Reviews

Xianxia without Angst!!!

This drama basically is a xianxia without any angst, a good watch, great visuals, great CGI, somehow high production for short dramas.
This drama feels like a mix of Immortal Samsara, Starry Love, and many other famous xianxias. More like a compilation of happy moments from those dramas.

• Music- above average
• costumes- Excellent
• Acting- Done right✓
• story- light hearted.

For someone who likes slow burn, this was much fast phased with lots of romance. And you might get cheated as the length of the episodes are not as long as said here in MDL. The outro is of 3-4 minutes. So you get to watch around 7-8 mins episodes.

All in all, a good escape from normal lengthy dramas.

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Finding joy and staying patient while living the mundane life,

as we all learn to find beauty in the tiny moments - a smile from a child, sun coming through the branches of the trees, other people’s happiness.

Perfect Days is weirdly relatable in its simplicity. Smiling because of the shadows dancing on the wall is something that happens to me often - little moments that when appreciated, can make your day better. The movie allows you to stop for a minute and take in all the everyday wonders we often miss.

Watching Hirayama enjoy his daily routines and finding things to appreciate when the known pattern is broken made me think that every situation comes with a set of things to welcome with gratitude and things to be patient about. No bad moment lasts forever, no happy moments can exist, if we don’t notice them.

Yakusho Koji’s performance alone could be seen as the 8th wonder of the world. Even with little to no dialogue, he was able to express all the depth and internal complexity. Hirayama truly is a character we could learn from - patient, kind, helpful, giving, perceptive, diligent. Someone who cherishes each and every moment finding time to note the beauty of his surroundings.

Visually speaking I was in awe when watching it in the cinema. The use of light and shadows, well crafted set designs, interesting shots and angles - while I am glad I was able to see it all on the big screen, I also wish I could take screenshot of each and every scene and be able to come back to the pictures representing the beauty of the daily life.

Inspired by the movie, let me name a few things that brought a smile on my face in recent times:

How shadows that added to the beauty of the art I was viewing, creating a unique experience for that specific moment.
A cute drawing kids made with a chalk on the pavement.
The sun making the water flicker as if the waves were carrying little diamonds.
How a dirty window on the bus stop actually made the sunset I saw look even more magical.
How I drew a smile on a mandarin and it smiled at me the whole lecture.

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History of a Salaryman is the most underrated drama of all time…

Story- I honestly don’t know where to start! The first half of episodes deals with the main character Yoo Bang trying to make it in the business world. Along the way we are taken thorugh hilarious antics while he fails a lot and but starts to succeed by the middle of the drama. During that time the murder mystery gets solved. After that your wondering how are they going to fill the rest of the episodes. Well there is a lot that happens. After Yoo Bang Succeeds he hits a roadblack, succeeds, then falls once again. Basically the theme in this drama is power. Everyone wants it and you get to see what all these characters (good and bad) do to obtain it. I never expected I’d laugh so hard from episode 1 all the way to the very end. I usually never give a 10 for a dramas story because I always find some fault somewhere but seriously this drama is perfect. The ending was the most original I have ever seen in a drama. It definitely keeps in line with the tone of the show.

Acting/Cast- Perfect casting! I like that the writers wrote the characters in a way that everyone’s role was important whether they were a lead or supporting. I loved the 4 leads the most but Jung Gyu Woon really outdid himself acting wise. His character was complex because he was one of the villains but you really can’t hate him for it. It was very interesting to see all these different sides to him. Yeo Chi was another character that I absolutely adored. I loved that they made her a chaebol but not your typical well respected one. She cusses a lot and shouts at everyone but I love that she never hides her emotions. I think her character development was really well written.

Music- the score matched the scenes so well as they helped to heighten the ever-changing moods. The OST was very good but there is this one song that I put on my ipod cause it was so fun and catchy.

Rewatch- I can rewatch this drama once a year because it’s so freaking hilarious.

Overall History of a Salaryman is the most innovative show to come along in a while. It might be a change from your typical preference but if you give it a chance you’ll be in for 22 hours of nonstop entertainment!

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This drama is WONDERFUL, UNIQUE AND AWESOME!
The actors did a great jop...almost imposible but I LOVE EVERYONE in this drama, they were excellent.
I have no words for the romance scenes...the two leads actors are great!!! you can even think they're really in love.
The music was perfect in each scene.
I cried, i enjoyed the romance scenes but what i did the most was LAGH!!!
OMG...i really love all the scenes were the four of them make stupid things their acting is so natural i really bought it!!!! jejejeje
HOPE THEY MAKE MORE DRAMAS LIKE THIS ONE...WHERE THE FRIENDSHIP IS BEYOND EVERYTHING!

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Story: This is the 3rd series of the popular Chinese Paladin franchise that was popularised by Hu Ge. Having watched all three Chinese Paladin series, I'll just summarise by saying that they are all worth your time watching. CP5 is an entirely different story. It even has an entirely different cast. No Hu Ge. To some, this might be a disappointment, but to others, this is a breath of fresh air - an opportunity for budding actors to try and prove their worth. Did Elvis Han manage to fill Hu Ge's big shoes? To be fair, it's hard to compare since Elvis' and Hu Ge's characters in the CP franchise are quite different! I'll also go out on a limp here by saying that in CP5, we have TWO male lead characters and not one as per the past CPs. Joe Cheng who acted as the Demon Prince Long You is an equally commanding, charismatic (perhaps more charismatic) and important character in CP5 as Elvis' half-human-half-demon Yun Fan. There are times in the series where Yun Fan's story took the backseat and Long You shone through. In fact, it got me questioning if Long You's the main male lead and not Yun Fan! Long You certainly has a much more interesting story arc. I am sure there are many Long You fans out there as there are for Yun Fan! The bromance between Yun Fan and Long You is another reason for watching this series. Unlike the past two series, this series focuses more on the relationship between humans and demons. The fairies or gods hardly make an appearance (if you count the 3 brief CGI appearances of Nuwa goddess as the 'fairy' part!).

Romance-wise, I am more in favour of the Long You-Xiao Man pairing. The romance between Yun Fan and Yu Rou is pretty one-dimensional and straightforward. I am also not entirely sold on the chemistry between Yun Fan and Yu Rou. Gulnezer or Gu Li Na Zha is a pretty woman but she is not suited to this role. She's either staring blank with her large eyes or crying tears with her large eyes. Nothing more. The chemistry is lacking between her and Elvis - which was a disappointment. It got to the point that I did not feel sorry for her when it's time for her to leave the scene (ahem!). The chemistry between Ling Ying and Long You was believable; not to mention the rather hot kissing scene (those of you who'd watched it know which one I'm referring to!)... but I was somewhat glad that Long You choose Xiao Man instead. Theirs is a relationship that started with platonic friendship and slowly grew into love as they supported each other and experienced all the hardships and challenges together. There is so much possibility for the relationship to grow but unfortunately, the series had to end! And the ending is....without giving spoilers away, I can only summarise it in one word: HOPE.

Acting/Cast: Generally, acting was good but I am not impressed with Gulnezer's acting. Unfortunately, this series would have been a much better one if they replace Gulnezer. My favourite actors are those who played the bandits. They provided the much needed comedic relief in this series.

Music: The OSTs are good and appropriate.

Rewatch value: I am more biased towards Long You's story; so if I rewatch this, I will only watch the parts concerning Long You. Thankfully, there are plenty of it!

Overall: Not as amazing as CP1 & 3, but it is still worth your time watching. Interesting story that manage to capture audiences' imagination. I rate this 8.5/10.

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With a mix of an excellent prosecution drama, humor, character development, and vampires VP was a blast. Despite my reservations.

There are some fatal flaws. Especially with the mythology. Meaning there really is no hardcore mythology behind it. In fact, I'm not even sure if the vampires know anything. It's very muddled. There are so many unanswered questions as to why Min has his powers. Are they vampire standard or unique to each one, and so on. Despite all that there's a reason it is the most talked about 2012 K-drama.

Every actor did a wonderful job and I was completely caught up in their performances. Lee Won Jong is always a pleasure to watch and I love the way he portrays Detective Hwang.

For me the selling point of VP is not that there are vampires here. (And yes I'm a huge vampire nut!) This is an excellent prosecutor show and I loved the episode cases and the overall arc mystery of the show. Well done.

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If only it had ended as well as it began!

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha begins with lightning. Somehow, the creators were able to align everything just right for a simple story about a woman dentist hitting a wall in her life. The premise isn't new, and well, one could honestly call it a mid-life crisis series, except they purposely make sure to let us now the characters are just at true adult age (their early to mid 30's) and not yet on that particular journey.

Yoon Hye Jin (Played by the absolutely stunning Shin Min Ah) is a morally steadfast dentist who can no longer take the greedy pressures of the Seoul clinic she works. After a final run-in with the owning dentist, she quits, with enough money to keep herself fed, but not enough to open her own clinic in the expensive city. With her name in the mud with other dentists and unable to find a new position, Hye Jin runs off to a small coastal town she visited as a child that holds the last great memory of her mother. Meant to be only a day trip to celebrate her long deceased mother's birthday, fate intervenes trapping her there money-less, shoe-less, and roofless.

Enter our male lead, Hong Doo Shik known as Chief Hong, a dashing townie (Played winningly with just the right touch of sex appeal by Kim Seon Ho) who does basically every job the town has to offer, and shows up everywhere our female lead is too. As he hands her a single found shoe, Cinderella and her prince end up in tongue sparring match, as Chief Hong finds our destitute Hye Jin snobbish and entitled.

Just suffice it to say, that in this single day and night in the fictitious seaside town of Gongjin, Hye Jin meets every power player the series will deliver, and has a whirlwind of experiences that ultimately make her decide to open up a dental clinic here, where she can actually afford too.

Thus, the fish-out-of-water big city girl in small town life begins, and how enjoyable it is to watch.

Every single side character has a story to tell, and those stories, unlike other series such as Racket Boys, actually intertwine and affect our main journey and main characters. Everyone is, for the most part, believable as real people living their lives in this small town. You learn to love, be annoyed at, or mostly not like everyone in play. This is an utter triumph compared to what is many times delivered by such stories.

The first ten episodes of the series are some of the most heartwarming, funny, romantic, believable, and, I dare say, honest storytelling hours I have seen in a while. The director, and writers, always went right up to the line of over-the-top without actually crossing over into it. The restraint was admirable, and it makes one want to lay back smile, giggle, and press play in the most refreshing sense of enjoyment.

However, episode eleven is where this praise abruptly stops. When the series shifts gears with its main leads, in what should be a great payoff, the audience instead ends up with a saccharin, ridiculous, and trite hour plus episode that could cause whiplash. Whatever restraint the makers had shown instantly dissolves into a story that goes full force into territory seemingly written and executed for teenage schoolgirls.

It takes a few episodes for the series to stabilize, but at this point what existed between our main leads seems to have become a thin anorexic version of what it was previously. The story begins working overtime to create teachable, emotional, and sentimental moments. The natural honest feel good storytelling that earmarked the first ten episodes being replaced with cloying, fake, and melodramatic plot lines.

When the penultimate episode fifteen begins, you find yourself embroiled in an almost entirely different show. We get a long hinted at and hidden backstory that rolls out in the most unbelievable fashion. The events are over-the -top worst case scenarios that string together in a waterfall of tragedy. That our Chief Hong even remotely blames himself for a laundry list of events that are completely and utterly outside of his control is aggravating. Even worse, the self medication, nightmare having, therapy going lead never addressing the elephant in the room brought up episodes ago, in that he feels he causes the deaths of everyone he has ever come to love. This is left unresolved, or in truth most things end up being resolved by just a good long cry. Which is especially frustrating considering after all this exposition and chaos the episode ends with the death of one of the most beloved townspeople. Just to top of more tragedy, not that you won't see this plot point coming.

I will admit, I am short changing this a bit, but not by much. It becomes so heavy-handed at this point, I actually found myself yawning and reaching for my phone. Yes, I can tell you the current CNN headlines. And considering that this show previously had me losing sleep for just one more episode, is a very very mighty fall.

In the end, everything becomes about marriage. Marriage for everyone. Everyone in love. Even children. And to push this moral further you will be subjected to one of the worst and most manipulative scenes I've ever watched on shaming people were get divorced. It even involves a child crying. But, all is good because the townsfolk you have spent any time with at all are making a ridiculous parade down to the beach to take pictures all together in joy!

What started out amazing, ends in a bumbled, frustrating, trite, and unrealistic mess. But the beginning episodes can be watched over and over again until the end of time. And they alone keep this at an 8, B+/A- , 4 stars. If only the ending had stayed as strong.

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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama " Love in Contract " has a good story in theory, but the execution was weak.

The dynamics between a strong, independant and girly woman and a moody, closed up man were spot on, for starters. However, the love story lacked pace, had few romantic moments that were added awkwardly into the story and, overall, it lost its enjoyament since it felt parcial.

The love triangle, moreover, was boring and the two leads had zero chemistry, which did not aid at all.

Also, the main character was annoying and acting immature most of the time, though the actress did a good job with her performance.

Finally, the drama got boring after the first episodes and messy when it came to its plot.

So, overall, two out of ten.

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Almost paradise but not perfect!

19-year-old girl Eun Tak does her best to survive her monotonous life with her aunt and cousins. One day, she blows out her birthday candle and accidentally summons a goblin. Not just any goblin, but a world-weary 900-year-old immortal Goblin named Kim Shin, for whom she is fated to remove the magical sword from his chest and finally let him rest in peace, or else death will come to her instead. Kim Shin wanted to end his immortal life but in order to do that, he had to give up his only love and then he had to end his life to save her. Now, how can this end happily?

At it’s core, Goblin is a high-stake romance with unsolved past conflicts that centers around death, reincarnation, grief, and forgiveness. Not only it's hilariously charming, it’s also painfully soul-crushing. Watching each scene feels truly magical and for me it is thanks to the God-tier OSTs that are played in the scenes so flawlessly, it amplifies all the emotional beats. Other aspects are also top-notch: acting, characterizations, camera work and cinematography. My favorite part is, of course, all the bromance moments between Kim Shin and Grim Reaper, their funnies and their long-lasting bond. They gave fresh comedies that I love to rewatch and laugh again.

That said, I'll always be a little bitter that they wrote Ji Eun Tak as a high-schooler who wears her school uniform with her freaking bowtie most of the time! I never understand and I feel really bad about it. Plus, Kim Shin is just a very immature rude jerk at first. I see Goblin and Eun Tak as friends more than lovers. This is why romance is not my main enjoyment watching this drama, and while the chemistry between Sunny and Grim Reaper is unmatched, they deserve more couple moments! It’s a bit waste of potential and frustrating to watch them meet and part ways repetitively just for exchanging biodata and unrevealing a tiny bit of mystery. Regardless, I recommend Goblin to anyone as plot is uncomplicated and you’ll be amazed by the beauty of it.

Dec 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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Just a simple romantic fantasy movie

I have been following this movie since it came out and just heard the reviews are unfavorable regionally and internationally. Yet i encourage you to watch this movie without any bias, but based on the fact that you love a good simple romantic film.

Plot summary:
Childhood friends who lost each other and found each other again after many years, thanks to fate! However, life happens along the way and their love is tested. Fantasy elements are introduced and the unfortunate couple tries to change their destiny to stay alive, but this time without each other. Yet as the saying goes, what is meant for you will find you no matter what.

Acting:
I saw CFY in Lighter and Princess and i dare say he is improving. he is a young actor and is in the learning process. then again, in this very particular movie, he portrays a very normal youngster who is in love but goes through hardships in life.
Zhou Ye is also quite decent and depicted a very cheerful yet faithful lover. Both had good chemistry together. i just wished we could see more kiss scenes, albeit the ones shown were ok imo.

Writing:
It's a movie so we can't expect to see many details and elaboration of how things are. everything is fast-paced. Also, this movie is a fantasy romance, so many things cannot be explained with logic. it's just how it is. One thing that was a bit questionable to me was that they keep saying their love is tested and that we can't fight destiny. Yet in the end, we see a different scenario. Like are they gonna suffer again? the curse was gone? did they go through the loophole again? but the ending was kinda nice. they got what they deserved.

Production and soundtrack:
The movie is rather simple. It has been filmed in very simple locations as it is in most movies. The soundtrack was kinda nonexistent. I didn't hear anything playing Lol

Overall, it's a beautiful romantic movie. Nothing that extraordinary, but very beautiful if you're into romance. Don't pay attention to the overly negative or overly positive ratings.

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Want to watch a RomCom that will actually make you laugh? With a side of eyecandy?

Watch Cunning Single Lady, granted, plot-wise, it has all the Kdrama cliches ever except for one (watch to find out ;] ).

I give this a 7 overall because it did drag in the middle but it wasn't horrible; it was bearable and I liked that it had a happy ending for all the characters.

The music was nothing memorable but at least it was coherent; sad music in sad scenes, happy music in happy scenes, etc.

Additionally, to be honest, the best actors in this drama were the leads. The others were so-so. The actor that I applaud and seriously made this drama more appealing in my books is Joo Sang Wook. He really branched out in this drama. I have always seen him play the cold and lonesome persona in other works but here, he plays such a goofball. You can see he had fun playing this character. And his laughter, I absolutely adore. I hope he decides again on more comedic roles because he has the potential to be a versatile actor; not just your typical serious actor.

Lee Min Jung, from my experience watching her on screen, is a good actress and I already know she can play comedic dramas well, so she did a great job as the lead.

This is a drama when you want a break from heavy plotted dramas. You won't regret it and will make you, if you're not already, a bigger fan of Joo Sang Wook.

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This is my first show with WinnySatang as a pairing and its so good!

Positives:
- The story is fun , exploring identity, friendships, trust and belonging.
- The show does not use excessive filters on the actors skin, leaving it looking natural.
- The couple dynamics are heartwarming and have some moments that are relatable and realistic.
- It has a nice balance between serious scenes and playful moments.
- Winnys character is portrayed realistically, being awkward at first and avoiding his feelings to then becoming protective and allowing his true feelings to be seen. He starts thinking about his lifestyle and choices differently after getting into a long term relationship.
-The Kiss scenes are sweet and believable without being stiff or forced.

Negatives:
- The political story elements were not overly interesting to me, becoming repetitive.
- The story does not go too deep and is best viewed as a light/casual drama.

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opposites attract, enemies to lovers, battle of the geeks, sunshine/tsundere, teasing & pranks

Okay look, I said when I reviewed Light on Me, that Korea was giving us an honest to goodness high school set BL with some classic old school yaoi tropes almost as if they were doing a bit of a, “now that we’ve hit our stride, let’s perfect the vanilla sheet cake BL style.” It was great, of course, but very refined and elegant which some found off putting.

I feel like they did it again with Semantic Error. Only maybe even a little better? Okay maybe not better but DIFFERENT.

Everything that Korea always does right, they did right with this show.

* Spot on and pretty pretty casting of mature actors who can handle the content.
* High quality production values with beautiful filming and flawless sound quality.
* Great wardrobe, lighting, staging, editing, and everything else pre and post production being well chosen and executed.
* Great friendship group and support characters.
* Strategic use (but not overuse) of BL and romance tropes.

This was an absolutely pitch perfect university set BL, just very very Korean about it. It had all the hallmarks of old school traditional yaoi, linear filming and framing techniques combined with classic archetypes including a strong seme/uke dynamic. But it was so pleasingly pristine and tailored about its approach.

If Light On Me was a fluffy delicious vanilla sheet cake, Semantic Error is the perfectly baked moist and decadent red velvet cupcake.

A little richer, a little more depth, that creamy cheesy frosting. Maybe not the most innovative, maybe not as complex as we might like, but so well executed it was like classical french cooking... you can’t argue with perfection you can only gobble it down and then be sad you ate so fast.

Yes WATCHA, you have ALL the techniques. Yes, you have all the skills. And you know what, sometimes that’s all we really need in a BL.

We are so grateful.

What elevates Semantic Error is that Korea did things right with this one that they usually mess up.

They got the pacing spot on for the shorter length. It never felt rushed.
They managed a tight *complete* story with nothing confusing about intent, purpose, or character motivation.
And we got actual amazingly good chemistry and kisses.
They left us with a smile and a chuckle and a pair of the cutest boys ever to grace the screen.

This is probubly going to be my favorite BL of 2022. And yes, for all the reasons stated above but also THE CHARACTERS.

Jaeyoung + Sangwoo FOREVER
Emotional seme versus logical uke is a favorite of mine, plus it goes way back to some Gilgamesh shit of ego versus id. I also love “the only one who can bully him is me” trope. Also I adore it when an agro seme (bratty fucker) develops a big o’ crush, commences pining, and goes all over whipped for his boy. Jaeyoung pined like a master. Like Park Seo Ham took lessons from Sam Lin (We Best Love).
And it wasn’t just him, For those of us who waited patiently for Sangwoo to soften, boy did he ever. What a marshmallow moment! Poor baby went into deep crush and had NO IDEA what to do about it.
Moot pining, yes!

There were even moments that made me hoot with laughter (the lettuce incident).

This is it.

Semantic Error has put the sugar rose on top of Korea’s intent to dominate BL. After the flop ending of Kissable Lips and the lingering trauma of Peach of Time, we all thought we were back on shaky ground with KBL, but nope Korea’s taking the gold.

So yeah, maybe this is a little tame and calm of a review from me. But their ducks were all in a row on this one, and I kinda expected them to stick the landing. (Ooo, mixed metaphors. Now I’m imagining s duck doing gymnastics.) How do I really feel?

Shaken & stirred, thank you very much.

I love this show so hard. And it is going into hard rotation. Completely rewatchable from start to finish. We have been blessed. Thank you Korea.

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This drama got my attention because of Ikuta Toma. But in the end I get to love all the characters.
This drama is about Jotaro, who struggles in Tokyo because of job and unsteady life. He then decides to take a job in local revitalization team in Shimanto, small town in Kyushu. It really sounds boring. But the true is, that this drama is really nice, relaxing and somehow touching. It's not forced and the storyline is progressing in good pace. We can see the beautiful nature of Shimanto, the river and the bridge. We can see local elderly people and local problems. Somehow it is nearer to common people's hearts. It's not a flashy story about Tokyo, that's why I liked it a lot.
So we have Jotaro, who can't find his way of life. Kahori, the doctor who has another dream. The mysterious Morishita, nurse with a dark past. Hiroki, whose past is always chasing him. Junichi, who never stepped outsite of his beloved town and Sayori, who is not really living a happy married life. This drama is simple, but great. Not to mention the greatest opening song in the universe sung by main cast :)

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