Reviews

This was a great watch. I'm a huge fan of historicals and this was my second thai historical drama. (EDIT: I just realised that I have watched a lot more thai historicals just that I didn't really realise they were considered as historicals because most of the characters wore western clothing and focus was on romance only.)

The drama as a whole:
I really loved how the relationship between the leads progressed. Though there were some really annoying characters whom I wanted to strangle, looking at James smiling face made me forget about everything. Honestly, I wasn't really a fan of the setting or the costumes because chinese and korean historicals really made me have very high expectations but the story was amazing.

The story:
This is a typical revenge historical drama... NOT! First of all, the male lead doesn't play with the female lead's heart, then breaks her, just for revenge or anything like that. Though essentially, some parts of the drama were similar to that of a typical revenge drama where the male lead lies to everyone and disguises himself, which cannot be helped since the setting was in the palace but the male lead acting as an eunuch was a first for me. I really liked the progression of the story where they slowly revealed things to us in every episode instead of just dropping the bomb on us in a single episode.

The romance:
Though the beginning of the drama suggested a love hate relationship between the leads, it wasn't over the top like most love hate dramas. They only disliked each other in the first episode and slowly began to fall for each other as the story progressed. I loved their chemistry.

Characters:
I didn't really like how some of the males were portrayed in this drama, but well I guess its a historical so I was expecting a lot of gender inequality. I really loved the character of the female lead in this drama, she was strong in her own way and I loved her for it. I loved her wits and her psychological strength as she experienced a lot of challenges along the way and never gave up on what she believed in. I also liked the main lead, but didn't really appreciate the compassion he showed for the slave because that girl was so irritating that I desperately wanted to strangle her. I liked the female lead's father, even though he appears to be angry whenever she skips out on her match making dates, he never really hit her or scold her harshly like other parents would have.

Is it worth watching?
Definitely! If you don't mind hearing Thai, love James, and love watching Thai dramas, give this one a try.

Don't like the first episode? Then just drop it, no one's forcing you to watch it anyway.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed watching this drama like me :D

P.S For those curious as to how to watch this drama english subbed, PM me and I'll send you the details. (EDIT: I received a few replies that the leader of the group who subbed this drama hasn't accepted any invites in the past few months so sadly, the only subs available are those you can find on dailymotion).

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Sweet Sex and Love is a far deeper movie than what meets the eye. At first you might be tempted to dismiss it as pure decadence, but allow yourself time to absorb the underlying themes and you'll be surprised to realize there actually is something of substance there. Something that tells you this isn't just a movie about two people who's got the horny. It has a message which is so subtly and understatedly delivered, you just might miss the message if you don't pay close attention or if you allow your own preconceived notions (that this is just softcore porn) to bias your viewing.

This is a movie about opposites attracting. Both parties jump into the relationship with gusto and are more than happy with their arrangement initially. As time goes by, though, the true natures and motives of the characters are revealed, and they begin to realize they might have bitten off more than they bargained for in starting this relationship.

Sweet Sex and Love is truly a well executed case study of how disastrous a relationship between a man and a woman can be when there's no communication of expectation on either side. When one, Sweet Sex ... or Love, is given full reign to dominate, to the neglect of the other.

I really enjoyed how the plot unfolded in this story. It's one of the better 'opposites attract' movies that I've seen in a long time. The script, the direction and the editing are all cleverly done. For once the pacing isn't slow and as grating as fingernails on chalkboard. The director deftly controls what you see, feel and experience until just the right moments. Nothing is revealed prematurely. No dialogue or sequence squandered. The narrative is very nuanced, leaving the audience to decipher much of the characters' actions and behaviour. At the same time you're taken on a journey where you're inundated with one truth for almost the entire film, until just like the characters you get the rug pulled out from under you. HARD. (No pun intended).

Certain themes that you never thought to associate with this type of film begin to surface with stark clarity and force; valuable lessons, on sweet sex ... and love, emerge. Sweet Sex represents one character & love the other, can they really coexist beyond the initial intoxicating stage of a new relationship? Everything falls into place. The title begins to make sense, the explicit internal dialogues, what you may have dismissed previously as a repetitive sex manual ... all begin to take on a whole new meaning.

Very nicely done indeed.

Certainly a good movie for audiences who enjoy a more mature exploration of the complex relationship between men and women. If there's any kind of sexy movie I love, this would be it.

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Perfect!
A Japanese movie about volunteer doctors in Kenya sent from Japan teaching hospital, after reaching Kenya he encounters a lot of desperate situations that lead him to stay there and not what to go back to Japan, the movie shows you how real doctors act once they have to choose between helping their patients or making big money back in their country.
The movie is shot in Kenya for few months, it's so genuine and inspirational.
A Japanese classic that makes you think, what the hell am I doing with my life.
Ishihara was so pretty as a nurse and she as always has her perfect English I was in love.
The movie covers how war is done in Kenya with a lot of scary guerilla tactics and using children as human shields and the struggle of doctors that go to help.
The main lead encountered a boy who was a soldier and this changed his fate in life.
Highly recommended
Shampoo gives easy 10 for this
Movie quotes:
"Do we need law at this moment? The hell with the law"
"How cruel humans can be"
"They are using the children as mine sweepers throwing them in front of the soldiers so land mines would trigger"
"Not everyone can find happiness"
http://hdfree.se/watch-online/the-lion-standing-in-the-wind

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Despite my dear wishes to give this a higher rating than the previous part, I just couldn’t attribute it a higher overall score.

Khun Chai Puttipat is the third part of the Suparburoot Juthatep’s series. Unlike the previous two brothers; Chai Pat’s story was more exciting to follow; there wasn’t the traditional Thai love story’s telling or the unbearable indecisiveness and rejection from the male lead part. Okay, the female lead contributed in the rejection part but it wasn’t as serious as Chai Yai’s indecisiveness and Chai Ruj’s rejection. This story started fun and ended cute.

Unlike the other two female leads, Kaew wasn’t nobility or royalty; she was a country pumpkin who won the beauty pageant and stole Chai Pat’s heart. Moreover, our male lead’s transformation from a serious workaholic doctor to a lover-boy was such an entertaining watch; Chai Pat’s character caught my eyes in Chai Ruj’s story where he was highlighted as the closest brother to him; of course, that was a way to introduce the following part’s male lead and it succeeded. I found the doctor’s character less interesting than his brothers to be frank but he got the type of personality that makes you want to see him in action. Therefore, his love story was anticipated and somehow it didn’t disappoint.

I think the part that ruined the drama partially was the evil guys’ persistence and deviation to illogical acts. Of course, the second female lead was enormously annoying - as expected. Plus, the overall absence of Chai Yai and Chai Ruj from the story bothered me; I know they wanted to pay extra attention to Chai Lek and Chai Pee’s characters since their stories are coming up and I really like them the best amongst the rest but I wished they would show the harmony, the bromance and the brotherhood once again in this part.

Some parts of the love story didn’t connect but I give the chemistry a high score; Chai Pat and Kaew were a great fit to each other. Although he was only a newbie in this drama, Jame did a nice job with the character. The female lead on the other hand was a little better than him when it comes to acting. The second male lead was a nice one too, as a character I mean, I just love heartwarming second male lead who understand their limits without anyone telling them to.

Watch if:
-You like love stories between different classes.
-You’re looking for good chemistry.

Do not watch if:
-You’re looking for a different type of love stories.
-You dislike slow development.

Khun Chai Puttipat is by far my favorite amongst the three parts I saw. Even though it’s not perfect or impressive by any mean but it was better executed than the other two parts. Of course this is only a temporary judgment until I see my two favorite brothers Chai Lek and Chai Pee.

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Ok lemme get this straight. I LOVED this drama.
I don't understand how anyone can start it thinking it's going to be a heavy, drama-filled series, which requires an important emotional involvement from the viewer. It's not; if that isn't clear by the plot summary, then it should be by the end of the first episode.
This show is full of imperfections that make it perfect. In fact, I completely disregarded those multiple small flaws because they naturally flowed with the story. There were no "wait - what ?" moments. Unlike many viewers, I never thought of banging my head on my keyboard because of incomprehension. I think those people think too much. There are dramas that simply don't require you to think about anything while watching them. "Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me" is one of those dramas.
It IS cliché-filled, but you can get that from the summary. Basically yet another Itazura na Kiss x Boys over Flowers adaptation.
The mood here however is different. First, because it's Chinese: it's a whole other culture. Second, because the episodes are short. A lot of things are bound to happen in a short span of time; we might leave an episode with X event and resume with an event Y, while only just lightly bushing the precedent subject.
Some cuts are really unprofessional and too obvious. But it takes nothing from the enjoyment away. The female lead is super cute, and, believe it or not, refreshing. She's not easily swayed by her lovers or feelings, she's cute without being over the top or too girly, and stands up for her values.

As for the so-called "chauvinism" and "sexism" in this drama.. I don't know what the people who said that are doing on this site ?? Violent hand grabbing, "you're mine" lines and such are an entire aspect of most Korean dramas and many other asian dramas. There IS a traditional conservative view of women. It's China after all. Personally, I've been more shocked throughout my life here in the West with the treatment of women, who are constantly over-sexualized in the media and society, than in China (from my limited view in dramas) At least they don't resort to stripping down a woman to get high audience rates ;-))

To conclude, an excellent (and by excellent, again, I don't mean it's perfect or flawless, just really good for what it is -) light drama, that I will most likely rewatch because it's fun and not too complicated to help with my learning and understanding of Chinese, along with the likes of dramas like Shopping King Louis or Sassy Go Go.

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The only C-drama I watched prior to this was "Ashes of Love" and I had felt continuously empty since finishing it. I had been constantly searching dramas left and right to fill in the void left by 'Ashes of Love'. I tried many dramas and dropped almost all except this one. "Goodbye My Princess" is effortlessly one of the best dramas I have ever seen in my whole lifetime. I binge watched this and I still feel my emotions are raw after watching this hauntingly spectacular drama.

I loved the chemistry between the leads. Even though the backdrop of this drama is political, it is the chemistry between the leads that makes it flow smoothly. The character played by Cheng XingXu isn't your typical ML. He has his own dark secrets and is ruthless at times, but his unyielding and almost selfish love for the FL makes him so realistic and attractive that even though you come to hate him for some of his actions, you still can't move over him and continue loving him. As per the depth of his character, I think this is one of the few dramas where the development of the ML's character astounds the viewers. From a guileless pawn like position, he slowly climbs his way to become the most powerful person in his kingdom. Every ruthless action of his has a reasoning behind it and in the end you kind of feel pity for him.

Peng Xioaran's character is more predictable. She plays a bubbly character initially but she amazes the viewers in emotional scenes. She is on point with her emotional acts and I can only say that this girl is a gem of an actor and I would want to see her act more. Her chemistry with Cheng XingXu is so sweet, even in the scenes where they are fighting each other, you can still feel a warmth between them.

This story has a few flaws but they can be simply overlooked because, in itself, this drama is brilliant. By the time, you reach 40ish episodes, you wish this drama was longer. It has a sad ending though, but I feel that the sad ending justifies this story than a forcefully done happy ending. The sad ending seems to give closure to all characters. Everyone gets what they deserve in the end and even though you are internally broken because of the ending, you can convince yourself that no other ending can justify the story than the one it already has.


I would recommend everyone to see "GoodBye My Princess". It's a once in a lifetime experience. It will make you laugh, cry, make you feel sad, betrayed, loved all at the same time. One of the C-Dramas I have ever seen in my whole lifetime. This will always have a special spot in my heart.

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I just loved this drama... it is the first drama that i have watched during the airing.. without losing interest.. this drama was so interesting and full of suspense that i ended up watching last 5 eps by live streaming... yesssss!!!!! It is that impactful.. every episode will leave you wondering about the next episode.. and all the anticipation that i have experienced it was worth it... it was worth my time.worth my TEARS... yesss i cried alot during this drama... it is a very under-rated drama... i would say it is a HIDDEN GEM in kdrama world.. if you are wondering whether to watch it or not... i would say that you should give it a shot... i was also not sure at the beginning but i am so glad that i started it... i never regretted my decision..

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After Playful Kiss I vowed not to watch a drama just because a bias or crush was in it. I failed that vow almost immediately with Hearstrings. My second favorite part of You’re Beautiful was the chemistry between Jung Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye. My favorite part of You’re Beautiful was Jeremy. So once I finished You’re Beautiful I saw that Yong Hwa and Shin Hye had been given leading roles together in Heartstrings and I really just couldn’t resist.

The first thing that I want to mention from the list of pros for this show is the fact that the two main leads enter into a relationship fairly early in the episodes. Which was an oddity, at least to me when I watched this show seeing as I’d only seen four dramas before Heartstrings. It was a breath of fresh air for me, I loved that the drama was about maintaining that relationship instead of fighting against having a relationship at all. They had to overcome a whole different slew of obstacles compared to the other dramas that I’d watched. I enjoyed that journey and thought it was very well done.

However, the chemistry between Shin Hye and Yong Hwa felt completely different than it did in You’re Beautiful. I’m not sure what it was, but it sure didn’t feel as passionate as it had in the previous drama. In You’re Beautiful they had some truly amazing interplay. You could see the connection between the characters and it really had me rooting for them, even though I knew already that I would be crushed since Yong Hwa was the second male lead. I just wish that the relationship didn’t feel as wooden in Heartstrings. For me there was definitely something missing.

The music for this drama was amazing. I had the songs stuck in my head for weeks even after I completed watching the drama. I’m sure it helped that the band members were actually playing their instruments. Not to mention Yong Hwa and Kang Min Hyuk are in CN Blue together. For me the music really stood out and I even bought the OST because I wanted to be able to listen to it whenever I wanted.

In my limited experience with drama-land the supporting cast has to really gel and standout on their own for a drama to work. The only two characters outside of the leads that really captured my heart was Min Hyuk’s portrayal of Yeo Joon Hee and Shin Hye’s grandfather. I cannot even properly convey how utterly adorable Joon Hee was throughout the entire show. I loved him, probably more than I liked Yong Hwa’s character. The grandfather cracked me up, he was hilarious. I also really enjoyed how he lived-breathed-ate traditional music and a traditional lifestyle. I found him wonderfully interesting. Beyond Joon Hee and the grandfather, the rest of the cast just didn’t really shine for me and that hurt the drama overall. I wanted to be pulling for the side stories, but more often than not I found myself plodding through all of that to get back to Joon Hee, the grandfather, or the two leads.

Towards the end of the drama I really felt that we finally got to see some character growth. For the majority of the show the characters were static in their maturity and personalities as they dealt with the obstacles which were put in their way. However, the last fifth of the series I enjoyed the way the story moved. Shin Hye’s character showed amazing maturity with how she handled the play and the drama surrounding being the lead actress. Both Yong Hwa and Shin Hye’s characters moved towards a natural progression of fulfilling their dreams. Even the supporting cast seemed to finally bloom and I enjoyed seeing how they evolved towards the end.

However, the ending of the show felt rushed. I’m not sure if it was cut down in the number of episodes, or that was how it was originally planned. But, things just felt a little choppy in the last two episodes. It made the character growth that had been occurring seem as if it weren’t important. I wish that they would have taken more time with the ending, perhaps another episode to have made it feel a little smoother.

Overall, I enjoyed the show. It was a feel good journey with some nice happy messages within it. I am glad that I watched it, but it just never quite captured me in the feels. Still it is a cute watch and a pretty story.


Noona's Rating
Overall: 7.6 (I rated this 4 stars on DramaFever.com)
Story/Writing: 8
Cast/Actors: 8
OST: 9
Sets/Costumes: 6
Feels: 7

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Arranged marriage, poor woman, jealousy, family problems .. And everything that makes a good melo lakorn you can find in this drama. What make it worth watching? I really liked the way the story came together and the way the characters grew. Ma James did very well as Sattawat (since this is only his third drama) and it was great to watch the chemistry between him and Kimberley (no need to mention that she's an amazing actress with emotional eyes). She did a great job as Anusaniya: a rich heiress who believes that all the men who approachs her, only do this because of her father's money. The character I really enjoyed watching was Mirantee, it's really nice to see a beautiful friendship loyalful dramas ,, She was a good girl with a beautiful heart. The bad were good in their way, but sometimes they are really over the top (it seems normal to be really bad and mad at lakorns). The only thing I really disliked was that the main male protagonist sometimes acted very dumb, he kept making the same mistakes or being too nice ..
If you want to try something melo with a of fairytal love story, this isn't the drama for you. But if you want to try something that makes you think about family matters, or how much you can do for you loved ones (this being good or bad things) or how much can jealousy transform your life .. you can certainly give it a try.
Music: I really like the main leads theme song , but it was the only one that I liked and remember.
Rewatch value: I'll watch it again, not twice a week, but as maraton next time.

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I watched Goong probably a year ago, but recently a MDL friend mentioned that I gave it a lower rating and I couldn’t for the life of me remember why I rated it that way. So, I rewatched it. While doing so I remembered why I don’t rate it very high. It has a good story, is well acted, and overall was a good drama. However, somewhere around episode 18 I was tired of it all. They should have had the misunderstandings between Chaeg-Yung and Shin under control by then and had them together facing the hardships that were thrown at them. I would have enjoyed it a lot more. I get that Shin was brought up in an emotionally cold environment, but for crying out loud, she said she liked him about a 100 times. How misunderstood can she be??? It isn’t the writing or anything like that, because it has a well thought out plot. Somewhere near the end, like episode 22 or 23, I started liking it again. I even liked the ending.

The acting is really good. I think Joo Ji Hoo does an excellent job of playing Shin. Kim Jeong Hoon also does a good job of playing Yul. I really felt sorry for his character by the end of the drama. Yoon Eun Hye plays Chaeg-Yung. I have seen everything she has been in except The Vineyard Man and she never lets me down. Song Ji Hyo didn’t really impress me. I don’t think the wide eyed stare for every emotion is acting. Chaeg-Yung’s family is great and gives much needed comic relief at times.

I like the music in this drama.

I rewatched it so I would say that you should at least watch it once. It really is a good drama. I just like dramas like Lie To Me where the romantic aspects are different.

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I don’t usually drop dramas but…

The premise of Doona! is very intriguing and attention catching. But upon actually watching it, the acting was stale and none of the characters were likeable. I got to episode 5 and it felt like the main leads had zero personality and even less chemistry. The two leads meet by chance and at their first meeting they have conflict which is never brought up again or moved on from. After that conflict Bae Suzy’s character becomes sort of a “pick me” following around the male lead. I wish her character had more of a personality because the story set the two up so well. by the time i reached episode five, I wasn’t rooting for a single character and I found myself bored trying to complete it.

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This was such a refreshing drama with well rounded characters. It tells a beautiful story about people just like us, who are trying to find their own voice and identity.

Things I liked: There were no evil characters, just beautiful and flawed ones. I became invested in all of their stories and I felt that I was a part of their group. The slow cooked romance was beautifully done, even though sometimes the pacing might become frustrating for some. The acting was pretty good generally, especially Lego Li, who seemed so genuine in his reactions. The friendships were the heart of the show and I really like how they supported each other. The writers did a terrific job in linking very small details and events; there were a great deal of symbols spread throughout the show and I thought the characters had very deep and meaningful conversations most of the times. There was also a great deal of humour and I laughed out loud many times while I only cried about two times.
The music was also very good and it helped build up the 90's vibe.
Most of the time this drama was very realistic and I felt like it was a delicious slice of life.

Things I didn't like: Well, I really loved this drama, so there aren't many things I can complain about except...the ending. The ending wasn't bad, it was acceptable, but it left me wanting more. I read there will be a movie so hopefully we will get te answers we were looking for.

I recommed this drama to those of you who want to take a break from the usual crazy plots and who want to be pleasently surprised.

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There Is A Plot!

I've seen a lot of criticism of My Safe Zone's plot; mainly, viewers saying that there isn't one, which I disagree with. If you're paying attention, the series tells us precisely what it is. Jane is Alin's safe zone, and the series is constructed around that single fact.

What I do agree with is that things moved too quickly. Jane and Alin were put into so many scenarios that we barely had time to recover from the last mishap in their relationship. This threw the series's pacing off. My Safe Zone could have benefited from either more episodes or fewer plot points to keep the story grounded and give the more significant points more time to be explored.

The true gem of My Safe Zone is the chemistry between Lena and Miu; no one can top what they gave us in My Safe Zone. And I'm not referring to the intimate scenes or their great acting performances. They have a give-and-take that I'm sure stems from their longtime friendship, which really gives life and sincerity to Jane and Alin's relationship. I really want to give props to the director for not stifling natural chemistry.

I'm looking forward to their next series, where hopefully they are given a great script with roles that suit them and their abilities.

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a BL with a soccer backdrop

Overall: it was entertaining. I wish they had reduced the number of characters/side plots to have more time for relationship progression. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI (U.S. for sure, not sure which other countries) https://www.iq.com/play/sqxdf59e7s?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4

Content Warnings: past non con picture taking/sharing, unwanted public outing

What I Liked
- visuals
- CEO was a decent antagonist (I really disliked him in episode 1)
- laughed a few times like when he hugged a standee and the difference between interview questions vs. real life
- caring moments
- really liked the captain and the idol
- nice dreams
- good kissing (ie no dead fish lip presses with blocked angles)

Room For Improvement
- the back and forth timeline in the beginning of episode 1
- one short flashback wasn't clear in episode 4
- too many couples, the third couple vanished
- introduced more antagonists, should have focused on the main characters
- nonsense: the plan/approach, how he didn't remember him from high school, did not appear to be enough players for their match

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