theatrical flavour, between reality and dream. One can't help be reminded of classical operas such as La Traviata or Tosca, with elements of melodrama and tragic mingled with grand musical pieces and modern settings.



With the help of the music, this movie could be watched without subtitles and still be understood by those who don't know Mandarin. This goes to the director and the actors credit.



The plot is simple and very classical, but the style is new and the music original. Not an everyday movie by all means, but one which will linger in your memory.

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✨Rebirth, Blood Magic & Vampire Aesthetics: A Love Letter to Peak C-Drama Chaos✨

Ok homies, this little chaos goblin of a mini-drama rolled up to my screen wearing a cloak of nostalgia, vampire cosplay, and the emotional bandwidth of a caffeinated squirrel… and somehow? It worked. It’s strangely familiar yet weirdly original, like the writers rummaged through a bargain bin of fantasy tropes, found pseudo-vampires, flower magic, and one extremely burgundy-flagged ML (that is secretly a devoted puppy), then said, “Yeah. This is dinner.”

It starts off with your classic “I died, now watch me destroy everyone with a polite smile” rebirth setup, but shortly it mutates — like a butterfly dipped in glitter and trauma—into something that absolutely insists on being its own category.

The writing? Surprisingly competent.
The pacing? Shockingly coherent… until it isn’t.
The vibes? A fever dream but make it premium.

But let’s get to the heart of the chaos:
The romance is not fluffy. Not cozy. Not even borderline cute. This is two unhinged intellectual gremlins flirting through warfare. It’s “I hate you, but also if you died I would demolish the entire kingdom” energy.
He’s openly not nice.
She matches his freak without even blinking.
Their interactions feel like a speed chess match where both players are cheating. Absolutely enthralling. Buuuut, to be fair… for all the knives, chaos, and emotional warfare, they do grow into a surprisingly wholesome, strangely tender duo in the latter part. And the ML? That man has been secretly in love with her since before the plot even woke up. Dreamy, chaotic sigh.

The trio of main characters is deliciously messy. No cardboard NPCs here. The 2ML walked in giving me “vanilla villain starter pack,” but he unfolded nicely into a morally-seasoned, jaded mess. Growth!

Now, because the drama gods enjoy mischief:
The editing sometimes snaps like a glowstick at a rave. The FL oscillates between “I’m a brilliant mastermind” and “Oopsie I tripped over my last neuron.”
They also styled her like a youthful auntie, which made both MLs look like they were her mischievous nephews auditioning for mischief scholarships.
Second half? The plot said, “Let’s soap opera this b*tch,” and suddenly everyone’s IQ took a lunch break. The FL stabs the ML a millions times and he behaves like durability is a hobby. At this point he should genuinely be classified as artisanal Swiss cheese.
And LET’S TALK about that same cabin by the waterfall. I swear that place needs its own IMDb page. It’s in EVERY drama. That place is the Eiffel Tower of dramaland at this point.

But listen: despite it all—
this SLAPS.
They knew their lane and sped down it with rhinestoned sunglasses and no seatbelt.

This drama is an enthusiastic little creature—messy, dramatic, self-aware, and fully committed to its vibe. With limited budget but boundless confidence, it gives you revenge, magic, morally injured men, funky editing, unhinged chemistry, and enough entertainment to keep you glued to the screen, as well as a well wrapped up happy ending for the leads.
Very much worth checking out—just bring an open mind, flexible expectations, and a sense of humor.

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the story starts simple, we have a guy who doesn't know he has a daughter, and the girl is sick and needs bone marrow.

but things get hilariously complicated when she sneaks out of the hospital and she ends up on this unplanned trip with her dad. on the other hand we get a lighter comedic family trip with Young Soo, his daughter and Saet Byeol's grandmother xD

the 1st half of this was simple, funny and silly, but when they start to explain the backstory it gets really heartbreaking I couldn't stop crying :)
overall this turned out into one beautiful heartwarming story that brings people together! even the gangsters were nice people ;(

I honestly love this kinds of stories, it's a sad happy movie I wouldn't mind rewatching~

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Heartwarming, Riveting Story with Surprises

I was pleasantly surprised with this series and loved it. When I first saw the trailer, I admit that it wasn’t at the top of my list to watch in terms of upcoming BL series. But I am so happy that I decided to try it upon the recommendation of some friends because it enthralled me. I found myself binge-watching 6 episodes in one day and each episode is quite long at approximately 1.5 hours each. I just couldn’t stop watching as I needed to know what happened next immediately!

Kuenchai the dog was super special and he stole my heart very early on. He made me smile on multiple occasions in the midst of the heavy topics that are covered throughout the series. The series was an emotional rollercoaster, toggling between anger, sadness, pain, and happiness. It covers real-life themes and isn’t your typical lovey-dovey BL series, but that’s precisely why I loved it and recommend it. It conveys the concepts of acceptance and forgiveness that are so vital, but often forgotten in our world that is filled with so much hate and judgment.

Regarding the ending, I feel like it did the characters justice and fulfilled their individual wishes for happiness. I know some strongly disagree and hated the ending, but I enjoyed it. Please watch this realistic, captivating and unique BL series for yourself and perhaps it will help you reflect on how to live your life to the fullest and never take anything for granted.

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