Reviews

This drama had so much potential! The first few episodes were excellent, but rushed writing really brought the quality down near the end. It still gets an overall 8 from me for it’s strong start that gave me all sorts of cute butterfly feelings, but it just couldn’t maintain that initial wow factor.

The beginning of this drama was absolutely adorable! It was refreshing to see two adults be, well, adults about their relationship and the romantic chemistry between the leads was electric. But the plot really started struggling once it began focusing too much on the male lead’s perceived struggles rather than Asuka’s storyline. Despite his good looks and soft-spoken charm, he became such a noble idiot that I actually switched loyalties to the second lead, something I rarely do. It’s pretty clear that cutting the length of this drama had a negative impact on the script writing and subsequent character development.

Nishiuchi Mariya really carried this drama and I loved her portrayal of Asuka. First-time actor Yamamura Ryuta impressed me a lot too and I hope he continues acting. The supporting cast didn’t have much to work with when their characters got quickly pushed into random plots near the end but they also performed very well. There was so much potential!

Conclusion: It was a good drama that needed more time to develop its plot and characters. Not a must-watch but if you like cute and realistic relationships check it out!

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This was a really great series that managed to balance its constant hilarity with moments that were surprisingly profound or heartwarming. The cast of characters was almost universally endearing, mostly thanks to the incredibly comic performances that the various actors delivered. Despite all this, I found the series to be unexpectedly didactic, delivering viewpoints on topics such as friendship, honour and pragmatism. Unless you have an aversion to a bit of blood, this is a must see. My only regret is that it finished at episode 10.

P.s. as someone already pointed out, the theme song is a cover of 'Otoko no Kunshou'- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frC94k58Hvo - Jiro Sato, who played Riko's father, makes an appearance in this music video.

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While I admit the story line is extremely cheesy in some places, it is just as sweet and touching in others. The relationship between the characters is incredibly well depicted. This is not an indepth story...if you want that go look at Vampire Prosecutor. But neither should you pass it by. Once you get into the story, it's very entertaining and interesting. The characters grow on you with each episode, and you are rooting for their family by the end. Some of the vampire parts are silly, but it was the best for its time. I would actually be as likely to re-watch this as I would be to re-watch Vampire Prosecutor (and in fact I have re-watched this show a couple times). It's short, and is a great just sit back and watch show.

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I was sad with developed

When I read the synopsis I was curious, because there was potential in the history. There were 50 episodes for developed all details. When I was watching I was more and more frustrated with the lack of attention for developed and fix the mystery.

Well, the series lost a lot of time with stuff those no matter. I am frustrated I don't recommend this drama.

If there is a remake to fix this inversion of the importance. In other words if the directors and writers put attention in history, not in foolish and repeated jealousy the series can become good.

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Lenta, porém deliciosa!

Eu amei como o romance é construído, não teve traição e a enganação foi Joke já gostar de Zo há muito tempo!
Muito fofos, atuação não é das melhores, mas só alguns personagens se perdem ali, Nita foi usada na medida certa. Vovó maravilhosa, só gostaria de saber como o pai de Zo ficou, se ele foi pra casa ou não.
Os beijos muito fofos e a cena da primeira vez do casal foi muito fofa na medida certa!
Sorri demais toda vez que eles se beijavam ou se abraçavam, fofos DEMAIS!
Lembrei um pouco do meu relacionamento, nesses longos 7 anos foram muitos altos e baixos e ficamos juntos, crises vieram, mas relacionamento é isso, é algo fluido que precisa estar todo tempo se adaptando as pessoa envolvidas!
Muito amor e respeito envolvido!

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Beyond my expectations ~

Beyond my expectations ~ my own opinion that may or may not others agrees with ....
I like dramas that goes not like what I thought it'll be~
I had nice time watching , which I didn't expect~ I'm glad it was one from the type of drama that kept me day and night watching hehehe till last ep ^^
Kind of typical kromance but so well presented , the acting the osts and the filming I liked all
And so puzzled by how low the rating ? It deserves more at least at least over 8 but why ?? It deserves more ...
I liked the way how she questioned the feelings and the acts by him , and how he do revenges that woah loved it
And ofc I fell for the main although I like the sec but the main ( heart eyes emoji ) XD

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Not too scary, political, but more than that, a love story.

Let's start with answering the question, "Can I watch these without watching the movie and playing the game?" - Definitely yes! It can stand on its own because the series had interspersed it with flashbacks (flashbacks that are part of the narrative which for me will not bore you to death).

What I don't like:
1. I started watching this one with the idea that I will be scared... I came out unscathed. But scary-ness is definitely based on individual's scaredy-cat (lol) level. So it might be different from your viewing experience.
2. Supporting characters acting is sometimes off.
3. The political theme made me read on Taiwan's White Terror. I did feel the need to know why they (the characters, specially the villains) acts that way.

What I like:
1. The series did not only focuses on the horror and political theme they touched on. It explored the main characters' struggle and showed how they triumph (and their reward/punishment) for the choices they had made. It is not often to see in horror series those elements.
2. I like the very intelligent use of flashback in this one.
3. This series made me buy and play (in chapter 2 right now) the game.

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“I wonder if the people watching will be happy with the drama” I was very miserable actually

Jfc where do I even start. First off I never watched Jane the virgin so you know this is from an unbiased viewer that doesn’t have the bias of having watched the original, with that out of the way:
My first problem rose in around the 6th (give or take) episode, the kiss was horrendous holy sh.. do you know how evidently bad a kiss has to be for a person that hasn’t kissed someone to not only know it’s cringey but to legitimately think the show is better off without kissing? The focus on the kisses made it wayyy worse like if your actors are awful kissers then show it from afar or something but nooooo it had to be in plain view, every kiss took down 5 years from my life span.
Second problem: unnecessary plot. They put too much focus on the crime plot like sir I DO NAWT CARE they failed to make it interesting and dragged it for too long
Third: Lack in reasoning behind characters actions. So many characters did things out of character and then on top of that their reasoning was sh-t
Overall By episode 9 I was full on skipping scenes, having it as background noise the last episode I skipped the entire episode and watched the last thing and I audibly cringed like cmon now.
The female lead was awful she cannot act wtf this is my first time actually saying this about someone because I never notice but this one was actually so obvious it gave me physical pain
The baby was the best actor you did great sweetie
Conclusion save yourself don’t bother

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Stop and consider for one moment: what is your most precious memory? Would it sustain you if all the others were completely washed away? Might it be enough even if you could never form another? In the haunting and emotional After Life (originally Wandafuru Life or “Wonderful Life,”) heaven and hell do not exist. There is but one choice. After dying, you must select one memory to “live” inside for all eternity—with nothing but the thoughts and feelings of that moment for just as long. Everything not contained in that memory returns to dust.

And so viewers join a group of counselors, long dead, as they work with the newly deceased to find their best memory. Each counselor is charged with several individuals, and they interview them one by one in order to root out what will make them most happy. As such, much of the film takes place in documentary-style interviews. We hear various stories from many individuals, diverse in ways from content to age range and era. However, there are a few unable to pin down anything anything at all. One man has never truly had a happy moment in his life, while another refuses to select anything despite ample material. Another young lady realizes times she thought were special were not quite as she remembered. What will happen to unfortunate people like these? There is also a mystery surrounding the counselors themselves… who are they and why were they chosen for this work?

Yet with such intense subject matter, After Life manages to be gentle and slyly humorous. It never reaches into your chest to tear out your heart, but delicately stirs that part of you which values sentimentality and fears death. What makes this film excellent is how carefully it explores these subjects: mortality and memory. It may induce laughter in you, perhaps it will leave a lump behind in your throat; but above all else, After Life will make you think long and hard. What would you choose?

Many familiar and veteran names grace the cast listing, such as Iura Arata, Terajima Susumu, and Iseya Yusuke. They stand out here as well, particularly the two counselors. However, the real stars are the memories and the people who share them. Many of the “interviews” were completely impromptu, and the people depicted are not actors, but real people reminiscing on film. Though it isn't clear which are scripted and which are authentic, they all leave great impact.

I always claim music is of paramount importance in both film and television. Despite this preference, it seems I've found an exception in After Life. This is a movie that does just fine without much of a soundtrack to recommend it. In fact, the silence lends realism, a solemn kind of respect and authenticity. There are no emotional cues for the audience, either…which is surprisingly nice for a change.

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The gender bender genre hasn't really ever interested me. So how did I end up watching You’re Beautiful, a gender bender drama? Funny story that. My husband and I were building a computer, neither of us are overly tech-savvy, but we’re competent. We’d dismantled our old computer and started building the new one from scratch. Unfortunately we did not complete it in a day, which meant that I had no way to watch my dramas. Fortunately, I have a Kindle Fire and Amazon Prime so I jumped on there and started searching out Korean dramas. I now know that there is an app for DramaFever (where I watch all my dramas) for the Kindle and we also have a Roku so if this happens in the future I’m covered. There were only about five shows that I could find on Amazon Prime to stream through my Kindle, and of those five You’re Beautiful caught my interest more than the rest. So I sat down to watch a gender-bender drama.

My biggest turn off was how they dressed/styled Park Shin Hye. Since watching You’re Beautiful I have watched Coffee Prince and Yoon Eun Hye was such a more convincing boy. Even back when I had watched this drama, before having seen Coffee Prince, I was disappointed with the effort they put into Park Shin Hye as a boy. Shin Hye is definitely feminine and beautiful even with neutral makeup and the short hair, it wasn't enough to disguise her. I wanted more effort in the styles they dressed her in, though I couldn't honestly pinpoint any specific ideas. It just fell flat for me. Also, her actions and mannerisms weren't masculine. I know it is a TV show and I should suspend my disbelief and just accept that the members of the band would look at her with her short hair and accept that she was a boy. But I can’t, she was still just too pretty for me. Anyway, even though I can’t really give meaningful ideas on how this could be improved, it was what made me not emotionally invest in the show as much as I could have.

The thing I liked the most was the Bromance between the band members. I thought they cast the band perfectly. Each one represented a different quality/personality. Their interactions with one another were very enjoyable. They were like brothers and best friends throughout the whole of the show. Jeremy was so adorable and innocent. His fun loving attitude made him my favorite of the band members themselves. Though I think my most favorite thing about him was the fact that he read the fan-fiction about him and the other band members, that was just an absolute hoot. I like that Kim Shin Woo was the calm one, the voice of reason. He balanced out Jeremy's eccentricities and Hwang Tae Kyung's diva/narcissistic personality. Then Hwang Tae Kyung was the perfect leader role, he was pushy and needy but also really did have a desire for the band to succeed. The writers did a great job with the band as a whole.

Kim Shin Woo also gave me yet another seriously heartbreakingly painful case of second male lead syndrome. I wanted him to get the girl so badly. However, it frustrated me how he went about getting the girl. His plan of attack had so much to do with why he didn't end up with Go Mi Nyu. I wanted him to get the courage to talk to her long before he confronted her in the chapel. If he had been more open with her and let her know that he was in on the secret, well it could have been a totally different story. So I both loved his character’s story and disliked it.

I also appreciated Uee in this drama. She did a fantastic job with portraying her role. I totally believed that she was a spoiled brat who had the whole nation fooled. Additionally, I think she did a great job as her part as a villain. Though I think the best part was her redemption wasn't completely out of left field, she grew as a character but didn't escape the natural boundaries they’d set up in the beginning.

However, out of everything I think I loved the music the most. This is only one of four OST’s that I’ve actually purchased. It helped that the songs were actually performed by the actors, it gave it a very real feel throughout the show itself. If A.N. Jell was an actual band I would buy their music in a heartbeat.

Though I do really like this drama, it just never really reeled me in through the feels. I think it had the most to do with it being a gender-bender story. I just couldn't completely invest myself in the story as it unfolded because I found it so very unbelievable. But that doesn't stop me from giving it a high rating, in the end it was an enjoyable ride and I’m glad I watched it.



Noona's Rating
Overall: 7.8 (I rated this 4 stars on DramaFever.com)
Story/Writing: 8
Cast/Actors: 8
OST: 9
Sets/Costumes: 7
Feels: 7

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Good intention

Before I start nagging about the many flaws of this series, let me say I liked it, for more than one reason. I'll keep this short, because I think everybody have to make up their mind about the show themselves. I only want to give you some clues.

The message
This series, unlike most other Thai BL-series, addresses the social and political situation in the country, like corruption, killings of non-corrupt politicians, or the threat of gang crime. The message behind it is to encourage people to not accept these circumstances, to stand together and fight against crime and injustice. In this sense, the series can be called patriotic, especially in the last episodes. Given the overall situation in Thailand, it seems brave to produce a show like this. So the intention is good.

The plot
I won't spoil any details here. A young man returns to his home village in the North of Thailand where a local gang blackmails and kills residents. He teams up with some other young men to fight the gangsters.

The script
Here's the first big problem. Many scenes are unintentionally comic with a high level of ridiculousness. You get a rough idea what the writer intended, but the execution is often unrealistic if not illogical. One example among many others is the acceptance of boys' love by the villagers, with parents encouraging their son to have sex with his boyfriend. And in real life it would be nothing short of suicide, if a bunch of inexperienced, if not naive young men stand up against gangsters who have killed average citizens as well as politicians. Fortunately, the gangsters are mere caricatures who don't recognize their enemies although they have seen them several times before. They even don't wonder why a guy they think they have killed is suddenly alive again.

The cast / acting
This is the second problem. I have given 8 stars, but this is a compromise: a 10 for the cast, but a 6 for acting at best. There are some very attractive young men, like Kawaii (Din) or Andew (the teacher). But: after some of the boys showed their amazing physique in bathing scenes in the first few episodes, this promise is not fulfilled, as they stay completely dressed in the later episodes which is a pity. More importantly, and unfortunately, most of them have no acting skills at all, making dramatic scenes unintentionally comic.

The setting / cinematography / soundtrack
The story is set in a rural surrounding in Northern Thailand. Cinematography and production are surprisingly good, and the ost is beautiful.

Product placement
I understand you need a lot of money to produce a series like this, and most Thai BLs have more or less product placement. It's nice to have the boys praise a brand of soap while they are taking a shower, but I wonder if it has to be a bleaching soap. When it's about painkillers or sauce, just regard it as a comic intermezzo, and it doesn't hurt too much.

Rewatch value
Whether you will want to rewatch the series or not obviously depends on how much you liked (or hated) it. As I liked it, and as the title song keeps hanging in my ear all the time, I may rewatch it some day, when there's no other BL series to watch. I also guess one may discover some hidden messages at a second glance only.

There have been better series than this, but it's definitely not the worst. All in all, despite the flaws mentioned before, in my opinion watching this series is no waste of time.

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Now, I haven't watched the American version of Suits so I can't speak in terms of comparison, but I did talk with a friend who decided to watching the US version while I watched the KR version and we compared storylines, and from what they said, it was pretty spot on minus some differences that can be accounted to writing/directing choice and cultural influences. I thoroughly enjoyed the drama from start to finish, and more than the storylines, I enjoyed the cast. The acting was spot on—having not seen Jang Dong Gun in such a long time, this was a perfect return to acting for him. He fit the character spot on and I enjoyed Kang Seok's interactions with Yeon Woo. Park Hyungsik also continues to do a good job in being one of the few actors who makes me cry when he cries on camera. Chae Jung An was a star! I so enjoyed when we got to see more of her as the drama went along, and I wish the drama had gone a little further with Secretary Hong's relationship with Kang Seok.

I do have smaller minor issues in terms of Yeon Woo's character and how he tends to flip flop rather than stay somewhere on a constant path, and the story to me dragged along towards the middle, but picked up closer to the end. The last few episodes were a little fast paced and could have been done earlier, but they still worked out pretty well.

In terms of romance or bromance, Kang Seok and Yeonwoo's friendship as well as Kang Seok and Chae Geun Sik's rivalry, and the relationship between Kang Seok and Partner Kang were all wonderful to watch. I felt so so on Yeonwoo and Jinah, but they were a minor cute edition that I didn't mind all too much, though I wish we could have seen a little more of Jinah's backstory.

Overall, I could watch this again from certain parts. It was a really chill watch (til the second half when I was screaming) that I could rebinge anytime. The ending was open ended so while the chances are sim to none for a second season, it could totally be done (and with the great ratings, who knows).

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Absolutely an Embarrassing Ending!

How could you end up destroying this show?
I love IU, I love Lee joon gi, they were great together, I was totally over the moon watching Hae soo and So together, The OSTs are masterpieces, but seriously, they messed up last two episodes. everything happend too fast and completely unreasonable. There were simply no excuses or answers for what soo was doing. She looked like a whiny little girl who couldn't understand logic. The way she left the palace was hilarious. She said She won't leave So and then in less than an Episode, she was begging to leave and Absolutely with no reasonable excuse. They didn't even give us a final Conversation and Farewell between our loving birds! Did anyone finally understand why Jung kept changing the covers of the letters???!
Absolutely Embarrassing Ending!

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