From the beginning, the story put the focus more in the relationship between the female leads, Sun Mi and Young Mi, both had strong ambition, career-wise and everything they did was an effort towards that goal of becoming anchor-women. But is Young Mi jealousy of Sun Mi’s seemingly perfect life which causes Young Mi resolution to steal whatever Sun Mi has or wants. Their rivalry was a refreshing and intriguing thing to watch.
Throughout the drama is shown the contrast not only between this two women, but also in the romance between Sun Mi-Hyung Chul and Young Mi-Woo Jin, the sweet and pure romance vs the antagonist’s dark and tragic one.
As for the characters:
Sun Mi: she’s cute and bright without feeling annoying, and is by no means perfect, she’s gets upset and angry when provoked, and she even gets jealous.
Hyung Chul: Such a lovely leading man, his character was calm, honest and gentle. He’s true in his love and stayed true no matter what.
As for the character of Young Mi, I always enjoy a twisted and complex villain. Ultimately I have no sympathy for her but at least I get to understand her character and motivations. Her romance with Woo Jin is intense and dramatic, but dooms to fail due to the very insane and obsessed nature of their love: Woo Jin wanting to posses Young Mi and Young Mi willing to do anything to steel what Sun Mi cherish the most.
The acting: everyone did a great job portraying this rater complex character.
The music: true to be told, I don’t have any recollection about the sound track… :(
Overall, I would recommend this drama to everyone!
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A drama that lightens up your day and absolutely deserves a 2nd chance!
Once upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain (let me shorten this to Lingjian) is a funny and lighthearted drama that will cheer you up in every possible way. At the same time, you will be seduced by the delicate balance between BG and BL romances between the characters. I can really recommend those in doubt to stick around a bit longer (after episode 12-13) to give it another chance. You will not regret it!I started Lingjian when it was airing around the end of 2019 because it had a high ranking. Similar to many others, my mind was full of "WTH is this?..." I found Sandrine Pinna's acting too exaggerated and the jokes very forced. I also could not stand the cheap-looking CGs and sets. So I put it on hold at around episode 12 and gave it a 6.5. The fact I did not entirely drop the ball is because I did not completely dislike it. Fast forward to early 2020, out of curiosity, I picked up the Legend and fell under the charm of Xu Kai. After also watching YanXi Place and Arsenal School of Military, in which Xu Kai showed utterly different sides of capabilities as actors, I just had to pick up Lingjian again. And I did not regret it. On the contrary, this has become one of my favorite c-dramas. I even watched it twice and I rarely do that with any dramas.
Let me start what I absolutely love about this drama: the courage to make a fool out of itself entirely. The origin of Lingjian is a very long but famous web novel that was adapted into a manga and an anime. The scriptwriters of the drama did their best to mimic the characteristics of the Shonen manga: serious and original main storyline but funny mixing with foolish connecting dialogues. The serious main story touches on relationships, love, family, friendships, loyalty, effort, immorality, and the constant fights between good and evil, questioning what considers as right and wrong in this world (sounds familiar?!). I have not seen many drama adaptations daring to mimic this style because of one simple reason: they are afraid to lose the audience by appearing to be too foolish. Real actors simply cannot make the same funny faces and turn themselves into walking emojis and animated characters! But the makers of Lingjian did it! They deliberately broke walls (e.g., Wang Lu mentions the names of Wei Ying Luo from Yanxi Palace or often declares he has the "protagonist aura"), incorporate parodies from other dramas/famous mangas (e.g., Naruto and Dragon Ball) and even Asian dramas (e.g., Meteor Garden and O2O) and request the actors to showcase the most improper expressions one can recall. Indeed, this is something you need to get used to. But once you do, you will start to adore this drama and be entertained through and through.
The other excellent watchpoint is the sweet combination of BG and BL romance. The brotherhood (BL) relationship between Wang Lu and Hai Yun Fan is something that did not exist in the original story but added by the makers. And they are so sweet. Their bond is very strong, and the two have the most beautiful moments together. I am amazed that some of the dialogues and scenes can even passed the Chinese censorship screening!
Many scenes made my BL-loving heart aching like crazy as there are some unexpected turns towards the end of the drama (I am not going to spoil more, but in my view, they even crossed the level of Untamed!)
Again, hats down to Xu Kai's over the top performance as Wang Lu! Unlike many other young actors, he showed he could step out of his comfort zone and display all types of expressions without any shame. But at the same time, his performance is to the points for all the serious scenes. In terms of the "wifey", I had to first grow into Zhu Yuan Bin's performance as HYF at the start. But as the show goes on, I liked him more and more. HYF has a charming personality but hides some darker obsessions within (does it remind you of someone?!). ZYB was able to show both sides convincingly. I will be looking forward to his future performances and his growth as an actor.
In terms of the GB romance, Wang Lu and Wan Wu's chemistry is not the strongest, but you can understand why and how they are falling for each other. Their romance is very subtle, and even towards the end, it is not very obvious whether there is a mutual feeling towards each other. Therefore this does not interfere with the BL aspect. I have to admit that I needed to get used to Sandrine Pinna's interpretation as WW (esp. the dubbing did not help!). But also here, you begin to like her after a while, and soon you cannot imagine someone else playing WW other than SP. She would just make expressions other pretty Chinese actress would not dare to do, and that is what makes out the charm of WW.
Finally, I would like to mention a few last arguments: the supporting characters are adorable. Wen Bao is absolutely my favorite here. I also really like Zhu Qin. The fighting scenes are surprisingly well made; combined with the FX, they mix well with the humorous side of the drama. The drama has a digestible of 37 episodes. Except for the first few episodes, there are limited fillers, and pacing is good. Finally, I like the ending! We know that many C-dramas have a lousy tail. Though many viewers complain about the open end, I find it just about right. It features a great and unexpected climax in the last few episodes and leaves us viewers wanting more. I really hope they are going to produce a second season! Otherwise, I am going to complain about the hell out of the studio!
I already mentioned a few improvement areas at the start, so I will not repeat them. Also, there are a few unlogical character development and storylining to create a dramatic effect. But ok... this happens so often in c-dramas that I start to ignore them.
All in all, this is an excellent drama that deserves a 2nd chance. In this time of global chaos and downturn, let Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain and its cast lighten up your day.
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A Perfect Ten! No Weakness At All In Term of Quality, Acting & Production Values
I never give any drama a perfect 10 but this drama 100% deserved it.This drama is seriously amazing. I have watch like gazillion of Kdramas for the past 15 years and I can safely said that the writing for this drama is the best that ever comes out from Korea. It is intelligent, excellently written and the clever details is just mind blowing. The writer is great at constructing plot without leaving any minor details. The script is tight, solid, complicated without plot holes and full of characters with great depth and personalities without including any questionable or dumb plot in its storyline. I have high expectation before watching the show but this drama truly exceeded my already high expectations. The writers made everyone, including the main character as the possible suspects and yet, she is still able to surprise us with the ending.
I feel like no other investigation dramas can hold a candle to this other than Signal. Other law or investigation dramas always bother me with the inaccurate technical practices and details but this drama have none of those and it didn't insult you intelligent either. It's simply a brilliant cat & mouse chase drama where both the good and the bad guys are clever.
SECRET FOREST IS PERFECT IN QUALITY SENSE -- I dont even know it is possible until I watch this drama. There's nothing to complain about the script, plot, directing and acting as it is that good.
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~Se Ra
--
Story: I really enjoyed the story. It also reminded me a bit of the drama sassy go go. I enjoyed it mostly because it focused on the team being better at volleyball and working towards what they really wanted. Se Ra who at first didn't care to coach the team to help them be better eventually grew to care for them as a whole and continue her love for the sport. In addition, there was drama but none that was outrageously put to further the story line. Furthermore, this drama kept me wanting to watch from episode to episode. (Usually I take a break after some time)
Cast/Characters: When you put the characters together, there are some that shined more than others but altogether it was a well-built cast. Keep in mind, upon watching this drama for the first time, majority of the cast members were people i also was seeing for the first time.
My favorite amongst all characters is Woo Jin/Lee Tae Hwan. It was my first time seeing him in a drama or anywhere else for that matter. I think I fell in love with his character once I saw his smile.(I promise he's more than just eye candy though) I could feel the emotion through his character as he was affected by his father not believing him and as a second lead character.. well you know how that goes so I won't spoil it for you. His character did what he could as a leader to make sure the other players had the residence and even as a friend tried to protect Se Ra. The only small tidbit that I didn't like about his character that his feelings for Se Ra weren't explained that well.
Jae Woong/Song Jae Rim, also caught my attention as someone who cared deeply for the sport,for the team and for Se Ra. This was my first time seeing Song Jae Rim in a drama(i've only seen him in WGM) and I am so impressed that I need to go find his other dramas as well. I saw chemistry between him and Seung Eon (Se Ra's character) and I liked how the romance flowed throughout the drama. There wasn't any dragging as far as I was concerned.
Kang Se Ra/Hwang Seung Eon was a memorable character to me and im pretty sure ill be checking out her other dramas. I think she was perfect for the role of being sort of a spoiled celebrity or goddess of volleyball as they put it and then slowly becoming a part of a team again and letting go of that exterior.
With the secondary characters I really like the unity among them. Like a brotherhood with one sister that they have to look out for. I also really really liked the secretary. In the beginning she is perceived as a heartless human being but towards the end she gets better and a funnier addition to the group. At first you could tell she didn't care for Se Ra and it was just a job to her but towards the end she became someone who looked out for her sincerely.
Music: Not much music in this drama besides the theme song and the ending/cliff hanger song. But I think that even without the music the drama was still really interesting. Music creates excitement but the actual drama itself had enough excitement where the lack of music was barely noticeable.
Overall: Should you watch? Yes. Although the drama was short and you'll breeze through the episodes, it was a really good way to spend my time. It's a light drama with some sports action and some romance all together. I think the fact that it is short also adds to the reason of why you should watch :D The end was a bit lacking but altogether it fit nicely.
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My fav drama from 2023; Nojima Shinji is back with a bang!
A stellar combination of mystery + romance + psychological + slice of life.First off, Nojima Shinji is one of my favourite screenwriters and I hate to admit that some of his works in the recent years have been underwhelming especially when we compare to the gems he wrote in the 90s and 2000s.
I don't generally write reviews but I got inspired to write this review because I loved this drama so much and want more people to see it.
What makes this drama so good -
(1) the screenplay; the way the story unfolds keeps you on the edge of your seat till the last scene. Trust me, you won't know where it is going.
(2) the story - it is original, it is creative, it is edgy. Once you start, you will find yourself binging it all the way.
(3) the writing; the sensitivity and care with which the characters and their relationships are written. I could see Nojima Shinji has evolved because this wasn't as dark, and there was a healing element to it (something most of his dramas lack)
(4) the acting - each cast member was perfectly casted.
(5) the romance - again, not your typical romance. But some of the scenes between the leads got me squealing. In the case of this drama 'less is more' really worked.
Everything about it is good. The only reason I gave it a 9.5 is because I do wish we got a little more of the leads' at the end. I wanted more of them. Hoping we'll get a special on them, though I doubt :(
For those who want to watch something different, don't hesitate to give this gem a try!
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1Pass The Verge of Excellent
On The Verge of Insanity is probably one of the best dramas of this year. From the beginning the audience is asked to settle in for a story with a gentler pace and eased into the world of the Hamyeong Electronics. Anchored by two interesting and very different leads in Mr Choi and Miss Dang ( wonderfully performed by Jung Jae Young and Moon So Ri respectively) the show transcends it's loose synopsis and becomes something more.An engaging watch littered with characters you'll care about (one you'll particularly hate) and scenario's that seem real though
with consequences sometimes questionable. There's a lot to love in these 16 hours.
Writing wise this shows is aided will by the sense of movement within the story. Of character entering positions and exiting, climbing the corporate ladder and being dragged down. Where shows in a similar vein like Misaeng lean more into ironing out business jargon, OTVI while not dismissing those, puts it's character and interpersonal drama to the forefront. Which in a few instances might have been to the detriment of the other. Those instances are few however and hardly weigh this story down.
It goes without saying the cast delivered excellently on their performances. Firmly lead by seasoned veterans particularly personal favourite Jung Jae Young and established if not before certainly now younger talents.
Visually, the show is solid with a few particularly beautiful shots and nice colour grading that adds quite a bit more visual interest. Admittedly to a story that would not have realistically demanded much grand cinematography. It's all the more interesting then that this is the work of a first time director yet nothing feels amateur about it.
Musically the show was pretty inoffensive with quite a few but no standout insert tracks to me at least. The stand out track was the jazzy outro track which will most certainly get stuck in your head.
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First, I found the topic of weightloss very interesting. I think they did a good job of covering all aspects such as positives and negatives of weightloss as well as her losing weight both in an unhealthy and healthy way. I know I learned a lot from watching the show. I did think it was annoying that she rebounded many times throughout. I think it was more than 4 times or something. Watching all the cakes being made really made me want to make some as well. They were so pretty and looked like they tasted like heaven. The ending was cute.
The acting was superb especially by the female lead. I thought the character was annoying and outrageously naive at some parts but it just showed what kind of an actress Saki is. Mokomichii was cute as always but his character was over the top as well. Somehow though they both make the perfect couple and complete each other. I liked the supporting characters they really added something.
Overall Rebound is silly but also serious at the same time. I rated it so high because I love the cast and it was very very entertaining.
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I was in the mood for a scary flick and happened upon this. Not recently, but in the past year I had watched this movie called Gone with Amanda Seyfried. The story-lines sound almost identical. Younger sister gets taken, older sister goes to find her on her own because the police think she's crazy. So I was expecting a movie like that; some jump scenes, a little who-dun-it. What I got was a freaking intense, gory movie. The plot was great and the actors did a fantastic job. Obviously something like this where you already know what happens is hard to re-watch with the same effect. (Although I don't think I'd ever want to re-watch it anyway) because man was the killer sick and twisted. So if that sounds interesting, give it a go.
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Extraordinary
My favorite kdrama of all timeI have watched lots of kdramas which are really interesting but trust me on this one, Infact when I am being asked to recommend a kdrama for someone, the first kdrama that comes to my mind is "goblin", it isn't my first kdrama but somehow I can't forget it. Everything in this drama was on point, the acting skills, OST, story line, chemistry between both ML's and the second lead's.
If you're looking to watch something funny at the same time heart warming, romantic, exciting, almost realistic despite the fact that it is fantasy, you should definitely watch goblin
+ If you want to have a good cry too lol, it is worth every bit of your time.
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A great watch
If I had to summarize this drama in one word, I'll be - fillers. In my opinion, the story was stretched unnecessarily, and it felt like forever, rather painful to watch through certain scenes. It got so annoying at one point that I nearly considered dropping this drama. Adding to that the whole age gap thing just felt pretty weird to me, the kissing scenes pulled the whole 'romance' out of the scene. I just couldn't take the 'love' part seriously for the first couple of episodes, it just felt very out of place? I dropped this after episode 13. But alas, I eventually had to go back. The awesome soundtrack and acting couldn't get out of my mind. The top-notched 'bromance' kept getting me curious about how the Reaper-Goblin relationship will grow and bloom into Episode 16.For my money, the story was pretty decent. The bromance and the funny scenes added to an amazing experience. The acting was phenomenal and I LOVED every part of it. I'd be lying if I say I didn't want to see more of the story centered around certain side characters. Some felt like they deserved more screentime. Kim's General's reincarnation is a good example. Seeing his story, him happy with his family, living in comfort, possibly with Kim looking at him and iconically smiling would've been pretty satisfactory. The Reaper and Sunny scenes towards the end were SATISFYING. The best part after the bromance.
Goblin decided to have an open ending, which I would say was a pretty good idea. Despite wanting to know more about what happened to Goblin and the bride after they met again in Canada. I believe the open ending was more effective in leaving a strong impression on its viewers than a closed one. Ultimately being one of the elements that helped the show get a strong ending. Lastly, I wish there was some form of indirect interaction between the Reaper and the Goblin towards the very end. Leaving a "Some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend lifetimes" taste in the mouth, but well, guess it's too good to be true.
I didn't initially plan on giving a high rating to this drama on MDL, but I am an emotional creature and the last 2 episodes got me good.
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Boring , flat drama ruined by main leads rescued by the second lead Shing Song Rok
If it wasn't for Shin Song Rok's presence in this drama (Jayden) I would have dropped it from fourth episodehe was the only character that got me interested to know his story ,, this drama is most draggy boring cold Law drama I've ever watched ,, it didn't met the Law /court requirements nor the medical drama requirements
for Ji Sop's long history of good dramas this one is his biggest failure ,, why he acted his role that way ?? why was he that cold and flat in the most important and emotional scenes ? He didn't even cried for his dead mother's corpse
and the female lead don't get me started on how freezing cold her performance was ,, she was like a talking doll even when she cried I felt it so cringy
Again if it wasn't for Jayden or the second lead Shin song rok this drama would have been dead from fourth episode ,, he was the one who carried this drama on his shoulder ,, his way of expressing all the character's emotions towards the leads forced me to continue watching ,, I wanted to know what was his story ,, was he bad ? was he good ? why he's taking revenge path more than the male lead himself ? ,, How smart and cunning is he ??
Why Jayden is playing all these tricks ?? what was his ultimate goal ?
all that was the reason for me to stay and I didn't care one second about male lead's revenge because he was playing by the rules every thing was legal and he was saving the bad guys and working with them most of the time as they didn't do anything wrong to him ,, How could he ?? I wondered a lot how could someone gunning for revenge work with the people who killed his own mother and nearly killed also did them favors sometimes because he was the good guy and a doctor what the hell ??
It got political at one point and there were so many villains and bad people more than good ones so it got so draggy but it picked up the pace at last four episodes again and Jayden's motives became so obvious and his secret was going to be revealed so it got much more interesting at the last four episodes and just skip through the leads nonsense they don't matter at this point
.. the ending was Meh and I'm not happy about What happened to Jayden at the ending but it's okey didn't expect much from this drama anyway
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One of the worst kdrama's I have seen
I thought after the first couple of episodes I had found a gem. Boy was I wrong. This was a stinker for the whole rest of the series. FL turns out to be in my mind a selfish horrible person. The one that marries her was a stinker all the way through. Stupid Stupid Stupid series. I ended up hating everyone. The crime drama plot was beyond dumb and the culprit was like just pulled up out of nowhere. Almost all the problems can be laid on the lap of the writer of this series. Lazy, no creativity. Last episaode they spend most of it setting it up like one person would be the husband. It was so so obvious and sure enough they pulled the stupid switch. Don't watch this series.Esta resenha foi útil para você?
ACTING/CAST: Absolutely superb. I was amazed at how well these actors conveyed the emotions of their characters. They weren't bashful during the "making out" scenes either. The actor playing Lin has some very pretty eyes.
MUSIC: It was good and a bit sorrowful.
REWATCH VALUE: I liked this enough to watch it again with a friend.
OVERALL: I WANT THAT APP! Watch this and you'll know what I'm talking about.
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no incest. dont worry.
i love the FL in other big dramas as supporting actress like Go Ahead, Royal Feast, As Beautiful As You. this is the first time i watch her as main lead (eventhough i know this drama is not her 1st time as main character). she nailed it. as expected.the ML is a great actor. i love his acting so much. but im not really familiar with him before. this is the first proper drama of him as main lead that i watch (only watch him in cuts and edits before)
the plot is good. the love game between the two is *chefkiss. but the family tree, i mean, familiES treeS are messed up. at first you are his son, suddenly you are not. she is your sibling, and later she is not.. but suddenly she is your sibling again (facepalm). the SFL is the half sibling, then she is suddenly not. the SML is half sibling of this and suddenly he is to that. so messed up lmao.
but dont worry, no incest in this drama. almost, but the plot twist said nope.
overall, rewatch worthy and recommended.
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