Reviews

It reminds you of your youth

The story starts in 2002. In a neighborhood of Liuli Hutong there are 5 childhood friends who are enjoying their school life while trying to find their dreams and passions. As time passes, they face heartbreaking situations and reality which change the dynamics and make them grow. Separation can't be avoided as they step into real world. You will laugh and cry together with them. But in the end, they are still the people from Liuli Hutong neighborhood whose bond never cease.

This drama is simple. It shows the realistic side of what people can experience in life and their journey to find happiness as they grow up. Each family has their own color. There's no annoying character, no violence involved, no bully, no overly dramatic situations. The kids face their own problems as they grow up into working adults. Each family has strong bond. The friendship is really strong and genuine, they're not friends with benefit. This drama will remind you of your youth when you were carefree, failed in your exams, argued with your parents, how you disliked going back to countryside, had to chose between dream or reality, experienced first love, separation, career, marriage.

Few people might not like Shao Xue at first, but you will see that she's more than just a tomboy and loud girl. Sunian is the popular boy but only Shao Xue can make him happy. Zhang Qi has a secret crush on Shao Xue, but chooses friendship instead. Shiyin might be annoying, but she dreams big and she's a loyal friend. Wu Huan is obedient and hard working. Don't forget the diversity of parents and the lovely elders who work at the restoration house. This drama is worth to watch especially if you like a daily life drama.

Leggi di Più

Good show for trying times

First I'm an average american white male, mostly watch sports but have a wide taste for shows both american & other countries. I value a good story, acting to invest in a show.

I have not watched many Kdramas but with Netflix putting many out they fill a gap when I'm in the mood for something new. Last year I enjoyed Mystic Pop Up Bar. So Hello Me! Had a interesting concept.

I know much of the world has been isolated & dealing with COVID so I tend to look for TV shows to detach from the pandemic.

Without discussing the plot as part of the joy of this show is seeing where it goes, the week between episodes is hard as you are left wanting to see what happens.

Likes:

- funny and many laugh out loud moments, even with major culture difference this show has humor which in a way helps offset the more serious moments

- at its heart outside of the two versions of the same person is a core of how people deal with family, friends, loss and finding happiness. Sometimes its just in a snack and others finding a friend lost.

- enjoy the multi-connected plot & characters, kind of shows the 6 degrees of seperation. Also the aspect of how people make impacts on other peoples lives, which often may seem minor

Dislikes:

- some of the events are the same old ones you see elsewhere, the romance side of this show is pretty weak with the two leads being there to prop up the two main leads (or one)

I look forward to how the show wraps up and update what I thought. I hope they have a season 2 if Kdramas even do that.

Give the show a chance, if anything it will make you smile.

Update 4/11

Well the series wrapped and came back to update. Overall my rating and like for the did not change. I do agree the aunt / anthony subplots did suck time away from the core story but it was nice to have most of the main storylines wrapped up.

I guess this final two episodes were more bittersweet than outright sad. Overall series kept its touching nature and it does make you pause to evaluate your life & relationships.

While I know K Dramas don't do seasons like the US, however there are story lines that could be explored in each time period.

Past - Ba Ha Ni dealing with her life knowing what she does. Maybe the college years.

Present - Obviously seeing current Ba Ha Ni and making the most of her new (restarted) life. I felt there was more meat between her & the HS BFF. The baby, adult friendship etc. I'd also like to see the Aunt return and be given a sub-company to run so she does not live her life with so much hate. She gave up her whole family, future grandchild due to her envy & greed.

If you are unsure, try the show. It was a pleasant watch.

~chill

Leggi di Più

Sakuran is a movie that is close to perfection and truly deserves a 10.

In the beginning I was like, "Hey, this movie's just like Memoirs of a Geisha" (which I immensely love). I was pretty sure the movie would have a cliche plot and ending. However, sometimes it is INCREDIBLE when the story manages to prove every guess of yours wrong. Although the plot seems somewhat heavy, it manages to stay light because of the memorable, foul-mouthed anti-heroine. Another nice thing about the movie is how it incorporates dark humor and art together. The title 'Sakuran' also has a lot of meaning to it.

Everything about this movie is wonderful- its costumes, sets, cast, story and soundtrack. I honestly couldn't think of anything major to criticize about in this film. The movie is serious combined with funny and yet giving off an artsy vibe. The writing, the performance of the cast and the direction were all pretty solid. The camerawork was quite good too. In spite of an unrealistic-looking surroundings at a couple of places, the movie is great to look at overall.

If you love the culture of Japan, you will love this movie. However, this movie is for mature audiences and so it includes a lot of sexual content. The movie was very, very colorful and pleasing to look at from the first scene to the end.

I actually didn't know anyone in the cast so I had no expectations from them. However, I have to say all of them delivered well. The parts that were played by the leading characters were great. Another awesome thing about the movie is its soundtrack. There was both traditional and modern music used in this film and it suited the mood well.

Lastly, I HAVE to talk about the ending. I just didn't think it would turn out to be the exact opposite of what I guessed. The ending makes the movie very different and not cliche at all. I am not going to spoil the ending for any one so just watch the whole thing for its ending. It will totally be worth the time!!! :D

Leggi di Più

Fights ad Fluff, Fluff and Fights...

This is a yet a gain way to short series/movie with slightly off pacing... though the characters are slightly flat they are pretty much lovable and make you want to just give them a big hug, most of them, some could probably use a syab wound or two... And may or may not actually get it... A long with a bunch of pretty unpredictable twists here and there... by knife and or plot...

The boys are sweet, passionate and have pretty good chemistry, there is plenty of thirst scenes and we do get to see abs touched, kissed, and talked about... They also have som pretty decent dialog and seem to generally care for each other. As well as did keep me on my toes.

There are also a few meaningful lines here and there about love, family and taking control over ones own life.

All in all a pretty decent show, definitely worthy of anybodys time be it the fluff , fight or suspense lovers out there it shows a pretty good balance and has a little bit everything

Leggi di Più

We don't have the same preferences, maybe what others say is not good will be a GOOD one for you.

This is the very first time that I will give a review, I often just leave my opinion after watching on the comment section but now I want to write a review for this , Considering this is my first review please bare with me, also I'm not very good at writing but I will do my best for my love for this drama.

First let me talk about the good things about this drama, Not only the ML and FL have a good acting skills but also the supporting casts did really well, there are also some scenes that made me laugh. The ML and FL I felt that they are comfortable to each other right away after they meet on the first episode, not like other typical dramas that main couples are going to fight or they are bickering couples then starts to fall in love, I'm a bit bored with that already, But not in this they meet and then the FL propose for an engagement on the other side and then boom their relationship just starts to slowly develop in a natural way. Their kissing scenes are great I find the way they kiss is so cute and kissing scenes are a bit a lot . So considering that the FL is cool and a badass in contrast the ML is a bit weak but caring and I think its a good blend like they say in science Like charges repel Unlike charges attract.

And now of course not all dramas/always are perfect there are always flaws, So first one is that the story is a bit messy and that there are times that you will question if what happen to that or him, like that example is that they did not tell us if what happened to the FL's father, about the Future Group the ML did not fight for it and vanished and did not talk about it again, like that, The story should have been polished a bit. Another thing was that there were a lot of characters that I think are not necessary. Another things that I was asking all the time is that is this drama a low budget because I observe that the characters specially the leads have wore their clothes repeatedly I mean its alright to repeat clothes but on their case its a bit a lot and I think that will affect their character because they are considered to have a high status in the society since they are business people. But then DESPITE of all of this I don't know but I ended up LOVING this DRAMA so MUCH! That I'm downloading it for a REWATCH.

** I'll share an interesting thing I don't know if those that have watched this saw it.
in Ep. 7, The staff sitting behind the scene got caught even if its dark I saw it clearly, it made me laugh, Its impossible that during the editing and filming they did not see it on the screen and should have edited it I think they just leave it as it is for a purpose hahaha.

Even if others say that this drama is really good there will always be a one person that would not like it, because not all of us have the same preferences, so from that I suggest that you just jump into it and go see it for your self and come back later to give a comment you might turn out to love it in the end. Don't be affected by the negative comments and the ratings better find it out. I you ask if I recommend this drama my answer is a big YES totally despite of the flaws I can say I Still ENJOYED it so much.
I did not expect that my review would be this long but I hope you reach reading until here and I had helped you for the reason why you came here to read reviews.

Leggi di Più

The premise of Zenkai Girl is an interesting one: A girl from a very poor childhood grows up driven to rise above her lot in life. She is sharp, smart and tough. Ever the outcast due to poverty, she studies her heart out, fighting and clawing her way up and out of her circumstance. (And let me say..If you don't love the girl who plays young Wakaba...you are all dead inside. She will tug at your heart.) She fixates on her goals and feels the only way towards success is to stick to these goals unwaveringly. And she succeeds. But her circumstance has given her no insight on how to love. So, when she meets a man who, while she finds her heart wavering for him, he is her polar opposite. He confounds her and she doesn't know how do deal with the love growing in her heart. She genuinely doesn't understand the personality of the man to whom she is so attracted. He doesn't mix with her plans.

For about 9 episodes of this drama I was completely drawn into the puzzle of how Wakaba was going to change as well as being drawn to watching both her and Shota learn to find some middle ground and find some way to come together. The writing was good, the episodes plotted out fairly well until the last few.

They spent so much time driving home the point that Wakaba was damaged and tough and Shota was meek, complacent and overly kind, by the time we got to the end of its run they rushed the couple's big moment. It should have felt more natural. I have only watched 3 Jdramas and so I understood they were shorter than Kdramas. The shorter length didn't seem to hurt them so I knew it could be done. Not so with Zenkai Girl. I ended up enjoying it but the pacing was off and that mistake cost this drama the ranking of being something more than 'just okay' in my eyes. It simply could have used another episode or two.

But..I liked all the characters, even Wakaba and she was tough to take sometimes. Shota was a sweet loving character and the children were delightful. (if a little too adult in their wisdom and reasoning) This show is enjoyable and I liked the episodic conflicts that were solved pretty quickly and the lessons learned. Zenkai Girl is not hard to follow and can be a lot of fun. It is simply too short for the wrong reason. The viewer should feel a drama has ended too soon because they don't want to see it end. A drama shouldn't end with the viewer thinking "Wait...you haven't quite finished the story!"

Leggi di Più

This drama is a fucking masterpiece

What an excellent drama!

I was hooked to this drama. It was dark, gritty, and brutal.
The plot of this drama essentially focuses on the cat and mouse chase between a "criminal" and the cops.

Hwang Kyung-min is a taxi company CEO who is on a mission to extract revenge from those who bullied him in school. In the process he contacted Jung Jong-seok who was his friend in the school, and now a cop.
The rest of the drama focuses on uncovering the truth behind the death of their third friend, Cheolie, and how Kyung-min takes his revenge, closely followed by Jong-seok and Kang Jin-ah, another cop.

What I liked about this drama is the brilliant narration style by the director Kim Dae-jin. Every episode ended with a cliffhanger, which is not rare, but what made this part is the tone at which the episode ended. In particular, I liked the 10th episode. It revealed so much, and it was great how the event were built to come at that moment. Again, this is the brilliancy of the director.

The actors of this drama were amazing. Each and every one had done their job perfectly, in particular Kim Dong-wook. I don't have enough words to praise Kim Dong-wook's acting in this drama. He was expressionless while killing his bullies, but at the same time his eyes carried that lingering pain.
The child actors too were brilliant. To act so extraordinarily speaks a lot about their talent. I hope they will have a bright future ahead and hope to see them in other dramas soon.

OST of this drama, even though wasn't much diverse, it was spot on. I particularly liked the theme music that played in the background, the one that played during the start of last episode.
The cinematography was dark, which perfectly complemented the tone of this drama.

This drama was so much more than just another revenge drama. It explores how the certain events can forge the future of kids. Bullying is a widespread problem in South Korea and one of the main reason for that is because of the inefficiency of schools to come up with a system to eradicate such problem. It's the duty of teachers to ensure that no child is hurt in the school. And yet, some teachers ignore the bullying in their class, which in turn destroys the life of the kid who is being bullied.

This drama shows too polar opposite humans. One who was bullied as a child and that affected his adult life. And the others, the bullies, who continues to live as if nothing happened.
While I condone the violence and murders, but I can't help but root for Kyung-min. This is the brilliancy of this drama.

Amazing drama. I will highly recommend it.

Leggi di Più

So much potential

DAMN!! This had so much potential but alas it did not live up to it.

The premise is excellent, the cast is great and the setting perfect, so why was this movie so meh??

The first 40 minutes of the movie were hands down some of the best tension setting I have ever watched but it all went downhill after that. The movie is meh b/c of the stupid actions by the police, the victim, the brother of one of the victims and random people on the street.

The best thing about this movie was the actors. Wi Ha Joon is excellent as the serial killer. I had only seen him in Squid Game and I liked him there but he played the psychotic murderer very well. I only wish we knew what his motivations were. I guess we get a glimpse of it when the old drunk at the police station questions his upbringing but I needed a little more information. The lead actress, Jin Ki Joo and the actress playing her mother were really good too. I haven't seen the FL in anything else either but I look forward too seeing something else.

Leggi di Più

An epic, iconic and life changing drama

I first watched this show as a young child and it helped me become who I am now. I didn't realise it then but it soon became a worldwide hit not just around Asia in the 1980s but it subsequently travelled to non-traditional viewing audiences such the Middle East and South Americas in the 1990s. Thus I'm surprised that no one has reviewed such an iconic and character-forming drama yet.

First of all, the show was shot in the mid 1980s. As such, the scenes set in 'modern' Japan still look very dated. However if you ignore that, the rest of the show is set from the early 1900s all the way to the 1980s. Re-watching it now however, some bits that may have been acceptable in the 1980s probably wouldn't be accepted now. For instance, a teenage boy helps child Oshin out and a grown man lies naked with her to warm her up. It sounds icky but she was hypothermic. Also, there's a lot of domestic abuse and not to mention the obvious child labour. Although such scenes might accurately reflect the turn of the 20th century, I'm sure if Oshin were filmed today, I'm sure such scenes would be removed as they portray criminal acts. In this sense, the show feels dated because of when it was filmed yet ironically true to the period it's portraying.

Second, what I disliked about the show. It's in 15 minute episodes spread over nearly 300 episodes, which makes it hard to watch today in a time poor world. I know that it was broadcast in a different era and it certainly kept my dinner times busy for nearly a year back then. However, the show never feels draggy. Each episode ends exactly at a cliffhanger, that's brilliant editing! I don't expect the show to be cut but I really hope NHK or a subscription service such as Netflix would connect them into 1 or 1 ¼ hour episodes typical of these days.

Third, what I liked about the show: the story of course! It's very tightly written with no lapses in logic or loose ends. I do not like how many of the male characters treated the women but it was typical of the time it portrays. Yet in spite of the strongly paternalistic culture, the highlight of the show is the strong women characters. They not only stayed resilient despite their circumstances and what life threw at them, but were in fact stronger than their men. They were the silent and long suffering foundations holding up their men who had fragile egos. They are inspirational! Oshin in particular unlike her long suffering mother showed that she's no pushover. She knew how to tread the thin line between yielding to someone of power yet persevering and in the process, winning over her worst critics. She got through with sheer grit and hard work.

I also like the growth we see across the three Oshins. While the child Oshin was abused, naive and unconfident, the young-middle aged Oshin grew in confidence and learned to stand on her own two feet and fiercely protect those she loved. Yet it was a life lived not without regrets, and in the older Oshin we see a deeply reflective person who gives a flick to her needy and disappointing next generation. I like all three actors who played Oshin.

Leggi di Più

Incredibly Well Written Show

This drama is more plot focused that character focused, and in terms of plot focused dramas, this has to be one of the most tightly, well written plots I have had the pleasure of watching. The story moves along, characters behave believably, neither the bad guys nor good guys act like idiots, information is shared, and when it isn't, the rationales for it not being shared make sense. All in all, this show's plot deserves being taught in any script-writing or show-running classes.

The acting is good all around - again, this show is plot focused, so to an extent you don't expect tour de force performances, but the plot would not move as well if the acting was poor, and thankfully everyone is up to the job in the cast.

All the technical aspects of the show are very good, though the soundtrack, while doing its job, is forgettable. IN terms of re-watch value, the quality of the writing deserves to be savored, but at the same time, a lot of the charm comes in the mysteries unfolding, and once you watch the show, obviously that special thrill is gone. That said, everyone should watch this at least once.

Leggi di Più

ALL CHARACTERS CLEARLY WERE SHARING THE SAME BRAIN CELL!

I had such high hopes for this movie and even watched it with my sister as a movie night movie, but let me be clear, this movie absolutely sucked. The best part of the movie was that the two male leads were good-looking, and the acting was pretty decent. However, those things do not cover the horrific idiocy of all the characters. I mean, I lost count of how many misunderstandings happened in this 2-hour movie, and it wasn't like actual misunderstandings. The misunderstanding was from the characters not using their brains. I got so frustrated at every character because it appeared as if they were trying to help the villain kill them and escape.

They could have stopped the serial killer within the first 30-45 minutes of the movie, but NO. It was frustrating because he did not escape time after time based on his smarts, but rather as a result of the idiocy of the other characters. ALSO, those police officers need to be fired because they have zero awareness of their environment and ability to assess situations properly. Like, what were they even doing the entire movie?

NOW we can discuss the brother because he just made really dumb choices. I mean, I get that he wanted to save his sister and was not in the best state of mind at that moment, but why did he trust the PYSCHOPATHIC SERIAL KILLER WHO IS TRYING TO KILL HIM AND THE OTHER CHARACTERS? He was just like, "Let me abandon the person that probably could lead me straight to my sister to go run around the back alleys." Did honestly believe that the serial killer was going to tell him the truth about the location of his sister when the whole mess started because of her? I mean, seriously!

Anyways, I was very disappointed in this movie!

Leggi di Più

This is one of those dramas that never got much recognition but is wickedly good once you into it. I remember I didn't even plan to watch it but got hooked after checking the first episode. Actually, it's not that special anymore but back in the days, such strong female characters and "weak" male characters weren't that popular.

The drama is generic yet fresh and different. There are slow and boring moments but mostly the show keeps a nice pace and has good dynamics, the balance between comedy and seriousness is really good. The acting, well... at first it seemed like the worst acting ever but the characters grew on me quite a lot and after finishing the drama I missed it right away. Some of the characters were ridiculous to the point it was actually hilarious and I guess, it's better not to take this drama too seriously. There is a certain brilliance to this whole drama if you ca get past the fact that it's completely ridiculous. All in all, the plot and everything in it was pretty realistic too.

Ah, and the chemistry! The chemistry! The chemistry between miss Kim and Moo Yeol is great, actually near the perfection. When they are together they are whole and when they are apart something is missing. Though, from the very beginning, they were a bit too comfortable with each other considering they had just met. And I'm surprised there is not contract dating and such, I was sure there will be one but actually, the dating thing wasn't important at all.

Leggi di Più

Felt like an express train to a light-hearted romance with family turbulence shaking up the journey!

This drama comes in a small package, but it's filled to the brim with classic J-drama flavors like families, quiet vengeance, the self-discovery and the courage to push back. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but it turns it with enough skill to keep things rolling.

The pace of the story was fast, maybe a bit too fast for my liking. Things moved along quickly that some plot points and emotional moments didn’t have time to really land. I kind of had to fill in some of the gaps myself as a viewer and move on. There is some character growth, but it’s not deep since the drama doesn’t have a lot of time to unpack everyone’s backstory. Still, it never felt boring.

While that keeps it moving, it also feels a little rushed in parts especially the ending. I am all here for tying all the knots neatly at the end but they pushed too much under the rug in a blink. The antagonists were forgiven a bit too quickly with little to no redemption arcs considering how their selfish decisions affected so many lives.

The romance is subtle, not one of those where the passion between the leads overwhelms everything, but rather one that lingers. I genuinely believed that they liked each other, despite the dramatic beginning of their relationship.
Communication is present, at least for the most part and misunderstandings don't drag on unnecessarily.

Acting across the board was decent. Suzuki Jin can act and I hope he gets better and more complex roles to explore in future. Konno Ayaka also did a good job but at times it felt a bit over the top but considering the nature of her character, it is understandable.

Overall, this was an enjoyable one-time watch. While it has its flaws, particularly with pacing and character depth, it still delivers as an entertaining love story. I would recommend it if you are in the mood for something short and light, rather than something deep or intense.

Leggi di Più

POL:THE MOVIE Review

Tbh, I was a bit disappointed for this to be their first movie in the theaters when Hit The Road could have been a better debut documentary film in the theaters. And the movie is basically about the Power Of Love concert, with just some additional ments. but not all of the songs performed at the concerts were shown in the movie though~ Overall, I think this was a good opportunity for CARATS to meet up and have fun like we were really in a face-to-face concert. Especially, You can really see how much SEVENTEEN love, adore, and respect us as a fan. And you will also see the bonds between the groups. They're not just a group of friends but a family. I definitely recommend this to you if you are a carat. And I assume this movie is a must-watch movie for every carats.

Leggi di Più