An underrated thriller with a shoddy ending, yet lived upto the mystery genre.
This drama is definitely one of the most underrated gems of the year 2021. I am disappointed at the fact that very less people were watching in real time and not sure whether it'll get recognition now that it's over. I think the cast is the reason but wth; these are all brilliant actors.A lot of people might consider it's a makjang or chaebol drama for the dark complex synopsis but trust me it's not. It's rather a mystery thriller with a touch of makjang, let's say 30%…? Well again, this drama lives upto the mystery genre.
THE ROAD: THE TRAGEDY OF ONE is about the family, social, political, business and hierarchical affairs involving people of a posh place namely, "Royal The Hill", where top 1% people of South Korea inhabit. This is an adaptation of the famous Japanese thriller novel "Ichi no Higeki" by Rintaro Norizuki published in 1992.
Baek Hyun Soo (Ji Jin Hee) is a famous news anchor with tragic past of youth who holds enormous influence on the netizens that he's built over decades by the means of his work. Married to his enemy's daughter, Seo Eun Soo (Yoon Se Ah), Hyun Soo has always thrived for justice. But as soon as he tries to unmask his own father-in-law, Seo Gi Tae (Chun Ho Jin), things become awry and making everything a mess. On a torrential rainy night a tragic incident takes place and the secrets connected with it result in silence, avoidance, and confusion, which eventually leads to another tragedy.
The Cast is full of veteran actors and in fact, the side characters or minor roles are played by actors with good amount of experience. This fact makes the drama even more interesting even before you start. If cast is the reason the drama isn't getting recognition, man that's an act of foolishness because the cast is very apt and all of them are very skillful actors. They're not just old by ages, also by the time they've spent in the industry. Their performance in this drama is stupendous.
Traumatized by his past Hyun Soo often gets flashbacks of that one horrible day of his teenage that changed his entire life making him run away from everything. Since then, he's always sought escape thinking he can someday finally fix his life but could never reach the end. Eun Soo, a miniature artist, loves her husband and son and can go to any length to protect her family. She's always careful about maintaining her dignity but also has her own insecurities. Chairman Seo Gi Tae of Jaekang Group is very influential and can wield any kinda card to get his work done. Aware of Hyun Soo's intentions, he draws a big picture to prevent his forthcoming downfall. Cha Se Young (Kim Hye Eun) is an announcer and highly ambitious woman who is never satisfied despite owning everything. Her greed and evil motives lands her in many odd situations.
Apart from the main cast,Choi Nam Gyu (Ahn Nae Sang) playing Se Young's husband, Shim Seok Hoon (Kim Sung Soo) playing Metropolitan Detective, Kwon Ye Jin (Baek Ji Won) playing News Desk Chief, Bae Kyung Sook (Kang Myung Hun) playing Chairman Gi Tae's 2nd wife and Hwang Tae Seob (Kim Roe Ha) playing the assemblyman are some other major characters who contributed to the drama's quality. Even the 2 child actors were good.
It's definitely a thriller with lots of makjang elements such as marriage problems, extra-marital affairs, cheating your partner, infidelity, rich family affairs, dirty secrets, power politics, hierarchical dispute, birth secret, drugs, alcohol, hypersexuality, high ambitions, political fights, corruption, pseudo journalism, scams, etc. Still a thriller, I repeat, with lots of twists & revelations plus a steady plot development that's worth anticipating about.
First 2 episodes are honestly kinda slow as well as confusing because it's anyways the introduction of the drama and there are lots of going back and forth in time to showcase the past connections. This particular thing is also included equally throughout the 12 episodes which might be unbearable but flashbacks are very common for individuals with PTSD. Yes, the lead character, Hyun Soo suffers from trauma and goes through frequent flashbacks even after 2 decades.
Story and screenwriting are very good with a steady and definite plot development and harmonic progression. The plot becomes somewhat blunt and boring in the episode 9 but even a major revelation at it's end again picked up my curiosity. Since it's only 12 episode I was a bit scared the finale week (11th & 12th) would be rushed but thankfully it wasn't the case. The destination goal of the drama started unfolding after the 2nd half of the 10th episode and almost everything was crystal clear by the end of 11th hence creating scope for the finale episode to come out smooth. However, I am a bit disappointed with the finale episode. It wasn't exactly bad but the way the writer wanted to end is unusual for a Korean thriller drama. I understand that in real, that also is a possibility and that's evident but still...... The main culprit was revealed in the 12th episode to the audience and everything was explained but...... Idk how to tell this without spoiling. Anyways, not gonna say that they messed up.
Direction ia amazing. All the techniques used to make the drama interesting plus intriguing, yielded good results. Synchronization and linking and of events, pacing and screenplay are very well done. And another important aspect of mystery/crime thriller dramas that's sound editing, is also excellently executed. Intense sound effects with deep background scores make the screenplay more thrilling. OSTs are also good and suit the mood of the drama. Cinematography is something that's been aptly worked upon and the dark aura helps keep the suitable scenario.
"Memories" by Yi Sung Yol is deep, sad and tragic track. "Find the Way" by Jung In is also good.
Again, it totally defines what exactly "mystery" genre should be like. There were lots of revelations in here and till the end there were lots of questions like why, who, how, what, etc that left me astonished. It's very unpredictable throughout because everyone seemed to be possessing some secrets and everyone tried to climb up the ladder and save themselves like crazy. Also, there are few things they had been showing us till the last episode without much explanation but they were eventually made clear in the finale. I started the drama a week before the finale so I thought people would be making theories and going crazy but sadly, coming here I see very less are watching it.
Also, this drama has a bisexual and a lesbian character who are involved with each other but that's not shown in a good light, rather it's another dirty little secret of the story.
This drama deserves a lot more than this and tvN's to be partially blamed too because it seems they're not promoting it well unlike it's other big budget ongoing dramas. I expected it to at least do well in Korea if not internationally but things didn't go well may be, hence making it one of the most underrated of this year. I could have given it 8.5/10 but outcome of last 15 mins was a bit unusual even though it's somewhat realistic.
I know that at this point filthy rich, posh village stories with luxurious group of people, gorgeously dressed women, family secrets, fight for assets things have become old and usual but this drama stands out to be different from the trope because of it's thriller elements and definitely worth the one time watch. So please give it a try keeping in mind that the first 2 episodes might not interest you but trust me, it gets better with each episode.
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But then I saw episodes 19 and 20, and in those two episodes everything changed and became clear. The true heart of the show was revealed: FAMILY, specifically the Jang family, and what it is to be family and why we need them. The rest of the drama intimated at the theme, but never made it clear enough or important enough for me to care. The drama was billed as one about infidelity and I was viewing it through that lens. But the drama did itself no service being billed that way. By the end I remembered (and realized) that the main character was Jang Hee Tae (with the 2nd most important character possibly being Kim Joon) and not Il Ri. So hating her character wasn’t relevant – she was just a means to an end, someone to keep the plot going. I didn’t have to like her, to love what this drama did right.
And what it did right, it did beautifully. I should not be surprised by the quality of anything the cable channels do anymore because they really are where the best and most cutting edge Kdramas are broadcast. The networks are frequently all flash and no substance. But TvN and jTBC in particular bring us such wonderful and fresh dramas – often challenging too. Valid Love was challenging. If you think infidelity is inexcusable when you start watching this drama, it probably won’t change your mind. But if you can be open-minded, you will get so much more out of it.
The acting is absolutely superb – from top to bottom. The characters feel so real and flawed and the world feels gritty and lived in. It is a lovely slice of life drama. The directing and cinematography is absolutely fantastic and adds so much to the story that even when Il Ri was driving me nuts, I could have watched it with the sound off and been happy. But then I would have missed the soundtrack, which was perfect because it always set the mood but was so subtle you often missed it. Instead of over-bearing ballads or screeching pop music, they just used ambient background music to convey the mood and add to the rich, languid scenes.
I wasn’t going to give this drama a score as high as 8. I hated the Il Ri character most of the drama (although she did seem to grow a little at the end), and there were long stretches of the drama that just annoyed the crap out of me, or even bored me. But the ending is so good. The acting is so fantastic and the directing is just gorgeous that qualitatively I had to give this drama an 8. I give it an 8 in spite of an awful female lead character (not a knock on Lee Si Young, who was good and whom I like quite a lot) and some writing between the early episodes and end that really started to meander and make me go WTF. So many Kdramas start good and then end badly – most of them really. Valid Love did the opposite. It started meh. It got pretty crappy in the middle, and then it soared at the end. The writer, despite the WTF moments, clearly knew what she was doing.
I came for Lee Soo Hyuk (heh). I stayed for Lee Soo Huk. I took away so very much more.
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The main attraction of this drama is definitely the satires. The writers are commendable for being able to continue the bold use of candid humor throughout the drama without making it revolting or tiring at any point. This drama takes in many typical elements like-naive main girl, arrogant main guy, evil opponents, traumatic past etc. - smites them with absurd derision and serves as a great amusement to the person savoring it!
Another good point is the attention paid to the legal details. Although the principle selling point was to be the humor, the writers did not forget to focus just as much on legalism as to be expected in a legal drama.
The characters are simply outstanding. The lead character Komikado is whacky, cynical, wasteful and indulgent. He is not only the center source of interest and excitement but also of contempt and resentment. The preposterous remarks delivered by him are unbelievable and unforgettable.Mayuzumi as an upright, honest lawyer has nothing surprising to offer but her existence is certainly indispensable in emphasizing the contrast with Komikado and maintaining the balance of craziness with rationality. The supporting characters are equally capricious and funny and enhance the pleasing power of the series.
The cast is exquisite. Sakai Masato has done a splendid job in the role of Komikado which is entirely different form his past images. He is so magnificently convincing in this drama that it’s impossible to imagine anyone else to be more fitting for this role. I liked the acting of Aragaki Yui here more than in any other dramas I’ve seen so far. Satomi Kotaro, Koike Eiko, Namase Katsuhisa, Taguchi Junnosuke -all are impressive and persuasive in their respective roles.
Overall it an excellent drama and if you are in the mood to watch something that will make you laugh out loud in every episode then Legal High is a must for you.
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Flying across the world was worth it
Ok so first I don’t speak Japanese and the movie didn’t have subtitles. I haven’t read the novels or listened to the audio cd’s.I came across Utsukare last year and was beyond impressed by the acting and story. So getting news of a second season and movie with a theatrical release felt very special and I decided to go to Japan for the experience.
When I made that decision, I intentionally didn’t want to read the novel or synopsis until after seeing s2 and the movie because I came into the world of Utsukare based on the show/visual medium and I wanted to continue my journey unspoiled without overly knowing the written material.
So opening night, I get some merch, get a ginger ale, and sit and let the movie show me a story.
Absolutely true a lot of the nuance and context of what was happening was beyond me.
Here is my tumblr recap - https://www.tumblr.com/anotherblblog/713949084636119040/ok-so-i-came-to-japan-to-watch-utsukushii-kare
Some are taking criticism at my recap because I don’t speak Japanese.
I went to Japan to watch this on the big screen because I wanted to see Utsukare big and bright and I got that experience.
With 2 seasons of HiraKiyo, I felt the movie picked up and continued their relationship well. Hira is more direct and involved and even with his insecurities still is there for Kiyoi and not yearning in place beneath him.
The mentors are really solid in their lives. The music is mostly new but with some familiar elements.
What I wanted for this experience was for it to feel like a movie. Big cinematic set pieces but I didn’t wanna lose the feeling of Utsukare.
I think the movie delivered on both.
The movie took set pieces and vignettes from the television series - HiraKiyo sleeping together and elevated it for the big screen. More tulle. Longer runtime. More heat. There are 2 high heat scenes and a handful of domestic fondness. They’re a couple. They feel like a couple. When they look at each other. When they touch. And it’s continuing a lot of the emotional tension in season 2 with Kiyoi wanting more. And Hira gives it to him. And Hira even gives it to him in a bathtub.
Where in season 1 Hira ran alone through the school a lot, in the movie he runs leading Kiyoi through a slo-mo cinematic fantasy run through the school but also through their past that they didn’t quite have in season 1. But seeing them again in their full school uniform and their casual wear felt real for me because it felt real for them.
The 10 episodes of seasons 1 and 2 led to this experience and I was very happy to have seen it, now three times.
I will love going back with subtitles and seeing how it’s translated for the international audience. But I’m content and impressed by what I’ve seen.
10/10.
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The simultaneous narratives were really interesting as Thai Lakorns can be somewhat typical and standardized in terms of storylines and Khun Mae Suam Roy was anything but. Saying that I wouldn’t recommend it as a first Lakorn to watch for Thai drama beginners as it will build unrealistic expectations about them. This Lakorn is like an old Port wine, one has to wait to drink it in order to fully maximize the experience of tasting the wine.
The mysteries about who shot Siriya, who caused her lover’s death, who messed up with the car breaks to cause Sina (pretending to be Siriya) accident, who shot her, and the Cluedo guessing game kept raising an array of questions about the possible suspects and sending viewers on mental wild goose chases nearly until the end. For those that like mystery games, this drama is brilliant. For those that like lovey dovey enemies to lovers kiss and slap stories, they’re not is as large a supply. The relationship between Thi and Sina is intriguing and really captivating from the beginning but it’s a bit like climbing a mountain except that when you think you reached the top and the view can’t get better, you haven’t reached the top yet and the view will get tons better.
Khun Thi, the male lead has always suffered from abandoned child syndrome both physically and emotionally by his mother which have caused him a severe emotional trauma and scarred him deep inside his heart. It was a tough issue for a young child to deal with and one that has strongly impacted on him. He’s very loyal to his father’s family who have raised him but he’s still the son of a mistress and that knowledge has always waved itself invisibly over his head, hidden away in an emotional inferiority complex. His leading lady, Sina (pretending to be her twin sister Siriya to discover who shot her, making her wheelchair bound), on the other hand is rather normal; a hardworking stunt double who kicks ass and protects her sister. Their love story is cliché and the way their emotions and their struggles play are a like an elastic band constantly expanding and shrinking, standard but at the same time so real life and both Pop and Bua have a strong chemistry onscreen. I found Darika’s obsession with Khun Thi too paranoid but that’s Lakorn stereotypical.
The writers have done a brilliant job writing the Nat and Siriya/Sina and both Khem Rujira Chuaykua and Bua Ongumpai have done a great job bringing them to life. Nat is the scorned woman who feels that her infertility caused her husband to fall for Siriya, who bore him a child and as a consequence had made her live in agony for years. Wanting to be a mother and being unable to, wanting her husband’s love but being scorned by him is something that many women can empathise with and can understand too well. As a result of those issues Nat battled depression, low self-esteem and extreme stress. Siriya is the eldest twin and the weakest one. She’s so meek and calm all the time making her look way too insipid and pitiful as she always comes across like a damsel in distress who needs to be rescued by her knight in shining armour. This makes her annoying as a character. Sina on the other hand is completely the opposite and that’s what makes her interesting, her Spice Girls, girl power attitude. The twins are so utterly simple, so devoided of complexity which is interesting as the story doesn’t need them to be multi-layered. The writers did such a great job in keeping viewers guessing, double guessing and questioning things all the time that when the Lakorn ended there the Suttarak family has finally got a sense of understanding about what happened, why it happened and was finally able to move on from that.
I liked that Khun Mae Suam Roy as a Lakorn is very well written and that the story is organic, flowing without a lot of dull or unnecessary moments. The storylines have purpose and are intrinsically connected; in one way or another they add substance to the development of main story arch which in itself is an achievement. The actors played a huge role in that but it’s easy to perform well with a great script that deals with contemporary issues relevant to current society.
I loved the romance, how the love story developed and how the drama production team gave viewers an entire episode dedicated to it. It was amazing, particularly how Thi played with the cards that were dealt to him and how, despite the denials and his own internal battles, he has overcome them and gave himself the chance to be happy with the woman he loves, freely and without reservations; but for me despite loving the romance, Khun mae suam roy was not about it, it was about the fight for justice and for a chance at happiness, underlined by a revenge plot, emphasized by a beautiful soundtrack. Roses have thorns.
For all of the above I am giving this Lakorn 10 points out of 10.
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I didn't like the first few episodes, it seemed like the directing was off. During the introductory phase of the drama, the audience has to learn who these characters are and a bit of context to the background and circumstances our characters face. Instead, it felt like a nosedive into the first episode. No joke, I thought I was playing the incorrect episode when I first started this drama. Thankfully, this wasn't an issue that was so bad I had to stop watching.
At times, the editing can get pretty choppy and weird. I remember shots jumping from one clip to another really oddly. It's not a huge problem, it just pulls you out of being into the atmosphere of the drama.
The last gripe I have are the last few episodes. It really fell from grace; they made some pretty poor choices and it made me skip around the last 3ish episodes til we got to the end. I've heard that this was cut from originally being even more episodes. I'm glad they cut it but they honestly needed to cut it some more to eliminate some of the BS that they included during the last episodes.
Even though this drama clearly has some faults, it excels wonderfully in some areas!
The characters are really, REALLY good (especially Zhao Xiao Tang, I absolutely adored her!!!). Each one of the supporting characters has a distinct personality and various problems they face, and you'll actually be invested in them! A lot of the time I don't really care about subplots, but everything happening to the side characters felt just as important as the plot with the main character. This drama also did a really good job creating a super cute friendship between the roommates.
Mu Cheng He and Xue Tong's relationship is truly SO cute! It's rare to actually find a depiction of a relationship that is so healthy in dramas. Initially, you might expect a teacher-student relationship to be toxic but I'll assure you this one wasn't. The only thing I'm upset with is how Mu Cheng He's character developed. It seemed like we were so close to seeing how he grew as a person but we ended up not getting any of it. The audience wants to see "show" not "tell", but his character development ended up being completely "tell" which was unfortunate.
I also really like the atmosphere this drama created. It really felt realistic and a slice of life. A lot of dramas nowadays are over the top and fall into situations that are completely implausible. Here, our characters face real problems that the audience really might relate to. The drama also touches on important themes like family, friendship, grief, addiction, etc.
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Mediocre but sweet and awkward in a good way
This drama has this odd charm, with awkwardness, slight suspense (very slight), a decent palette of current issues facing women and the LGBTQ+ community in todays society... However they only scratch the surface and it is delivered in a pretty mediocre way...The acting- Mediocre
The dialog. Mediocre
The cinematography- Mediocre
The sound- Pretty decent and sweet
The chemistry- Mediocre but sweet/awkwerd/dead fish... type of thing
The side characters-Range between sweet to meeh
The Friendships- lovely!
However it is very short so I would not say it is a waste of time in any way as it was pretty fluffy, easy to watch and entertaining.. Just do not expect a masterpiece... or anything ground breaking, breathtaking or to be swept of your feet...
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The first real omegaverse series, strong beginning, flat in the end...
While Pit Babe tried to be omegaverse it was without explaination and without a real omegaverse story. This series explained most of it in the beginning and you think you will get a typical storyline, but you won't. This is more a psycho-thriller with BL elements than a BL with psycho-thriller vibes.I won't go too much in details, because there are many reviews out there which will depict the series. When "Sheng" said "you little maniac" to his partner, he is exactly that. A ruthless, manipulative tyrant in most cases but with Mr. Sheng he is the cutest omega-like being on the planet. Mr. Sheng is also not a "child of sadness". While having a soft core he did also questionable things considering all his ex-lovers he had, a wolf in sheeps clothes so to speak.
Then we have a second couple which had a good dynamic in the beginning but got less and less screentime as the story progressed. While Shen is an alpha, he has too much hate for omegas in him to see the true nature of Gao and it ends in a disappointing finale (for me). There is hope, we will get a special to have their story to be completed but now it's open ended. At least for me it felt unfinished.
There is the critics who say there was rape, but in the omegaverse there are just animal instincts taking over when in "heat". It's not a rape per se, because both partner have the same desire. And everyone else who said "but we could see it clearly", yes that was because the director choose to show us even when in the story the room was dark.
Production budget seemed huge and in typical BL manner there is a lot of subtle bluring going on especially in the more romantic scenes and close-ups. The lip sync is also not perfect, especially with the child, the acting felt sometimes a bit stiff (due to the lib sync) and it often sounded subdued for the scenes we were seeing. Because this was a chinese production for the foreign market I wonder why they had to do this, because everyone besides chinese people would not know of the different chinese dialects and it took away some of the intensity of the scenes. Other then that, production quality was top notch.
While it is a groundbreaking series, it is far from a 10 for me, because a) I'm sound sensitive b) Shen seemed a bit too two-dimensional without the growth I expected and c) the finale. It's a very good show overall when you like the psycho-thriller approach.
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His - I Didn't Think I Would Fall In Love
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Coming to the cast. I am not particularly fond of Chae Soo Bin, but this drama definitely changed that. She was perfect both as the robot Ah Ji and the street smart Ji Ah. Yoo Seung Ho was ADORABLE! He was the best thing about the show! I've seen plenty of his works and I think by far, this is my favorite character portrayed by him. This character really suited him so much. The supporting cast was really good. Loved Ji Ah's friend and her brother as well as his family. They were all great. Sun Hye's little love triangle was awesome. lol.
The music was great. Perfect amount of chirp and serious.
I would definitely come back and watch it for the adorable character of Kim Min Kyu as well as certain hilarious scenes. Also, someone needs to invent those things Ji Ah made in the show, but sounds a little difficult from science's POV, lol.
Anyways, if you are in a mood for an easy-watch, this is definitely your show!
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EDITED 4/20/19: Everything in this review still holds true! The second half and ending are fantastic. Give this show a chance!
Story: 10/10
I like the story. It's the typical "there's an injustice, someone dies, a cabal of corrupt higher officials from the police/prosecution/rich people cover it up" storyline that seems super common among Korean crime dramas (and for good reason.. funnily enough this drama is airing as the burning sun scandal is being exposed in Korea). The execution is less serious for the most part (it lives up to its comedy tag), and sometimes bridges into being a little campy, but they always bring it back so that the more emotional scenes never feel forced or out of place. The emotional scenes (character backstories) are engaging and genuine. I'm hard to sell on edgy, tragic character backstories, because they're a) super common and b) often used as an excuse for why [this character] is now a douchebag in the present, but the backstories in this show (especially Father Kim and Detective Dae Young's) are less of that and more of a glimpse of what their characters are suffering with alone.
It's not extremely suspenseful or mysterious, and there's no doubt who the bad guys are from, like, the first few episodes, but it's a solid plot and the writers throw in enough important events to keep it moving along. It's not boring, and it provides plenty of scenarios for the characters to shine.
Acting/Cast: 10/10
This is definitely the star of the show for me. I tend to be a character-focused watcher, with a good plot being an added bonus, but this drama really blows my expectations out of the park for character writing and acting. Usually there's at least one (usually multiple, if I'm being honest) actor/character I think is unrealistic or wooden, and it puts me off, but all the actors are absolutely fantastic.
I've never seen any of the main actors before, but I've been especially appreciating Kim Nam Gil and Kim Sung Kyun's acting. Kim Nam Gil is the obvious star of the show, with perfect execution in the comedy scenes and a heart-wrenching look in his eyes in the more emotional ones. Even Lee Na Hui, whose character is my least favorite out of the three (and, honestly, kind of annoyed the hell out of me for at least the first 15 episodes, but that's just personal taste), acts well enough that I only disliked her character just because her personality wasn't my type, not because her acting was poor or the character was poorly written. She's growing on me. Even the weakest actor IMO (I won't say who) isn't anywhere near the level of annoying over-acting that I dislike in dramas. The cast is a solid A, with even side characters' actors delivering a convincing and engaging performance that adds value to the scenes they're in and makes the characters likable in their own right, instead of being treated like convenient props to further the main characters.
Every interaction feels genuine, and every scene runs fast enough that you're never left thinking, god, this dialogue is dragging and the characters won't stop staring silently/dramatically at each other. (Plus, I'm not an eye-candy watcher, but Kim Nam Gil is almost ridiculously cute in every scene he's in. Watch out for the scenes when he fights and his bangs fall into his eyes. Cute, right?)
The fight scenes are also an absolute delight to watch, even if you're not a fan of gritty action (the show has a martial arts director on set, so the choreo and execution are great.) Filming technique, cinematography, the occasional unique lighting choice, and other visual cues are used well in each scene.
Music: 10/10
OST usually isn't a huge factor in how much I like a drama, but a good one is always a plus. This drama's OST is great: the emotional scenes are paired with delicate orchestral pieces, and the fast-paced and fight scenes aren't afraid to use rock, rap, and raunchy songs with an exciting beat. I downloaded the ending song to my phone.
Rewatch Value: 10/10
...I've been rewatching each episode probably at least twice each after they air, and the whole series when I feel like it, so there's not much else I can say about rewatch value. They're just funny as hell, and I'm a sucker for humor. The scenes don't feel like they get old, and even rewatching a stupid joke for the 4th time is at least 50% as entertaining as the first time. As long as the writers don't drop the ball by a huge amount in the second half (and, honestly, even if they do) this is probably going to be one of my comfort rewatch series and one of my all-time faves.
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Basically, it doesn’t matter if you don’t usually watch dramas from China, or if you don’t usually watch period dramas, or if you don’t usually watch long dramas. This drama is, objectively speaking, so splendid and magnificent that if you don’t check it out, you’d be missing out. Big Time.
Not even exaggerating, by the way.
1. The polish : Everything is carefully, lovingly, beautifully shot, costume and background music, everything is precisely, just-so perfect
2. The acting :The cast is a sprawling one, as befits the scale of the story, and from the principal characters to the secondary characters, to even the small, incidental characters, every single one is well-acted with his/her unique character, character development and plot twists adds a lot to the story and each character
3. The Romance : THE BEST, Great chemistry between the two main leads, with UH-Mazing cute scenes.
4. sisterhood and motherhood : this close palpable relations between main leads and secondary characters are so breath taking.
5. The villains : with their acting forced to hate them more and more with every passing episode.. they did great job
What a breathless, breathtaking journey. Equal parts brilliant and satisfying, and executed with such meticulous, fine care, The Princess Wei Young is definitely a drama for the record books.
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"Wayla Kammathep” which also can be called “ The Love Proposal” is a incredibly thrilling, romantic, sexy and angsty drama from 2022 starring Fern Nopjira as the hardworking and golden-hearted heroine Treenuch Thaweewong “Nuch” and then we have Tre Porapat portraying the very clever, passionate and badass hero Time Metheephatthana. I love lakhorns that are written and developed in a right way without adding any unnecessary scenes. This lakhorn is right up the alley with dramatic lakhorns like "Hua Jai Sila", "Bad Romeo" and "Fah Mee Tawan" where it comes to intensity of the plot and the characters. "The Love Proposal" has the recurring concept of Time in every episode where we can see Time Glassess in many scenes where Time is running out for the characters. Nuch & Time are our beloved main-leads and their love-story starts at a moment where time was not nice to either of them. While Time needed more time to establish a romantic relationship with Nuch (because of his failure in the past) Nuch could not afford to give him that time.
So she breaks up with him and accepts her parents proposal in her marrying a wealthy man who needs a heir. She never imagined that man would be Time`s older brother, Touch Metheephatthana portrayed by Toy Pathompong who is a much more gentle and calm person in comparison to Time`s stubborn fire. Time is heartbroken over the news and silently suffers while he watches his brother marry the love of his life. We also have family intrigue in the form of a jealous cousin who will do everything to steal the role of the CEO from Touch.
So many things happens and it is so well blended together. The actress portraying Nuch is a fine looking woman, love her acting and how versatile she actually is. I could see how torn she was and conflicted and the way she truly comes to care for her husband. Touch in my opinion was a very tragic character somehow. Having this duty in producing a heir and being unable to because of his sexuality. He tries to stay strong throughout the story and i give him credit for that. Time is one of the best main heroes ever in Lakhornland! He is very impulsive, hot-headed and oh soooo smokily charming but is the guy who get all the dirty jobs done already from the start when he jumps into the fire to save that kid.
He is so badass and has this warrior vibe to him. He protects his family with all his soul- and he is as passionate when it comes to love. Being unable to walk away from Nuch even when she married his brother and still also unable to stay away from her. He kept throwing his misery and fury at her, feeding his love-sick heart. I just LOVE his chemistry with Nuch and how he would not let anyone insult her! Time and Nuch reaches a point where they are unable to live without each other. The passion, the longing and the selfless lover they got for each other, ahhh it made my heart weak! This lakhorn is AMAZING! And i recommend it to anyone who wants a romantic,sometimes crazy..but well done trainwreck!
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Although ´makjang´ was taking it almost over the edge of the bearable, I had to stick with it
A classic among KDramas. The dramaturgical moves may sometimes be predictable - the evil stepmother and such... However, there is this passionate play of truly dedicated actors . ...and a groovy interpretation of Ave Maria, that burns mercilessly into your heart and ear. Although makjang (Mean! Bitchy! Malicicious!) was taking it almost over the edge of the bearable, I had to stick with it. Some scenes still have an impact on me years later.Human abysses are presented in abundance. In addition, dealing with different facets of true love. An unforgettable piece of KDrama, for those who can never get enough drama. Here you can emotionally let off steam on the backs of the protagonists. For everyone else it might be a bit too much in some places.
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The first time I ever saw Lee Jong Suk was in Secret Garden and I remember thinking, 'this man has the looks to make it big'. Ofcourse, at that time I wasn't aware that he had already made it pretty damn big. Seeing him in Pinocchio, there's no denying that he has a talent for acting, combine that with his heavenly looks and you get an almost perfect package.
Even though the name of the drama is based on the female lead, it's obvious that Dal Po is the star of the show. The plot revolves around him and despite the fact that the side characters bring their own charisma, they are ultimately in his orbit.
Park-Shin Hye came to be a pleasant surprise. I'm not going to lie, I disliked her in almost every show she appeared in previously and due to my bad experience with her acting, I had developed a sort of negative bias for her. However, it's always amazing when an actor or a show surprises you and surpasses your expectations. PSH somehow managed to make In Ha a sweet and likable character who the viewers constantly rooted for. The fact that she has to hiccup repeatedly came out as adorable instead of annoying and I couldn't believe myself when I started to feel affection for her.
A lot of people were even happy that she finally improved her kissing techniques. That, I think is pushing it a little bit because if you look at it closely, her movements are as non-existent as ever, but due to some skillful camera work, Lee Jong Suk's kissing prowess is incredibly highlighted which makes it somehow appear as if she's a proficient partner too. But oh well- technicalities.
However, for me the biggest flaw of the show was that the protagonists were not on equal footing. Dal Po clearly over-powers In Ha in the relationship and he comes out as far less commited and invested in the love story. Which is why the romance factor didn't do much for me. They do the right things, say the right words, their union makes complete sense and yet, there is no emotional connection whatsoever.
In Ha makes so many sacrifices for Dal Po, her affection is completely genuine and she let's him take the spotlight from her time and time again whereas Dal Po seems almost detached when it comes to her.
Ultimately, this unequality between the leads was something that started to rub me the wrong way. There were moments where I wanted In Ha to shine individually and to be given more credit for everything she does. Essentially, she's such a huge part of the show and if we ponder about it; she's the backbone behind Dal Po's success and yet, she's never valued enough. The moment she does something substantial is followed by Dal-Po countering it with something more and it always manages to downplay her importance. This is the reason why they are both outstanding and lovable personas in their own right but their co-existence is rather stiff and unnatural.
So, in my opinion the best way to watch Pinocchio is to think of romance as just a subplot and focus on the main story. I had so much love for almost every single character in the show and they are so thoroughly well-developed that I could write a lengthy character sketch on all of them. The drama is filled with small, utterly poignant moments that move you. The script is excellently written and the story flows with a smooth efficiency. The antagonists are three-dimensional and I never truly disliked any of them. Pinocchio thrives on the emotional interactions between its characters and it shows exactly how powerful familial love is.
Over-all this drama, with its brilliant acting, consistent story-line and satisfying ending, manages to bring forth a current of continous entertainment from beginning to end.
Indeed, a good watch.
Enjoy!
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