Watch, Pause, Think and Savor It.
“An Ancient Love Song” shows you that you don’t need a lot of money to produce a drama that moves the audience. Inspired by a fan-made video, this low-budget passion project is able to deliver a well and creatively told story of two star-crossed lovers.The reverse timelines really took me a while to think, pause and then realize what just happened. I have to be honest, I was a little confused in the beginning when ML first met FL. I even felt that the romance was off, because of how it all started. But after I got my bearings, I really appreciated this unique way of storytelling. It reminded me of the Japanese movie “Tomorrow I will Date with Yesterday’s You”, but way better. As the story progresses, each flashback sequence helps fill in the blanks of what actually happened, and the story touches me a little bit more each time.
Zhang Ya Qin (FL) has come a long way. I wasn’t super impressed with her acting in “Love in Between” but here, she did a good job in playing an 18-year old innocent girl all the way to the 36-year Empress. Guo Jia Nan (ML) took a few episodes to get in the groove, but he found his groove and his character grew on me. Zhuang Han might have stolen Guo Jia Nan’s thunder a little and has a stronger screen presence. The rest of the supporting cast did fine but not outstanding.
Since this is a short 14-episode drama, the pacing is good and there are no fillers. I actually would have loved to see a few more episodes, or longer episodes, as I think there’s enough material to dive deeper into each timeline and background stories.
This is a quick and easy-to-binge watch. If you are usually scared of long Chinese period dramas, this is a perfect length to start. You will be greeted by a touching romance told creatively with reverse timelines. Watch, pause, think and savor it.
Completed: 7/18/2023 - Review #332
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Fairy Tales and Ghost Stories
Order of the Sommelier feels like a string of fairy tales/ghost stories, which are connected through the two main characters: Fu Yu, who is a demon hunter and Bai Qi, who is a dragon. The audience meets them first at the demon tavern Bai Qi owns, a place that shifts between modern times and the ancient past. Different guests enter the tavern, bringing along their stories. Then, by the magic of the served drinks, the two main characters get involved in those stories, which take place in an ancient rural setting. The relationship between Fu Yu and Bai Qui starts out with a little hostility, but during their adventures together, they slowly learn more about each other and their tone changes.The stories are simple, yet engaging, the plot keeps moving, but is never rushed, the actors bring the characters and their emotions to life, the music is nice and fits the scenes, its overall an entertaining and pleasant watch, if you don't expect spectacular sets and costumes or a dreamy romance.
the five story arcs (as you can find them on KUKAN youtube channel atm):
1. The Fox Repaying Kindness (about a friendship between a fox demon and a human)
2. The Imperishable Flower (about the love of a mother and separation)
3. The Distant Dandelion: (about different kinds of love and forced marriage)
4. The Parasitic Cure (about a miracle remedy and having low self-esteem)
5. The Promise of Double Ninth Festival (about a friendship between a spirit and a poor scholar)
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I have divided my review into 6 sections looking at the similarities between the original and the remake, the characters, the influence of Korean society on how this kind of story is re-told, cast and OST, finish off with an overall summary.
I hope this will help with understanding why this drama is built the way it is and do you want to watch it yourself or not.
1) Why the Korean remake can't deliver the same things the US original does?
When comparing to the US original, we do have to remember that there completely different norms of what is okay in what environment in Korea, what is taboo and what can be broadcasted or discussed. Lately these borders are getting broader, however, there are still limits.
Explicit violence, extremely gruesome scenes etc. are not okay. In many cases even larger amounts of blood are censored, so are knives and other kinds of blades. The relations in the work environment are different too. Strictly hierarchical structure depending on age, status and years spent in a certain place. Also, the way how people dress and act is dictated by these norms. Similarly, the understanding of the general audience when it comes to mental illnesses and crimes committed because of them.
All mentioned above has a huge influence on the characters (described in point 2) and thus influencing the whole plot and the story. If we compare the original and the remake, simply because of the specifics of society in each of them we cannot expect the same result. For fans of the original, this might be a disappointing factor, however, this show should be viewed not only as a remake but also as its own thing.
2) Characters and their similarities
Some of the main cast characters are molded after the liking of the original, but I must admit they are lacking in the sharpness of originals. The following is a comparison of the characters in both and things missing in the remake, which might be one of the disappointments.
-The role of media specialist JJ in the remake is given to Yoo MinYoung (played by LeeSunBin). The character lack sharpness and determination JJ possessed. It's still a compassionate and brave character when needed, but it didn't feel complete.
-IT wizard Penelope has become Nana (Played by YooSun). The original is very quirky and a very definite odd-ball. As mentioned in 1), there are certain norms that prevent this character to express the same qualities. She can't have colored hear or ridiculous outfits, even though she wears colors brighter than others. She can't have excessive make-up or a whole arsenal of weirdness around her. The social norms of the setting dictated differences in this character.
-Genius Dr.Spencer Reid (who is my favorite in the original series) here has become Lee Han (played by Go Yoon). Even though in the first episodes his higher intellect is mentioned as is his knowledge, it is not utilized as Reid's in the original. Throughout the whole show, his brain power appears very little and is a lost plot point that could have been very useful and interesting. The quirks the original character had have disappeared as well.
-The leaders - Gideon, Hotchner and Rossi have all melted into Kang KiHyung (Played by Son HyunJoo). The character is a good mix of all three but perhaps lacks some depth. From the list, this would be the best match to the original.
-Others I could not pinpoint exactly, as even if they were meant to be doubles of the main original cast, their similarities were very vague or not there at all.
3) Plot - what's good and what's lacking?
My biggest positive is that unlike other k-dramas this does not try to push any romance between the main cast. Before such great dramas like IRIS and Athena of a similar genre have gone pretty downhill exactly because of the romance and emotions. So big plus for that.
The cases explored are interesting and captivating, some being similar to the ones solved in the original series but with a Korean twist in all of them. Sadly, the way how each case is divided into episodes might be the biggest turn-off. Most of them start mid-way one episode and ends mid-way the next one, messing with the viewer a bit. That could be a reason why watching can get tiring.
The two cases that were still active throughout the whole series was an interesting point. However, one was ended a bit too quickly and the other was not represented enough during the mid part of the show.
During the whole series, we find out very little about the investigator team. In the original, we get to know bits and pieces about the team through many seasons, so perhaps one season is not enough to explore it. We do get a chance to know in depth about Kim HyunJoon (played by Lee JoonGi), a glimpse of Kang KiHyung (Played by Son HyunJoo) and just a bit of other, leaving a lot of holes that are just random mentions or filler shots that are never explained.
The team is shown bonding several times through very Korean activities like outings in the park, drinking and others. However, that might seem not enough. As mentioned before the lack of so-called chemistry between characters might be written off on the fact there was not enough time in one season.
The original often delivered at least a small dose of humor even though the show is very serious and dark as well as many heartwarming scenes. Here the humor is, unfortunately, no existent which makes it a bit too serious and a bit too dry at times.
4) Cast - was there a problem?
First of all, the actors playing the criminals need a round of applause. All of them were brilliant and engaging, believable and captivating, which is a BIG plus in the series.
Secondly, two standouts in the main cast for me are Son HyunJoo and Lee JoonGi. I believe we could see more of their acting and appreciate their skill, their art because they play the two characters we find out the most about. This allowed them to stand a bit higher in the acting rating and drag the average of this section up.
However, I would not entirely blame the cast for some lackluster moments, but rather think about the directing and the script they had. Perhaps with a different approach, they would be able to shine too.
5) OST
OST is one of the best things about this drama. Two solid vocal tracks and suspenseful instrumentals matching the genre perfectly. I just wish there were more tracks for different vibes.
6) Overall thoughts
Even though in comparison to the original I can find a lot of flaws, I still enjoyed the show. I found it interesting, suspenseful and good for a remake of legendary investigation series.
Would I like a season 2 with improvements and to perhaps know more about the rest of the characters in this version? Definitely. Can I live without it? I can.
I would recommend watching it with an open mind and just enjoy a bit different investigation show coming from Korea.
P.S those who might watch this for Lee JoonGi, you are not LJG trash if you enjoy it, as there are no "main" characters here and he is not the constant center. So no worries. ;)
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Tough viewing. But view it you must.
Short: A romance story draped over the utterly horrific real life events around May 11th 1980 in Gwangju. This is not the Korea you know and love today, they are the people you know and love, in one of Korea's many terrible times. This is not a happy story. Watch this when you want food for the soul, not when you want a lift. Google "Gwangju Uprising" to start learning more about the real events going on in this story.Detail:
May 11th 1980 was a terrible day in Gwangju, though it was just the pinnacle of the terrible days leading up to it. In this story you have two people in very different walks of life. The Male Lead is in a rich privileged family, he's well educated and successful and enjoying starting university in Seoul. The Female Lead is the opposite, a poor family whose name is disgraced by a father accused of being a traitor. Their paths cross when the female lead's friend, the daughter of a rich businessman, pleads with her to go in her place to a blind date while she goes to organise and participate in demonstrations and protests against the government. Of course the blind date is the male lead.
The story has some lovely warm moments in it, the romance the blossoms between the couple of lovely, and there's clear chemistry between them. It also has some really tough moments in it as well, so I'm going to flag this one up with a caution that you shouldn't watch this if it's a nice romance to boost your mood that you seek - while this has a lovely romance, it is not a happy story and I do not want to sugar coat that in the slightest.
I like that most of the cast are relatively unknown, they've been in other dramas but they're not "A-listers" - this drama gives a superb opportunity for these brilliantly talented actors to show their skill and they deliver in abundance.
I marked the music on this one down a bit - honestly, for no other reason than it was utterly drowned out by the intense emotions flying around throughout. I can't remember any of it, but I think that speaks more to being immersed in the story than anything wrong with the music necessarily. Let's say it was "just right", because I think anything more may well have interfered.
I strongly recommend to spend some time reading up on the real events depicted in this drama, it's horrifying to think that this is not some 1500's historical drama, it's in the 1980's, which is only 40 years ago.
I absolutely recommend this drama, but only when you're in the right frame of mind for it.
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Much more mature than anyone could have expected...
In typical GMMTV manner, they neglected their own show, meaning they did not promote it. But Aston comes to the rescue and he promoted the shit of his series, some videos of him got viral. And in this case, every promotion would have been justified. It's the first series in a long time which is not stupid, not childish from the first second of the series.While the new actors are young and can play highschool students (and I hope, they will not play in a highschool or university till they turn 30, which is a trait of being a GMMTV actor), they did so in a refreshing way. It's also the first time in a long time, that the script was actually very well written. Of course this is a light-hearted, fluffy show, but nevertheless the people in this show talked with each other - and I mean they had really useful conversation. The only shitty part was the principal in ep 11 where Tan gets his promotion. That was a serious downer for me. But besides that, all the couples talk out their problems and find a solution. Of course not everything is perfect, but for a GMMTV production it feels perfect.
So this show as a joy to watch and if you want see something fluffy but not stupid, this is the show for you!
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I even liked lead kraam n may has individual but I don't feel love chemistry between them. Anan played actor is ok some scenes he played well Specially when he knows about may cheating on him , I
liked arisa n nham acting (actress is very pretty) i loved how they all are fighting own fears or guilt , those two funny boys and jack n Ying played good couple you can feel jack guilt destroying him.But that LGBT couple steals the show for me even with so small space they did wonderful job you can feel love they share , happiness. , Support and pain they have to leave each other, when Krit was giving pills the emotions he gave you can say it was killing him .. and jack played so good with that painful scene that circle on hand.. wish they were given proper space. I also feel their decisions brought turning point to show and effect all other character , Jan played wonderful display of emotions but her character suddenly turned vengeful. I understand she loved her brother and did not even get to say him good bye . But I have feeling she is not only angry for it but has personal grudge against Krit. I was shooked with krit scenes like how he has this pressure and didnot know what to do , I will say that actor made smoking look hot ???? and how he flinches and avoiding talk related jack because of guilt ,
water scenes by kraam where awesome.. professor Lin really scared me most .. overall nice.. I hope they will continue with same characters
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"STORYLINE OF ME BEFORE WATCHING IT"
At first, I was not going to watch this because Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo has the same airing week as LOTBS and I feel like the viewers liked WFKBJ more than this and some say that it's boring and cliche, so I don't want to watch it. Then after months, a friend recommend me to watch it but I doubt that I will like this drama. But after finishing this, I think that LOTBS is GREAT! WFKBJ is better but LOTBS is great too! Here are the reasons why:
PLOT/STORY - I really like the story. I don't know why you think that it's boring. Yes, I have to agree that it's a bit convoluted or complex because of things going on, but that's what it is all about to be honest, to have it's thrill and having questions in our mind about what will happen next. Yes, I also have to agree that it is predictable, maybe it is just me that likes the drama being predictable on some scenes. But some scenes are not predictable for me, I was always questioning myself about what will happen next (maybe I am a clueless person that's why I can't think outside the box LOL). I love the reincarnation idea too! Well to be honest, I'm almost going to drop the drama because of the start of episode 1, but because of the funny moments of the mermaid, it made me want to watch more.
This drama made me laugh because of the mermaid & the cast, clenched my teeth and curse words because of the villain, & tense because of all the thriller. And it really ended out well. I gave it 9 and not 10 because even though it's a great drama, there are still questions that are unanswered and I wish that you made the ending very detailed. I'm not a harsh & strict critic so yeah. :D I cried but just a few seconds for the main couple but it didn't emotionally hit me COMPLETELY, but it made me emotional though.. Like 75%. So in short, the story was great and even though it's complex, it still works for me and gave me mixed emotions.
ACTING/CAST - Okay, I got to agree with you that the main characters which are the couples (Cheong and Joon Jae) missed something. I don't know if it is that chemistry or closure. There are times that I smile because of their sweet scenes but the couples didn't made me jump with joy and scream (because that's how I will react when they have great chemistry), but I didn't. I just smiled and cry a bit. I kinda giggled though with Cha Shi Ah and Tae Oh's development because they are so cute. I think the cast did well. The villain character (the woman) really made me clenched my teeth and scream with anger, because she is that good. Other casts did so well too so I don't have problems with the others. I think Lee Min Ho's acting is great, what the eff are y'all saying?! He doesn't have emotion sometimes because that's the personality of the character. Good job!
MUSIC - The songs are not memorable though but it really fits to the drama. I don't get why you find the theme song cheesy, it sounds perfectly fine for me (or maybe because I can't understand the lyrics because I am not Korean)
REWATCH VALUE - I am not that kind of person to rewatch some korean dramas but I would watch this again but for a very long time.
I'm going to miss this drama though because it is really good. I would recommend you guys to watch it. :) (for those who are way more outdated than me that didn't watch this yet LOL)
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The plot of the drama starts out pretty simple: A girl gets killed in an accident and her father Baek Hong Seok promises to find her murderer. But as he finds out more details and has to face all the powerful people behind the scenes a complex story unfolds. The writers of the drama really did an awesome job, the drama is full of suspense as you follow Baek's journey. There are a lot of twists, turns and hidden cards that always change who's in the better situation and who has more power. At the same time the events happening never seem too unrealistic or forced and the decisions the characters make are very relatable.
While the plot is really good the actors are definitely what makes this drama shine. Everyone plays out their character really well, you don't even notice that they are acting. The standout performance for me was Kim Sang Joon who plays Baek's enemy. Even though he's the antagonist it's hard to dislike him. He's ruthless and does whatever it takes to reach his goal but somehow he still seemed human while doing so (like pretty much every other bad guy in this show).
The only criticism I have is that during the latter episodes I got really impatient to find out how everything will be resolved. There's a lot happening in each episodes and the pace of the drama is really fast so it's not like I got bored but at some point I just finally wanted the conflict to end. But the ending of the drama was very well done. The writers took enough time to wrap everything up and even though I still have some questions I'm really satisfied with the ending.
I recommed to give this drama a chance even if the plot doesn't sound that interesting to you, it's definitely worth watching! Though you might want to keep some tissues close for the first episodes^^
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The drama shows 2 couples, one year couple and 7 year couple. They face many problems such as Jealousy, shame, envy, their dreams, friends and society.
They talk a lot about marriage. A couple which are already living together, we'll think about marriage naturally. So the problematic on the drama : Is the marriage something about how long have you been dating your partner ?
I thought the concept interesting , Playlist Global proves once again their evolution, they are trying many differents style.
By the way let's talk about Actors. "Omg" they are very good, handsome / beautiful BUT despite that, we can notice that it's not about physical , so you feel no complex XDDD I mean, they didn't put an accent on beauty, but on humans values, problems, happiness , on the human, so we can easily identify on all the character, Indeed sometime we are too greedy, sometime we want to be the worse one by wanting someone else boyfriend, sometime we give up on something for someone and sometimes we have to do choices.
All the songs were very good ! *-* Kwon Jin Ah ost *-* ... hahem..
The drama was well done for me, the scenes, acting, light, music. And the number of episode help a lot. That's why I like Playlist Global, stories may be basic, but they go straight on point, and you can finish one drama while waiting somewhere, practical !
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Not worth it
The ML was misleading. The FL was annoying and couldnt make up her mind. Story line was boring and all over the place. The person she choose she had no chemistry. It was a waste of time and uninterest as the story unfolds. Not worth it, even to rewatch.In South Korea, its views were horrible low. One would think international views would have helped but it was a disappointed too.
I watched alot of Kdramas, Cdramas, JDramas and ThaiDramas, but this drama has to be the worst I have seen and so disappointed.
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First of all I want to mention, that I was really excited about this drama, and the trailer just made us love it even more, but not the end was a decision as the course of the drama was too fast and very cruel to our protagonist.As typical of Chinese dramas, especially epics, here we have the case of "everyone loves me", that is, all the male characters love our protagonist but the female ones feel envy and hate .... I thought it was like Empress of China a sweet woman with men who love and respect her. However, this turned out to be a lie because only one of the protagonists truly loved the senior, since the king, in my view, saw it as a necessity, an obsession ... many excuse the attitudes of such because it is beautiful, but put yourself in the the protagonist's place ... to suffer physical and verbal abuse as she suffered no one deserves it, they would like someone who you are not attracted or like to start assaulting you to put you down whenever you can, because in Women Kings we witness this ...
Too much shit and obsession from the male leads..
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Two teens (played by the Kinki Kids) sneak into a city they believe to be under lock-down after a massive earthquake. While there, they find there was no earthquake. The entire city has been quarantined by the government, due to a mysterious illness that has infected and killed every adult. Now that they've entered, they're trapped.
The children of this city, trapped in what amounts to post-apocalyptic circumstances, struggle to survive and war over limited resources and territory. The few remaining teens attempt to establish order and negotiate with the government that has abandoned them.
Bokura no Yuuki is an amazing survival tale with a level of intensity rarely seen in prime-time dramas. The story is very well constructed and paced. It is suspenseful, but also takes the time to develop each character and relationship.
The cast is mostly children, but they do a beautiful job portraying the many emotions in this drama: mourning, emotional upheaval, frustration, betrayal, childlike naivety and hope...
I can't say enough good things about this drama, although I will provide one warning. The first episode is misleading because the old-fashioned technology feels very "dated". The first episode turned me off the series initially, but when I pushed through to the second episode, I was thoroughly hooked. It is now among my very favorite dramas.
As an aside, this is MatsuJun's first acting role! At age 13/14, he's ridiculously adorable.
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Mahal kita (I love you)
This film is indeed a long time coming. Being born from the initial outbreak and lockdown in the Philippines, Gameboys is an inspiring piece of work that reminds us that even through great adversity, love and family are still the most powerful things we have.The film is a fabulous mix of the camera style we got to love from the original series, while also expanding upon it with scenes where our beloved characters are seen actually together in person. The obvious juxtaposition of the movie from the original series is just amazing to see, while the cinematography and the obvious regard of color theory was just exquisite. Its production is the opposite of disingenuous to its fans, and we loved to see it.
The story is a direct sequel to the events of the original series. We see Cairo and Gavreel, along with Pearl and a few not so surprising characters, go through the brief time the main couple is allowed before Cairo leaves for Bukidnon. And of course, along the way, there has to be some drama. And drama it was. Makes-you-want-to-punch-someone-on-the-face level of drama, but best you check that out on your own. ;)
Highlights include the character developments of Terrence, Wesley, and Achilles. They had such great potential from the original series, and I loved that they were given a chance to elaborate on their somehow complicated relationship. That, among other parts, of course, was straight up proper queer representation. Heteronormative tropes say what? We don’t know her.
Another highlight is the tita Susan character which was so on the nose on the cliché über religious Boomer. I mean, she was clutching a Santo Niño at the start like it was a purse! She is the epitome of what we of the LGBTQIA+ abhor and fight against. Kudos to the actress. I genuinely wanted to throw her off a cliff, and that’s a complete complement in this regard. It’s quite a toxic character, and a reality a lot of people in the community from predominantly Roman Catholic countries like the Philippines have to face so often. My heart goes out to them.
The character is clearly a commentary on how Catholics seem so ready to involve themselves with the affairs of the LGBTQIA+. They seem so ready to give their unsolicited and baseless opinions as if the LGBTQIA+ are a commodity or an object they can just play with and never take seriously. It’s such a curious reality in our world. Like us being gay somehow is about them. Not us. THEM.
The character and her part in the story reminded me of a quote from Into the Woods: “Careful the things you say, children will listen. Careful the things you do, children will see and learn."
Fact of the matter is that children listen and remember the words that you may have thought wouldn’t leave a scar. Words or comments that seem to be so light to you can have a tremendous and lasting effect on others. Words can leave scars, and children do remember. I hope this message resonates with every person who sees the film. We have to be careful with what we say, even to children.
We as LGBTQIA+ stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. We have to fight for our rights. Grinning and bearing the lashing words of the ignorant can only get us so far; we don’t deserve to hide who we are and who we love. A message I hope that resonates with everyone who sees the film is that whether you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or otherwise, remember that we are all part of the fight. We have to do our part to battle for our rights. LOVE WINS ALWAYS.
Lastly, of course it won’t be surprising that So, Canlas, and de Santos gave fabulous performances reminding us why we loved Gameboys in the first place. Our boys have come so far from where they started. Cairo and Gavreel have gone through so much during this pandemic, and they do deserve the happiness they fought for. Canlas and de Santos really make us feel the hardships and emotions of being LGBTQIA+. It feels so real. It feels so right. Pearl, on the other hand, ever so charming, is a cherry on top of this Gameboys cake, she deserves all the love, too.
To end this, it was very humbling to be reminded subtly of the adversity COVID has wrought upon the Philippines and the world. Love and family can be the last things we hold after experiencing so much hardship and death. We fight on with those we love and care for with our heads high and continue the good fight. COVID may have ruined a lot of things for us, but it can’t ruin the human spirit.
Gameboys the movie is a solid 10/10 from this fan.
ALL THE KILIG IN THE WORLD!
P.S. if you’re a fan, you probably already know that Season 2 of Gameboys comes after this film, so keep excited! It’s far from over!
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This is much better than the typical courtroom drama - there's plenty of action outside of court, and the court sequences are crisp and to the point - it doesn't drag, there are multiple mini-plots, mostly romance, but also a bit of good versus evil in the form of spoiled rich kids. It's a well-textured drama.
The main romance is sweet and all the plot lines wind up nicely. The story is interesting and kept me engaged. The music has highs and lows - some bits are completely overblown (really, we know something important just happened - you don't need to blast up with a full symphony, heavy on the strings, to make the point). I don't think I'll want the OST.
For me, the main draw was the quality of the acting. Sung Dong Il is always a treat to watch, and all the guest appearances were wonderful. If character development is important to you in a drama, this is worth your time.
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Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!: The Movie
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"When you're weak, I'll be strong. And when I'm weak, I'd appreciate a helping hand from you."
I might not be able to love it as much as the drama, but it was definitely a beautiful one.I love every bit of it. You can tell every scene has meaning - every touch, every word and every expression. This was so needlessly sweet and warm and pleasant and respectful to the source material,
Even some says the magic was lost, well not for me. Still my favorite couple and sure many will also agree for them.
The beach scene >>>>>>>>>>>
Absolutely recommended to watch it. Especially if you are having a bad day, this is the answer thus re watch this as many times as you can.
May we find the Adachi and Kurosawa in our lives. <3
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