Reviews

One for the BL history books

Didn't think I would find a BL better than I Told Sunset About You, but this show proved me wrong. I waited over a year for it and I'm so glad it didn't disappoint. If anything it surpassed all my expectations.

Let's start off with the story. The pacing of the show was really good. It wasn't rushed or dragged, and the build-up for their romance was perfect. The show's concept is fresh and it's always nice to have a breather from the typical cheesy college setting we see in BLs.

The place they shot Pha Pun Dao village added a lot of color to the show and made it very realistic. It gave a good sense of how life is like in these villages and the problems they go through. This was what made it stand out so well from other shows.

Besides romance, the show had also taught me so many good lessons when it comes to personal growth. I enjoyed each and every episode and I'm going to miss getting excited for Fridays!

Next, acting. I thought this was going to be the weak point of the show since Mix is pretty much a newbie, and I was never a big fan of Earth's acting. But, they definitely proved me wrong. The amount of emotion and tension I felt from watching was amazing. Mix's acting is extremely impressive and Earth's acting had improved a lot as well. Overall casting and acting was good and there isn't anything for me to fault.

Lastly, music. I am not one to care about soundtracks/music in shows. But the music in this show really hit me hard for some reason. I wasn't tearing up in the last episode until the music started playing, and I ended up becoming a sobbing mess.

To summarise, I would 100% rewatch this show again and would definitely recommend everyone (not just BL lovers) to watch this. It's a really beautiful show. It has raised my standard for BLs and has proven that you don't need many kiss/sexual scenes to pull off a fantastic BL. Good job to everyone who worked on this!

Leia Mais

A Very Realistic Contemporary Drama

This drama was everything it promised to deliver, we had the free spirited female lead, the supportive family and 4 different male leads

Pros:
1. the Story was executed very well and it was extremely realistic
2. Many opportunities to analyze psychology behind the character
3. Real life issues faced by women all over the world
4. Beauty comes with many many benefits but also just as many complications
5. great osts
6. Excellent cast - they executed everything to the best of their abilities

Cons:
there are 2 reason as to why this was not a 10 star watch for me:

1. The open ending did not make me feel content and the younger male lead was unnecessary in my opinion, his character was not done justice as he only got around 3 eps of screentime. I wish they gave the viewers closure on whether she is eventually happy ( more details on her ambitions for her future) or if they chose the romance route I wish they showed us who she chose and whether she remains single

2. THIS IS THE BIGGEST REASON WHY: The male leads (rose's exes) never fully move on from her, although she is able to leave them in the past they are always held back by the memory of her. This is very unrealistic, although ZGD being single makes sense (him being career oriented) , i don't see someone like FXW staying single for over 6 years just for her. In reality although it takes time to move on, you don't always stay in the past, whats more surprising is how only she moves on

Overall a great watch if you can deal with mature romance and love psychoanalyzing things

Leia Mais

I know Call Boy is suuuuuper pornographic but doesn't lack depth. Seriously there was more character growth and development of story and a touch of psychological drama than most mainstream stuff. Matsuzaka Tori played the main lead Ryu so well and with so much heart, none of the pervy scenes were lewd or unnecessary. The story is about a boy who was left behind one night by his mother who never comes back. As a result even though he tries to be a good, loving boy like his mother told him to be he ends up becoming rather cold and lacking in social grace especially toward women and confesses that he finds women boring and takes sex as just some annoying way to procreate. Until the day he runs into the owner of a underground club and meets the female owner who is in her late thirties. She challenges Ryu's view of women and sex by asking him to work for her escort service even when he's clearly lacking. And so begins an unusual journey where not only does Ryu start to find women exciting but also gets a thrill from sex and starts enjoying life in general. But it all goes downward when he falls in love with the owner who isn’t the least bit interested in him, and his friends find out he's a prostitute and shame him for it. Ok, so I truly appreciated everything about this film and how it basically humanizes people with sex perversions. I don't think any other film I've seen so far does this in such a beautiful way. Ok so because I live for BL interactions lol my favorite scene was between Ryu and Azuma. But ok if you get easily offended this is really not for you though.

Leia Mais

It starts off cute, but goes down hill. Ultimately this drama had way too much rape, child abuse, and domestic violence. Even characters that are initially likable turn into rapists and abusers. Also, all the rapists and abusers have no accountability for their actions, and end the series undeservedly happy. It was a train wreck.

I kept waiting for someone to point out that maybe someone who kidnaps, beats, and rapes women is not good relationship material, but as the audience we're supposed to believe that he's a great guy, and just needs to be paired with the right woman.

I was really looking forward to all the evil characters getting their comeuppance, but I never got the payoff I was hoping for. It would be one thing if it were a redemption story, where the evil characters learned the errors of their ways and became better people. But there's no real redemption, no consequences, and no accountability. They just get their happy ending even though they don't deserve it, and the main characters are all okay with that, and we as the audience are expected to be okay with that too.

Train. Wreck.

Leia Mais

I was intrigued by the drama title when I first came across this and I'm glad my curiosity got the better of me. This year has been super difficult, but watching this drama every week really helped lift my mood. It was just so sweet.

I loved the family and work dynamic, and the acting was great. Felt very natural. There is not a single character to be disliked. I'm glad the cast was selected for this series, especially the actress who plays Hinako san.

Prepare your tissues if you're one to get emotional as there are some tough issues covered.

But, overall, time well spent. Totally worth checking out.

Note: although, my rating for the music and rewatch value are much lower compared to the scores for story and acting, my personal overall score for Neechan no Koibito would still be 10. It's just that good.

Leia Mais

Life Changing

I suppose I have to write a review for GAP. I have said it in the comment section already, but this show was life changing to me. I have never seen a story that cares so deeply about representing the joy and beauty of being a woman in love with another woman, even in the face of adversity. Sam and Mon's love story is accurate to the real life sapphic experience in so many ways. From the way they show affection, the difficulty to comprehend their feelings at first, to the feeling of relief and plenitude when they finally allow themselves to feel what their hearts want to feel.
I understand if it doesn't resonate with some people the way it did with me. It can be cheesy, the situations might seem absurd and exaggerated at times, the characters actions might not be the most logical, the side characters are not the most complex. But everything made it all the more delightful in my eyes. It is ultimately a fun, colorful story, that eventually deals with some more serious topics.
Give it a chance, especially if you are a woman who loves women. Even if you don't love it as much as I did, I believe you will at least have a nice time watching these characters fall in love.

Leia Mais

Is this worth the hype?

Story : It's really great, although another drama had the same concept but this is way better and refreshing, I didn't had much expectations from this drama but I'm glad that gave this a try. Acting/Cast: It's great in my opinion, many are criticising Kang Daniel for his acting or saying that it's unfair for the female lead as she is a experienced actor but I personally think both of them are doing great, Kang Daniel might be new in the acting industry but he did do justice to the character, his character is kinda serious also he had less screen time in the first few episodes but I think his character is developing, love the cast. Music : I loved the ost, I have nothing else to say. Rewatch Value : For me I can watch this as many times I possible can, It's great, no matter how manytimes I watch it, it's still refreshing, Love it. Overall : Great one, if you are not watching this drama then you are missing out big time. Highly recommend.

Leia Mais

Realistic acting with exceptional storytelling. The drama is a story of love, sacrifices and forgiveness.

Everyone of us goes out everyday, carries the risk that we are unable to go back home. If you think of it that way, knowing you do not have much time left to live is a blessing, given you can overcome the fear of leaving your loved ones. Having a heavy philosophical content, the drama manages to deliver the growth of each characters and valuable lessons without preaching.

As everyone is connected, one's significant life event does not affect that person alone but everyone around them. The same thing happened to successful single mother Han Seung Hee. Her health situation urges her to reflect on her life and widen her social circle as she realises her old way of living cannot give her son another mother. As a consequences, She makes her choices that impacts all those around her. Whether her choices were right or wrong, I believe each one of us has their own judgements however it is undeniable that everything she did was out of love for her son. The most important thing is that she is a mother. She grows as a mother and everyone else also grows.

The beautiful thing about the drama is that it is realistic though the plot exaggerates at some parts to highlight the moral lessons to be learnt. Life goes on, everyone has to part and everything changes. That is the reality. As much as the story is about Han Seung Hee who is a dying mother, it is also about other people and how they prepare to move on with their life after she dies. I love the ending because it shows life continues and even though it may be incomplete, love and forgiveness fill up the space.

Overall the casts deliver solid and convincing acting, especially Song Yoon Ah. I truly lived in their world. Yoon Chang Young and Hong Jun Hyun did a great job as sons, gave audiences the alternatives and outcomes of different choices made by mothers. Other actors performed well though I believe there are room for improvements for supporting actors.

It was a fun rides with lessons to learn on the way. I recommend anyone who are looking for a slice a life kind of story. For people who are scared of the sadness, personally the reason I cried while watching was because it is touching, not because it is sad.

Leia Mais

Omg. Why have more people not watched this movie?
Okay, admittedly I did go into this movie thinking that it was probably going to be a bit of a try hard movie and that the graphics wouldn't be that great – I’d just attempted watching Shark Boy and Lava Girl. But oh. How wrong I was.
After finishing to the end I could 86% believe that half of the monsters in this were real creatures, the special effects are sweet as pie. The smaller monsters were more realistic then the bigger ones, but even then they were cool! Heads up and applause to the graphics team cause you guys rock! I’m pretty sure the CGI was more realistic in this film then the stunts were... but then again they used the same kind of method they use in Wuxia films/dramas – lots of wires and stuff. Not that I’m complaining or that this wasn’t done well. I’m just not a massive fan of the unrealistic jumping. I’m writing about a film with monsters why am I complaining about unrealistic jumping omg *dies*

I feel that unlike a lot of monster and human movies this one is a little unique. As the previous reviewer said, the story plot is not the stereotypical story where the guy and the girl find a monster, rescue it and take it home to its mother. Not in the slightest. First of all the main female wants to sell the baby monster, bye bye small cute creature! Not to mention that this is a female lead with guts and point object to kill you with. I can not express how happy female leads in Asian films/dramas, who aren't pansies, make me feel. The role reversal of the leads was just perfect and slightly comedic, I love'd that they let the female have power over the male as it's not a common sight in Asian film. The idea that it's the guy who has to give birth and it's the woman who has to protect him and his child is the absolute bomb.
And then the monster child itself? I melted. I don't think it's legal to make a radish that cute... If any one can find a supply of these adorable monsters can you catch me one? I'm melting into a squishy goo just thinking about that little critter! Ahhhh!
In addition the sideline stories are also awesome, it's hard not to give these away sooo... the couple they meet in the inn are adorably stupid - the woman made my day. As well as the female leads rival monster hunter and his pursuit of the queens protectors. Ugh. It makes me so happy.

I don't know who the actors are so I feel like I can't compare them to previous roles or anything. However, whoever they were did pretty good jobs. Jing Boran was good at being pregnant and had a lot of comic relief. I think my only issue is that they sometimes seemed to forget that his character was meant to be disabled and use a leg brace thing... other then that he was pretty good. Bai Bai He, who was the female lead, was alright. Nothing really struck me as amazing about her acting but it wasn't bad. If that makes sense... However I think it may have been more to do with the scenes she was given then her acting skill. But I'm not sure, as I said I've not seen them act before.

The music was awesome~ From the ridiculous songs which the monsters sang to the actual soundtrack. I think that the music was just the icing on the cake. It made adorable perfect scenes even more perfect and adorable :3

This is definitely a film I recommend seeing! I don’t understand how there wasn't a bigger thing about this because it was pretty god damn awesome. The way it ended made me think that there could be a second film *crosses fingers*

So cute.

Leia Mais

So this is a drama based off of the Manga and Anime by Gosho Aoyama. Previously there had been 3 Specials, the most recent of which stars the same cast as the ones in this drama. I haven't seen any of those, but as an avid fan of the anime, I was eager to watch this drama. And to date, it has yet to disappoint me. While yes the storyline isn't the same (the anime is based off of when Shinchi becomes a kid, while this one is just stories of Shinchi solving crimes). But nonetheless, the cases aren't bad, the acting is pretty awesome (especially Shinchi/Ran/Detective Mouri). The music is decent. Overall those, this is definitely one of the better anime to drama adaptations I have seen.

Leia Mais

the BEST cold duty bound high god male lead EVER!!!!!!

listen..... my xianxia hater street cred is going to be in a lot of trouble if they keep makin shows like this and canglanjue....

another show that makes its mark with some fun and refreshing twists on tired old xianxia tropes! it's so fun that in the beginning I would say it felt very much like a parody. it's especially strong after shaodian youqin is unalived and yetan has to romance three completely different men who are all him. it's just SO fun and has such a sweet message too. generally the storytelling isn't anything reinventing the wheel, but it's quite consistent thematically and doesn't do anything too crazy. The last arc is definitely weakest and the most serious the show gets, which imo the plot dramatics just aren't done well and aren't particularly interesting

mainly i absolutely adore shaodian youqin and his relationship with yetan. even tho yetan is the main character i think youqin's character is the one that truly shines throughout the show and gets the most amount of love and character development from the writers. after all they literally put him through like 5 different character arcs as 5 different people and yet it's still all him!!!! like, wow, what a wonderful and fresh take on his character archetype!! i have HAD IT with the super powered, cold, unfeeling, 100% dedicated to his duty to the immortals war god/sect leader/crown prince who slowly warms up to innocent/kind/stupid fl but just Cant give up his duty because he is so Good and Filial and Just and can't put love above reasoning.... but it fills him with PAIN u see!!! he will take 50000 lighting bolts for his beloved but he won't tell her!!! and then he will still betray her so that he can fulfill his duty because he can't be w her!!! he is a MAN in PAIN... so beautiful... so cool... so tortured!!!🤮🤮🤮 and then the starry love comes around and is like, he is like that because he is Literally so abused and traumatized and he repressed all of his emotions and humanity in order to single mindedly devote himself to his suicide self sacrifice mission... it's not cool or good to be like that, it's literally BAD and INHUMAN. like the very first time we meet him, he's immediately shown to be awkward and rude, his cold proper stick in the mud ways are lame, rather than cool, and chen xingxu's actual voice is PERFECT for the role, thick and stuffy! the first arc is him learning to embrace his emotions and his fear, and he's rewarded because in this universe character growth actually correlates with a cultivation power up and the ability to then do the stupid fantasy thing. and then we MEET the parts of him that he repressed and they're all full and complete humans who are all flawed and deeply lovable. even though I missed the shards, esp xiao mei, it was such a joy to meet youqin 2.0- the sweet, fun and mischievous person he was always meant to be. they really had something to say, and it's directly opposed to what most xianxias have said. ugh the messaging is just truly so sweet and positive. i better literally never see a yehua or zhihua ever again because THIS is what you can do with the character type and now that we've done it we can never go back... give us more men who would actually turn their back on duty and responsibility to do the actual RIGHT thing and stand by their love!!!!!!

yetan i think is done well too, and she has more of a classic hero arc, starting out othered and outcasted and learning to use that villain persona as a shield to protect herself, but learning the value of the world over time from care, love and friendship. i have quite some affection for her but everything kind of pales in comparison to youqin for me lol but she is also very sweet and her relationship w qingkui is very sweet and pure, though pretty much devoid of complexity. i think the choice to remove any ill feelings between the sisters to be understandable, since the show clearly wants to go against the typical jealous, scheming fighting betrayal shit which is admirable. however this relationship is supposed to be central to the show, and taking out any negativity doesn't mean it's a stronger or more well written relationship. if the writers were more skilled they would be able to add depth and dimension to their relationship without resorting to overused cheap tropes. qingkui and chaofeng as characters are also pretty mid for me, with pretty straight forward arcs and little depth. They were the most fun in the beginning when he was still deceiving her, but after a while their story really couldn't match up to the main couple's imo. which sucks because i think they have a lot of potential to tell a really good and interesting story! just very straightforward bad guy falls for good girl and stops being bad eventually.

many plot points are just pretty weak, ESPECIALLY yetan and her dad's relationship which is done SO poorly, and i thought they were doing p well w youqin and his dad until the Last episode when they decided to make him redeem himself even though he's the WORST meanwhile the actual hottest character in the show void tyrant had to DIE. not a fan of many choices honestly, many of the side characters are just complete blank slates, totally boring, and don't even get me started on the dongqiu plot.... it's so bad, handled horribly, suzhi is so poorly written.... like if they truly wanted to talk about genocide it wouldve been woven into the story and felt from beginning to end, but it's literally all shoehorned into the last 4 episodes. to me the true end of the show is after they leave the tianzhu and the couples and their friends all live together happily and chaofeng has an armed guard business. that's the end. everything after that i do not accept- not because it's sad, but because it was poorly written and added very little to the characters who had pretty much all completed their arcs already.

honestly pretty mid show in many ways but it is extraordinary for shaodian youqin and his storyline which is very fresh, fun, and sweet!

Leia Mais

This is a cute, quirky movie and I enjoyed it a lot. The main lead, Gong Yoo is a favorite of mine. I like watching him act. He's got a strange sort of beauty to his face but his acting is what gets me in almost everything I have watched him in. In this he pays a nerdy perfectionist with an element of a doom and gloom mentality and a bit of OCD. This ultimately gets him axed from his job.

Im Su Jung plays a harried and hopeless stage director who is unable to forget her first love. She even has a suitor wanting to marry her and she can't seal the deal. She hides behind her work as an excuse to avoid him and turn him down, driving her father crazy in the process.

I like the antagonistic relationship between the two leads after the story of "Finding Mr. Destiny" gets going. I like the flashback sequences. Both for how the memories are portrayed and the beautiful shots of India. This film has elements of the unexpected that keep it from being a typical, by rote, romantic comedy.

It's a sweet story. Light but not fluffy, well acted and a great ending too.

Leia Mais

Taken, Joseon Style

Hollywood has Taken with Liam Neeson. South Korea’s answer is Jang Hyuk’s The Swordsman, with a dash of Joseon thrown in the mix. And what a fantastic version this is.

This sageuk is about Tae Yul, Joseon’s arguably greatest living swordsman, who was formerly part of the royal retinue as the personal bodyguard of the previous King, who was subsequently overthrown in a bloody coup. Fast forward many years later after the revolt, Tae Yul is now retired from guard duty with a serious sight impairment, living off-grid in the mountain wilderness as the guardian of a young teenage girl. This is set against the backdrop of power transitioning from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing forces in Imperial China. The arrival of Qing emissaries to coerce the Joseon administration into offering money and female slaves sourced from the local populace, including the daughters of the nobles, as tribute to the new dynasty causes much consternation and dissatisfaction among the nobility and royalty.

All hell breaks loose when the young girl under Tae Yul’s care gets abducted and enslaved by the Qing slavers. This is when the “Taken plot” takes over with Tae Yul taking on all the villains and finally the showdown with not one but two major boss-fights, in a bid to rescue the girl.

This is a high quality production that’s quite decent in every aspect - direction, screenplay, cinematography, choreography, editing, and artistic set design - with many familiar faces, beautiful scenery of the countryside as well as the authentic setting of the era. The main characters and the central plot are well written but the major focus of the show is undoubtedly the action. The sword fighting choreography is absolutely outstanding and the action sequences are stunning to behold. The art of swordsmanship shown here is top tier and surpasses many other South Korean productions. Breathtaking, bloody, artistic, even poetic. Seeing is believing.

The character of Tae Yul is marvelously brought to life by Jang Hyuk. The expression, body language, dialogue…it feels as though this role was made exclusively for him that no one else could possibly portray. A man of few words where action speaks the loudest, this is a seasoned warrior who lets his uniquely-bladed sword do the talking.

The primary antagonist is played by the Indonesian martial arts actor, Joe Taslim, who injects a measure of sophisticated charm into the villainous and slightly psychopathic Gurutai, leader of the Qing envoy and cousin to the new Qing Emperor. His athleticism and way with the sword is fully displayed in the epic final showdown of the movie.

The supporting cast is a familiar one, with veterans Jung Man Shik, Choi Jin Ho, and Jang Hyun Sung portraying the nobleman, former King and chief of the King’s guard respectively. Kim Hyun Soo portrays the young girl Tae Ok and her experience shines through having started her career as a child actress over a decade prior.

The only criticism that I would level at this production would be the length - 1 hour and 40 minutes. The plot did get somewhat convoluted with certain flashbacks and side plots that could have potentially been fleshed out more, if the film had been slightly longer. The average K-drama episode is over an hour long so as a film it should have been made into at least 2 hours. As it was, the pace did feel rushed during the final arc, the conclusion of the story.

Overall, The Swordsman is one of the best action sageuk produced in recent memory that will, and should, serve as a benchmark for similar action-oriented films in the future for top quality sword fighting and action choreography, in the South Korean film and drama industry.

Leia Mais

L : The mirror of live and evil

Started this drama without any prior knowledge about the plot so I did not know what to expect. Mostly, trusted Shin Hakyun's acting as he always delivers the characters and so far, I really enjoyed watching his dramas ─ ‍and Evilive was not an exception. So, I'm glad to not miss it as not only I enjoyed watching how the storyline and characters' developments unfold but also discovered new talented acting people.

While I must admit the story is not completely new or unique, it surely delivered its own twists and perspectives. For me, what made it really good drama to watch was acting. Not only main roles but also side characters showed good acting skills and pulled you into the story. The portrayal of dynamics was phenomenal. However, I have to admit Shin Hakyun and Kim Youngkwang truly stole the spotlights with their portrayals of their characters.

Throughout the 10 episodes, we saw how human greed works through characters, how they change and how someone can welcome their inner demons with a tempting whisper from a criminal and suppressed anger. The shift in personality was too realistic and it was nice to watch the constant moving between the grey and dark area throughout character development.

Also wanted to point out how it took me a while to notice there is only one L in Evilive because the letter is acting as a mirror. Evil and Live spell each other backwards, and L is both the door and mirror ─ ‍which is such a witty name. It perfectly represents the story and characters.

I'm glad I didn't miss this drama and gave it a chance ─ ‍and I definitely recommend it.


link to edit : https://youtu.be/h6z05B475cI

Leia Mais

Story: I thought it was interesting and different from all the dramas I have seen. It was worth my time. Since it rare that drama has plot focusing on high school student. So that was a plus! There was not much romance, but a lot of friendship. I envied the student friendship. I liked the fact that they were always there for each other :)

Acting/Cast: I thought everyone did a great job even the supporting character. In my opinion, there was no antagonist. Everyone did their role really well. I was able to relate to some of students and their struggle for school.

Music: The Ost was amazing! It suit the drama really well. Sometimes, I would search for the Ost and it would bring back so much memory.

Rewatch Value: I would watch it again if I have time. It was not boring at all and it was funny and cute at the same time.

Overall: I really enjoyed the the drama. I learned a lot from the drama and all the tips I have learn I am using it for school. This drama taught me that school is really important and that I have to study a lot if I want to be successful.

Leia Mais