Reviews

I tried watching this a while back and made it up to ep10 before putting it on hold. I randomly decided to pick it back up and just managed to finish it...

Story- The plot was simple/light in the beginning with life themes you come across everyday ( one night stands, unwedded pregancy, unwanted marraige). It wasn't really as entertaining as I would have liked it to have been (I dislike former gf/bf plot devices)but the wholesomeness of the latter half(introduction of older Shin Bi) and the added sickness plotpoint towards the last quarter kept me watching. I feel like the reason i wasn't completely in to the story in the beginning might have been the pacing? Oh and the ending was kind of rushed but better than I expected.

Acting/Cast- Eugene was really good. I liked that her character was cheerful, independent (when she had Shin Bi) and she was strong. Kim Jae Won was perfect as always and he had a very natural chemistry with Eugene. Both actors had a good parent chemistry with the lovely child actress who played Shin Bi. They all made a believable family.

Music- I liked it and it fit the scenes well.

Rewatch- I wouldn't mind watching this in a couple years.

Overall Wonderful Life offers life lessons and its just a very warm/wholesome family drama.

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Attack on Sanity - The OST

“I suddenly felt that it was all the same to me whether the world existed or whether there had never been anything at all. At first I fancied that many things had existed in the past, but afterwards I guessed that there never had been anything in the past either, but that it had only seemed so for some reason. Little by little I guessed that there would be nothing in the future either… nothing mattered to me.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man

Watching Satomii get wasted on this script genuinely broke my brain. She brings a natural weight to the screen that the writing seems determined to undermine at every turn. The writers failed her, the director failed her, and the production might as well have apologized in the credits for handing a powerhouse a pile of wet garbage. Her presence is sharp and unyielding, yet the narrative traps her in a world where basic communication is treated like a confession wrung out under torture. I despise noble idiocy, and this show might as well be a masterclass in how to weaponize it against its own story.

The first blow to my sanity was Masaki vanishing (and his reasoning for ghosting). He leaves "for her benefit" and the show is actually dumb enough to have him literally running away from her. It is pathetic. Little bro folded instantly. Muzan at sunrise levels of cowardice. Absolute joke. The writing then leans on the most tired gimmick in the book. He mumbles one last thing while fleeing and she just cannot hear him. What a lazy middle finger to the audience. He decided he was the tragic anime protagonist of her life without asking her permission. He really thought he was pulling a shonen exit.. Naruto running into the night to “protect” her

I think I blinked and she went from seeing the ring from the BF to kissing Masaki. Nothing earned. Every ounce of suffering, every shred of dignity... just gone. A joke. And if that weren’t enough, he’s telling what happened on the day of the accident while the music plays like we are visiting a Zelda fairy fountain. What a mismatch. What’s next… Saria's Song? … Garuda Valley?

Somehow, it gets worse. The script shoves Satomii into the same martyr box at the end because the writers clearly ran out of ideas and defaulted to the most exhausted cliché in existence. It is a total assassination of her potential. Seeing an actress of her caliber forced to play a woman who just waits around for a coward is insulting. She does everything she can to sell the silence and longing, but she is chained to a plot that crumbles like Wall Maria getting bodied by the Colossal Titan. No amount of talent can salvage a story that survives purely by making its characters miserable for no reason other than stalling the plot.
I kept waiting for any semblance of communication. None came. Nada. The writers apparently charged by the Kanji and they couldn't afford to buy an adult conversation. The rest of the cast barely gets anything to do, devoured by a script that is more blackhole than narrative.

One of the main "tensions" … the fire.. Nothing needed to happen. Yuki said did nothing wrong and said nothing right. Masaki said everything by saying nothing. The idiots are not noble. Everything here should have been solved with adult conversations. This isn't Vegeta exploding to protect, this is the script bombing.

By the end, this FL is everything I hate. Satomii is brilliant, sharp, and the script slams her into every wall it can find. Every beat of noble idiocy, every fake martyr moment, every second she freezes while the coward runs is pure humiliation. The writers grind her talent into dust while he gets to wander free. I want to bow in shame and attend its harakiri. I am sure Link can second with the master sword, maybe entertain us with some ocarina. The OST wouldn't have to change to fit.

I have become Dostoevsky. Nothing matters. Nothing.

Every choice, every scene, every insult, every missed word collapses into the same blah void. Past, present, future... meaningless. The show might as well not exist. Satomii’s brilliance gets wiped out the same way Sung Jinwoo wipes out bosses. Hhyped threat shows up, gets clapped in thirty seconds, and vanishes like it never mattered. No weight. No consequence... noise pretending to be stakes.

Dear god.. find a white van... isekai me out of here.

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This story isn't new and I have seen it done better. First of all, for a drama that is only four episodes long, I really was tired of rewatching the same scenes over and over. The premise is good, but the actual show is kind of boring. If you like this type of drama, then I recommend Nine: Nine Times Time Travel. It was much better.

The young Moon Ga Young is totally adorable as Mimi. Chang Min does well as the really cute and tormented Min Woo. No amount of good acting could make this short drama good though.

The music is pretty good.

I won't rewatch this, but I think it is rewatchable considering it is only 4 episodes.

It is only 4 hours of your time and you may like it more than me. However, I don't necessarily recommend it.

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While watching this movie, I got so absorbed in it I was unaware of my surroundings. Just when I thought I lost my interest in revenge stories, this movie wakes it up again. It also explore how society deals with its kids, specially at that difficult age.

The story is simple. A teacher's daughter gets killed, and the culprit are her students. She teaches them a vicious lesson, one they might never get up from, and they will certainly not forget.

Ignorance is when you think you know it all. Thats why teenagers tend to be ignorant and look down on adult. I liked that she managed to show them who's boss. But in doing so, you feel that she lost her humanity. She didn't teach them out of care, she hates them but just doesn't want that crime to be forgotten. The children themselves, their thirst for attention blinds them from the crimes they do. They have no conscience at all. To be look up to as cool, they take it on the weaker, like cowards. It reminds me of an essay I read some time before where it says that children are more dangerous than adult, because they have no morality. They can do the worst of crimes and not realize its atrocity. Basically when they do those kind of crimes, they should be punished like adult and face the consequences.

The acting from Matsu Takako was top notch. I specially liked Kaoru Fujiwara;s acting her. The cast is generally great. Okada Masaki's character was plain annoying, because he was meant to be lol.

I loved LOVED the direction here. The use of flashbacks, the skip from one flashback to another (as if watching an old family video) during conversations and monologues, the lighting and effects, the colours of them moving, was used effectively and perfectly. I think its what made the movie stand out and what absorbed me in that movie. The music used is no exception, setting the mood perfectly.

As a psychological thriller, it carries the task perfectly without being a burden to watch. You're never thinking "I just want to know the ending of it". It might not be to everyone's taste, but Its definitely worth the watch ;)

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"The Bride of the Water God" divided opinions, we had people who loved and find it the best drama ever, and people who hated and thinks it's the worst drama ever. It's a 50/50 situation. I personally found it a disappointment, but even though it was not the best I've ever seen, it's not the worst.

*Get ready for a long review *

"The Bride of the Water God" had an excellent base story, but then they decided to turn a melodrama with a not-so-lucky ending into a romantic comedy, it just went wrong.

Story: The initial plot was simple, a God who comes to earth with a goal and ends up falling in love with a human and that love is forbidden. But as the drama progressed the writers simply abandoned the initial premise and it started to be a bit difficult to keep up with what was happening, leaving to the very end to really solve the loose endings. The story had a predictable ending, which for a moment, left me with even more questions than when I had first started to watch.

If you like the main couple, even if you don't like genre, you will probably still watch it anyway. The main couple in "The Bride of the Water God", had little to no chemistry, something that made me very annoyed at times, because sometimes they seemed like two robots acting, something that improves a little in the final episodes.
In CEO Shin's arc, the stories improved a bit, so much so that the only reason I continued to see was for him and for Moora and Biryeom, who had more chemistry than the main couple. CEO Shin has a complex but really interesting story.

I have to admit that my two favorite characters throughout the drama were Moora and Biryeom, although Moora was supposed to be the bad one, her relationship with Biryeom stole, at least for me, the spotlight from the main couple.

Cast / Acting: Personally I think the two actors who got the main roles were not the best choice. I had already seen Nam Joo Hyuk in other dramas, and he is someone with a lot of potential, but who was not prepared for this role. Not that he was bad at all, but there were times when it was a little cringeworthy to see him. I think a more experienced actor would be able to handle better such a complex 3000-year-old God.
Shin Se Kyung, I can't say much about her, because it's the first work I see of her, I don't think she is such a bad actress as people are saying, but she isn't an excellent actress either. The biggest problem I see in her is the fact she suffers from something that I like to call stone resting face, th emotionless face expression, making her tries of demonstrate some emotion seem very forced and unnatural, it's something that I think she should work on for her next drama.
The biggest surprise for me in this drama was undoubtedly Krystal, because I always thought she wasn't a good actress, but I was completely mistaken, which made me quite happy.

The OST in this drama was normal, none of the songs excelled for me, it suited the mood, but it was no big deal.

My biggest problem with this drama was its slow pass, everything went by very slowly, the drama focused more on things that did not matter more than on those that really mattered, making the drama very annoying at times. And with that, the episodes became very repetitive without much to add to the story development. (Habaek did something bad, So-Ah was annoyed, he did something cute and she was already okay with him again, this is a summary of almost every episode). On the other hand the cinematography and the special effects were quite good, it was sad that they focused more on fancy effects than on the actual plot.

Will I watch this drama again? Probably not anytime soon. If I recommend to watch it? Yes... if you really don't have anything better to do. This drama is not the worst I've seen, but neither is the best, I think it left much to be desired for how hyped it was.

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Colorful Love is everything it needs to be and more

I started watching this because I was looking for more josei manga to read and it was easier to find information about the show than the manga - which was because it was actively airing at the time. I didn't expect much and was blown away by how this show succeeds at every single thing it sets out to do!

MINI REVIEW: Colorful Love is a light-hearted, fun-loving celebration of differences. The 'hook' is that the main male lead dresses and acts without regard for typical gender roles; stylist Meguru enjoys wearing frills and dresses and bright nail-art and makeup, while model Kira prefers long sleek skirts, see-through blouses and an occasional harness. This is not the only area in which the show feels fresh and progressive, and it handles much more than simple romance, without ever keeping you on your toes too much - it mostly remains upbeat and harmless. Besides that, the actors are all skilled and/or charismatic, the characters are all likeable (flaws included!), and the directing, lighting, styling and even the editing are all incredibly well-done and perfectly tailored to the tone of the show.

FULL REVIEW (some spoilers here, but nothing big):

Our main couple is Wako and Meguru. They were two high school besties who have always liked each other but never really said anything. Meguru endured a lot of bullying due to his "feminine" appearance and interests, while Wako thought he was just the cutest thing ever and stood up for him - helping him to become confident in these aspects of himself as an adult. They accidentally reunite at a photoshoot - Wako works as a member of a josei manga magazine editorial team and Meguru is, among other things, a stylist for absurdly self-absorbed model Kira. Kira is half of our secondary couple; Wako's more serious but not unkind boss and editor-in-chief Asahi is the other half. The show revolves around these couples, their trials and tribulations in their blossoming relationships (some sooner than others) and the struggles they face personally and at work.

STORY
The story is clear, set up very well through fun, brief flashbacks and there's nothing wrong with the pacing. One or two episodes may be spent elsewhere, outside of our main storyline (mostly surrounding the characters' jobs and the developments that occur professionally affecting them personally and vice versa), but as they tend to further develop relationships between characters (including platonic ones!), I find it hard to deduct points for that.

It was an incredibly smart decision to add a secondary pairing that was essentially invented for the show (scroll down for some notes on the source material). Firstly, because a fair share of romance drama viewers prefer to see the pre-relationship will-they-won't-they development, and Wako and Meguru's mutual enthusiasm for each other was never going to let them stay apart for more than a few episodes. Asahi and Kira's relationship fills this void, slowly and convincingly developing over the course of 9/10 episodes. Secondly, because this is where this drama, the script, and the performances really truly shine. Kira-"sama" is turned into this confusingly charming clown of a man, so self-absorbed he can't tell he is absolutely 100% embarrassing himself, to the point where you can't even question it and find yourself unironically enjoying everything about this man, even as he winks at the camera and throws his jacket onto an assistant's head to invite more pictures of his chest. Then, having established this bizarre figure, we introduce realistic, older boss lady Asahi who won't allow him to get away with shit-talking staff or trying to flirt with/intimidate her, so she punches him in the stomach and he is immediately struck by cupid's bow. He's not the brightest though, so it takes him a bit to catch up.

CHARACTERS/CAST
- From what I can tell, Yoshikawa Ai (Wako) is the most talented and emotional, giving a very accurate performance of a young working woman who escapes into entertainment media the second she's done with work, without allowing herself to become completely engulfed by it (her apartment, however, is mostly merchandise). Besides that, her comedic chops are amazing, from drooling over cute boys to hissing at Meguru's bullies. I wish every #relatable jdrama protagonist could be like this, instead of the fumbling embarrassing mess they're usually made into.
- Itagaki Rihito (Meguru) is perfect for the role, definitely the standout in terms of how he seems to have jumped right out of the manga.
- Mizuno Miki (Asahi) was perfect for her role too, a very convincing and occasionally conflicted straight man to Kira and a mentor figure for almost everyone else. I just love her. I love cool 40+ year old main female characters in romance dramas. Someone quick rope her into another role like this! Except she's the main character this time!
- Kira's over the top antics stealing almost the entire drama makes it a crime to forget about Kiriyama Ren (Kira) - I have no clue how he kept a straight face during any of that. The comedy alone would have sufficed, but the more genuine moments were completely believable too.
- Oda Oideyasu (Sakai-san) is hilarious and he constantly corrects everyone on language, without being particularly mean-spirited (except towards one character LOL). He gets a special mention for not only being hilarious, but displaying such an earnest sensitive side surrounding his single fatherhood and his daughter. That got to me.
- Nagato Takato (Yuu-tan) is the perfect children's TV show host - his switch into someone who was poisoned by the bullying during his upbringing, who was desperate to see Meguru fail, super believable. I was kind of worried he'd be a gay villain, but he's just gay! A bit of a villain for two episodes, but he joins the gang. I love to see it. Him and Meguru connect over being bullied for being gender non-conforming in different ways! It was handled well imo.

The MUSIC is cute. Does what it needs to. The OST did not change my life. But I don't think this is very important.

In terms of REWATCH VALUE, I have literally already rewatched several episodes multiple times. By accident! I am already planning to make different friends who don't usually watch jdramas watch this one with me - it's so easy to recommend because it's funny and light-hearted but never in a cheap, vapid way.

SOURCE MATERIAL ('My Androgynous Boyfriend').
- The manga has gorgeous art and pretty much the exact dynamic we see between Wako and Meguru. They've already been together for several years when the manga begins, while the show follows their accidental reunion after going their separate ways as close friends in high school.
- Kira exists in the manga, to be beautiful and vaguely arrogant, but not much more. In the show, Kira steals the spotlight everywhere he goes; he's a bizarrely self-absorbed comic relief character who doesn't really care about anyone at first, but changes and grows into someone you can almost take seriously sometimes, because he's so, so serious about initially-uninterested Asahi.
- Asahi does not exist in the manga. Wako has a boss, but she's quite different. Asahi is the closest the show gets to a true straight man, but she never feels like a buzzkill.
- The show's structure, pacing, and the addition of Kira and Asahi, the creative liberties that were taken to improve the show (as opposed to blindly sticking to the manga), really elevate the show, while Meguru and Wako feel perfectly in-character, making it a faithful adaption in spirit AND an improvement from the source material.

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My heart was not prepared

If you’re looking for a feel good movie that will give you a rollercoaster ride, this is the it!

This movie has been on my To Watch List since it came out and I’ve been putting it off for whatever reason(s) and finally watched it and I have to say, wow. Just wow. The acting is amazing, the OST equally amazing (the choice for the last song was *chef’s kiss*).

It’s also really visually pleasing and kind of has a bit of an indie feel to it a bit with the filming style which I wasn’t sure I would like but it really worked and almost made it more realistic? If that makes sense?

I need to go watch something light and fluffy now. I’m a blubbering mess, but in a good way.

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So close to becoming my favorite.

The show is about the male lead having a phobia and the female lead (at first) being the main trigger to his phobia. Over time they grow closer and y'know. I feel like other than that, there's nothing else.

I personally find this show pretty light to watch, meaning that you could either watch to past time or just to watch while doing something in the background. Not something to get really attached to. I RARELY see any dramas about germ phobias at all! As this was my first one. And I haven't watched the Korean version of this but I could say that the story was pretty good!
I personally think the last two Episodes were boring, I won't spoil but their were boring to the point where I looked off my computer screen for some time to do other things.

I also have to point out the second lead, a lot of people state that he's annoying and they hate him but it's eh for me really. I do agree he was annoying at times but he wasn't that bad.
(Edit 7/23/21: Nevermind, I remember me skipping/looking away whenever I saw him on screen 85% of the time)

The relationship between Renqi and Shaung was so cute! Loved them! I do find their relationship kind of draggy though.

The acting was amazing to me! I think Jasper played his role really well, especially in Episode 20, their was a scene where I really LOVED Jasper's acting at that moment.

The music was AMAZING!! I loved it so much! Pretty light and catchy!

Am I rewatching?
It's an 8 since I would re watch but not ALL episodes, some episodes were really useless to me.

In total, would've been my favorite BUT some episodes were meaningless and the last two episodes got me bored. I have to add about the side couples, they were okay. At first, didn't care for either as I thought they were annoying but I like both of them! The more you watch this the more the plot is predictable at this point, will miss this show though! Been watching since it aired :)
Give this is a try if you're looking for a light rom com! Nothing with action or gore much. Though you probably will find yourself bored of it episodes later.

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Incredible series

Things you see aren't what they will be in the end. There are twists and turns that keep me going, waiting for the next episode. The acting is so so so incredible, starting with Yu He Wei (Three Body), Feng Jia Yi, Bai Yu Fan. Then there are so many other great performances from the supporting actors/actresses like the great Wan Ji Song (NiF), Tu Song Yan (Go Ahead) and more.

I think the synopsis is a bit misleading. For me, I clearly saw who the good guys were from the beginning but in the drama's comments, they had different opinions. So hey, I may be wrong. lol The relationships are really portrayed well in this drama, from romance to bromance, long time friends to frenemies, to the continued love/loyalty for a spouse who has passed away, to a single parent's love for a daughter and how far one would go for his/her child, an interesting love triangle and unrequited love. There is quite a bit of heart fluttering and emotional moments between all the characters. However, it's a dog eat dog world though so one never knows what will happen in the end. I surely didn't. lol

I highly recommend this drama. The ratings here are off in my opinion, and it toots a 9.6 rating on iQIYI which I agree with. When I first wrote this review, I was at ep 26 and out of 9 other CDramas I was watching at the time, this was the first drama I looked forward to watch the next episode. I just finished the series and it had a satisfying ending despite who I was rooting for :((( but because of that, I put the rewatch value to 9 because it's hard to rewatch an ending that I perceive as sad (I say that because some people probably wanted this ending aka justice). Although I was torn throughout the entire drama on whether to side with justice or side with who my heart felt for, I couldn't help siding with my heart so it would be hard to rewatch it again knowing the ending.

It definitely remained interesting all the way to the end.

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enjoyable KBL

Overall: this is a nice KBL, though I would have rated it significantly higher if they had done 1 plot tweak in episode 5. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: manhandling, blackmail, harassment

What I Liked
- cute and sweet moments
- I enjoyed a rarely seen plot thread of dealing with/getting over a certain something
- ongoing physical affection
- production value

Room For Improvement
- how I wish in episode 5 Ba Ram had only talked about his feelings regarding the teacher, because the lack of a certain response (I'm keeping this spoiler free) made zero sense to me and created cliche drama for the next episode+
- related to the previous point, in episode 7 Han Tae is unrealistically dense, he doesn't know why Ba Ram took back something he said...it's extremely obvious
- dead fish lip press (the dream one was much better but it was a dream)
- cliche near kiss in episode 8 when he was sober enough to carry him mere seconds before
- lack of plot resolution, the anti fans went where??? is there going to be a season 2?

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Likes:

-Woo Bo Young was such a great lead! She was a ray of sunshine and such a genuine person without being ditsy! She still had flaws though, but I think those flaws made me like her even more. She’s what really made me stick with the show. I rooted for her the entire time!

-The whole cast of characters–even the meaner ones–were really fun. It was really entertaining to watch all their interactions and antics. I also liked how they all had their own things going on in their lives.

-The setting was unique in the sense that I don’t think there’s been a kdrama about physical therapists before! It was really fun to get a glimpse into that world.

-The use of poetry was also super unique and creative and it was incorporated in the drama really well.

Dislikes:

-There didn’t seem to be a plot to me. Besides the romance, I didn’t really understand what direction this show was trying to go.

-Going off of that, I think the show started off really great but then started focusing on the wrong things which ended up being its downfall. For example, the love triangle felt very unnecessary and didn’t really do anything for the plot or for the characters involved in it. Another example is that the show spent so much time developing Minho and Bo Young’s relationship and not enough on Bo Young’s relationship with Dr. Ye which left me feeling confused on who the show was trying to make me root for.

-The show should have focused on all the characters and their individual problems. It did at first, which was why I was so hooked at the beginning, but then it fizzled out. Characters’ problems were pushed under the rug halfway through and virtually forgotten about. Because of that, the majority of the characters end up not really doing anything to add to the bigger picture of the show, and they felt like they were just there to fill up time. What I wanted to see: Minho dealing with his family issues and the fact that they forced him into a career path that he isn’t interested in; Nam Woo working his ass so he can get a job; Yoon Joo trying to figure out how to deal with her loneliness and learning how to be vulnerable with others, etc.

-Dr Ye, despite being one of the leads, was one of the most underdeveloped characters of the entire cast! I still don’t really understand his character or what drives him. Who is he outside of work? I wanted to know more about his break up and see him trying to heal more from it. I liked his character but I needed to know more in order to be fully invested in him. The show did give him some more character development in the last two episodes, but honestly, by then it was too late since everything was wrapping up.

Overall, this show was entertaining to watch, but the lack of character development for the majority of the characters and the lack of plot left me feeling majorly dissatisfied.

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Logic is non-existent, let's be real, everyone is only watching it for Song Joong Ki

Reborn Rich, a drama based on a web novel, is yet another story that uses the "born again" concept. It introduced the main character of Yoon Hyeon Woo, who, despite his stellar results in high school, had to give up going to university because his family could not afford his tertiary education. In an era where full scholarships and bank study loans probably had not been established in South Korea, Hyeon Woo joined the mega-corporation Soonyang after leaving school and soon climbed the ranks to become a senior finance manager in rank, but super-manservant in practice. In spite of his hard work, he was betrayed and discarded by the very people he served, and subsequently found himself reliving the life of a young boy, Jin Do Jun, the youngest son of the youngest son of the founder of Soonyang.

Most of the above was already given to us in the synopsis, and from what I have seen, Song Joong Ki performed far better in his role as Hyeon Woo than in his role as Jin Do Jun. As Hyeon Woo, Joong Ki's expressions were more real - in moments of servitude, he was spontaneous, relenting, and in times of panic, his fear more raw, the helplessness he was supposed to feel more convincing. The reborn Do Jun, who had lived through all of the 2000s before, knowing what would happen when it comes to government politics, monetary policies, and global catastrophes, was the character in focus for much of the story, but even so, I couldn't feel the impact of this character the same way Joong Ki delivered Hyeon Woo.

The second time skip happened when Do Jun grew up, but we can assume he didn't finish his law studies or sat for the bar, because by that time he didn't need to - he just had to get really rich. Did he commit insider trading through his ability? Yes, of course - coming from the future, he already had information on what happened in the past, and utilised that information to earn a lot of money. But because of the supernatural circumstances in how he obtained the information, no one can prove that insider trading happened. This is the secret of the bulk of his success for most of the drama. Nevertheless, the first few episodes had a decent start and a reasonable flow of congruency.

The basis for this drama is how the rich and powerful Jin family operates their business. Whether one finds the business principles interesting or otherwise, with the most basic understanding of the subject, following the drama would not be a challenge. However, even with the most basic understanding of the subject, this is also where the flow of logic started to break, and repetitions set in. Every one or two episodes, a "twist" happens for the sake of providing some "shock value" to the viewers, but provides no progress in plot development. The ongoing crisis is merely dropped and waved away while another new trouble is brewing. And every one or two episodes, someone's office will be raided; they will be investigated for committing a business crime, but no worries, the cheap contrivances in attempting to produce anxiety rush in viewers peters off like a whiny balloon out of air when the climax ends. And so, for 14 episodes, the focus were placed on business operations, and the phenomenon of time reversal and soul-switching were not at all touched during all that time. How was this explained in the end? It's "redemption".

I never expected solid logic from fiction, but I was still hoping for some level of cogency. Reborn Rich quickly became boring and ridiculous to me as the episodes went on, and by Episode 8, the drama was a chore to watch. The human relationships in this drama also leave much to be desired, as no one is honest with one another. The closest thing to honesty was seen in the grandfather-grandson bond between Do Jun and Yang Cheol, but even then, the two exercised a moderate degree of caution against each other. The romance between Do Jun and Shin Hyun Bin's character Min Young was initiated early, but it was marred with doubts, mistrust and misunderstandings. Seong Jun's wife, who initially had a crush on Do Jun, was introduced as a highly intelligent and ambitious woman who eventually resigned to her fate as a marriage pawn to a less capable heir. She became a character who seemed to have a lot of cards on her hands only to be relegated to appearing once in a while, having all purposes stripped from her.

The final two episodes would only be a surprise if the viewer has gotten used to Do Jun's rich and comfortable lifestyle, thinking all would just end with him becoming the CEO of the whole Soonyang Group, marrying his lovely girlfriend whom he doesn't understand and who doesn't understand him, chugging along with a fat ass account loaded with money for the rest of his newfound identity. So maybe getting killed in the first place wasn't that bad after all - but nah. Off pops the bubble, the rose-tinted glasses shatters, 16 hours of a lifetime watching this drama gone, and comes the cries of despair of the ones heavily invested. No, I lied. It really wasn't that devastating. But Hyeon Woo did become better off - by becoming a new partner of Miracle Investment. And the way it transpired? No explanations required. Doesn't matter that a person currently under criminal investigation is not allowed by law to work in any business or finance-related capacity. It's okay, no one will look for this detail. When this happened, there were approximately 20 minutes left on the final episode, so the writers probably thought, eh, whatever, let's just wing it.

And of course the final nail in the coffin was a recorded phone conversation, which is the same like, way too many dramas out there. This wouldn't be absurd with today's technology, but we are talking about 2004 when people were still using the most basic flip phones. A majority of people still alive today have lived through this era with a flip phone. Phone conversations do not automatically get recorded. The phones in that era did not even have a recording function, what more to say a convo-recording function. Yes, this drama is fiction, but the idea of writing fiction is skillfully imbibing and presenting theories that the audience could not refute. It's usually either because the theory itself is a fact, or it is unproven and vague. To say a flip phone in 2004 automatically records conversations as soon as a call is made or answered is like saying carbonara tastes like chocolate, which it doesn't.

I will add that with all the flaws and absurdity typical of a Korean drama with a vengeance-agaisnt-a-rich-family setting, this was somewhat 2% better than Vincenzo and not as bad as Eve - which is arguably the worst drama of the year. Reborn Rich obtaining an 8.8 rating is not a testament to how good the drama is. Like many MDL ratings, it's a reflection of how many people have watched it and how many people love it. Correlation does not imply causation, so if Song Joong Ki's face is all you need to preoccupy yourself for a weekend binge sans sense and logic, by all means, watch it. But this isn't a good script by any definition of the word.

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This series is utter trash. I literally feel like hanging myself because I ran my ass home every day after college tryna jump onto Ccasian to watch 'Coffee & Vanilla' ((believing that the story and the god awful acting would improve)).. I mean, just from the introductional episode, I knew this series was shit but to my surprise.. it's shittier than I could ever imagine .. but that didn't stop me, I carried on (Mistake!!). ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ
There was literally no storyline!!!! WHAT THE HELL DID I WASTE MY PRECIOUS TIME ON !?!!!
God knows. I absolutely would not recommend this to a living soul unless they're livin' the bum life.
Anyways, this is my list of complaints:
- ML is supposedly 30 years old but looks like a young teen fresh outta his 15th birthday .
- FL is supposed to be Hella pretty but it appears that they ran out of pretty actors .
- FLs and MLs acting is shit. it's like they're talking to trees but I'm sure we'd be a lot better at expressing ourselves to a branch. - They're stiff and appear inexperienced . . . Especially for this genre but to be honest, the narrative performed was so bad you can't analyse a single genre or comprehend jack .
- FL and ML should have had a better closet. The clothes they wore were truly dull and limited... That orange dress the FL wore is literally the only thing nice but the lighting in the episode is deceptive so I can't really rely on that comment. And what's with the fashion sense, was this series really released in 2019? It's questionable .
- Oh, the lighting was soo poorly controlled that the front cover of the series looks different to the actors in the series itself. It appeared as though the filmmakers wanted to alter the realism and throw on a filter to hide any blemishes or faulty cells.
- FL acting was as I said previously, trash. I didn't read the manga but I could tell there was gaps of story missing... Like how the characters are supposed to be portrayed and the so called 'dark past' the ML has, which is to be exposed ( they left this crucial part out so in the end you're left sighing and shouting "HUH?" )
- During intimate scenes the FL was SO DAM STIFF! This was the most vexing part becuz her MUDAFAQIN head was always drooling on the floor! Omg! Omg! Just recalling the memory is boiling my blood. And this dumbass moves like a fish! The girls floppin around just from undoing a couple of her man's buttons on his shirt!! Like WTF!?
I can totally relate if he had a sexy ass torso but this dude is skin and bones!! What's there to exaggerate @bout?!
Not to mention the eye contact! It's the most frustrating thing ever because the best thing about romantic genres is when emotions are linked with eye contact and the build up of any romance, IS EYE CONTACT! WHY THE HELL IS THIS MISSING?!?! I SWEAR DOWN, ITS THAT FEMALE LEAD!
Wait wait wait, the kissing scenes were ಠ益ಠ because everything about the FL reminded me of a FISH! She resembled a fish so mfing much ತ_ತ. If you type 'Risa and Hiroto' on YouTube, you'll be able to empathize with me 1000%
So to summarise, it's that dam FL ! For God's sake, if you don't believe me, just watch it yourself. You will die on repeat.

Yours truly,

Suicide.

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What if I am the change I have been waiting for!

When I read the synopsis, I was expecting a love story across parallel timelines with that 'what if' gimmick, but after finishing it, it has left me with a question or realisation that "What if life doesn't change because the world shifts but because you finally stopped standing in your own way?" Well, rude question but valid! This is a story about choice, stagnation, the cost of staying the same and understanding growth frustratingly requires effort.

The story starts with Kano Akihito emotionally boxed in. He isn't unlikeable but a very passive person. A person who lets life happen around him instead of actively stepping in. I liked how the drama did a good job at showing how that mindset slowly transitions into quiet dissatisfaction, even though nothing is " wrong" yet nothing feels right.

With the frustration, he has shifted to a new world... his ideal world. The ideal world where Kano is expressive, takes accountability, and doesn't wallow in self-pity and avoidance. I liked how this upgrade was handled. It showed that it doesn't matter whether you are in a different world or were given another chance, unless you reset your habits, every world is the same. I might have taken this whole shift too philosophically than intended lol, but it was refreshing to see a plot where you are not rewarded for enduring but rather noticing yourself and prioritising.

Coming to our other lead Ogami, I enjoyed his character too. We didn't get a detailed POV of him, but he is very observant. At first glance, he is like any other office character we have, who is cold, aloof and calm in a dreading way but as we get to see more of him, he is more like quiet, kind and mature. What I liked about him was how he didn't try to change anyone. He tried helping in Kano in the best way he could. Kano and us realised it late.

Moving to romance, I would say this is not a drama you solely watch for romance. It is definitely present but it is not loud. They really had good chemistry and I liked how Ogami didn't act as a saviour or fixer, just nudged Kano when needed. The tension between them comes less from any dramatic misunderstanding but more from emotional hesitation which felt surprisingly real.

That said, it could have benefited from 2 more episodes because the pacing was a bit uneven for all aspects, whether it is romance or the realisation. Some reflection scenes work well, but a few felt very fast-paced. The last episode felt a little too convenient.
Also, the fantasy aspect of drama is more introspective and unexplored. I would advise holding all the theories after episode 1 because that isn't the focus.

Acting-wise, it was a good performance by both the leads. The expressions were on point and in sync with scenes. Production and cinematography were good and it somehow elevated the watching experience. Lighting choices matched the mood of the scenes. Even though there are not too many outdoor shots, the sets felt lived in, like the office. Special mention to the opening OST. Loved it!

Overall, this was a thoughtful watch, or maybe I went too deep into the rabbit hole because of how relatable the struggles were. This will not drown you in over-the-top melodrama or spoon-feed you fluffy romance, but let you sit with some uncomfortable but well known facts that sometimes the only way out of your miseries is change, not external but internal.
Again, not promising a perfect, not life-altering drama considering the run time, but surprisingly reflective. If you are into this, I would definitely recommend this.

Thank you for reading my review and Merry Christmas! <3

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