Reviews

Xu Kai’s Best work yet - gripping and intense the kind that makes history

Despite the veteran powerhouse actors crowing this delightful offering, it’s Xu Kai that stands out in this brilliant production. The story is gripping the treatment is perfect and the casting is a dream. It’s hard. It’s gritty and it’s painful. He is not the heartthrob hero this time. He is so wrong and yet so right. You empathise with him despite everything he is doing because his eyes tell a story of love, suffering and desperation. It’s perfect. His villainousness is perfectly balanced with his fragility and determination. It’s a treat to watch this wonderful work where the actor known for his smooth looks and model appearance has willingly forgone the polish of glamour for a hard hitting role. It could have gone either way. But this is one villain we will all love because somehow his story means more than morality itself. His father’s stark high moral character in the drama is a perfect foil for his flawed broken person. His weakness and actions seem superfluous despite how wrong they are. Because the audience is still cheering him on. For once, waiting for the good guys to fail. What a treat! And definitely not to be missed. I’m hooked and I know I’ll watch it again. Every episode was a gift. You start with trepidation- anxious whether the 2 leads will miraculously come out the other end as winners. But this is so real that all that hope is dashed in the wake of facts and real life. It feels wrong to support the ambiguity of Xu Kai's Chen Hui. But you support him anyways. He is chilling and thorough. But still so vulnerable and human. Can’t say enough about how well the layers and complexity of the character has been portrayed. I also can’t understand the low ratings. Are some viewers retarded?

Leia Mais

Beautiful but Sad Love Story

I’m a fan of Zheng Ye Chen and have been following his historical dramas. Unfortunately, all the characters he has played so far have been disappointing, including this one. My disappointment is not with the acting - Zheng Ye Chen’s acting is great - but with the characters of the stories. To be more accurate, I love all his characters but dislike the endings of the characters; they always end in deaths or simply disappear into oblivion. It is such a pity that a fine actor like him has yet to find a script that cheers the viewers up with joy.

To contain the power of General Xue Yao (Zheng Ye Cheng), the Emperor issues an edict for him to marry his adopted daughter Princess Xu Chu Ye (Hu Yi Xuan) so that he’d have to surrender his military power to the Emperor. The couple get married while Xu Chu Ye is in her slumber that cannot be woken no matter how because she has a weird condition. After their wedding, being suspicious and overthinking, Xue Yao interprets all Xu Chu Ye’s actions as puzzles to solve, and likewise for Xu Chu Yue, all his bypassing remarks become some hints. These lead to hilarious misunderstandings and they are really a fun watch. As the couple begin to get to know each other, very quickly they fall in love with each other too. They go through ups and downs, marriages and divorces, getting together and separating due to misunderstandings, and all their misfortunes seem non-stop. But one thing is for certain – their undying love for each other.

Xue Yao is a very serious character, handsome, no nonsense, suspicious and cold. Although he's a strategic general who wins in all battles and wars, he has no idea how to deal with women and his own emotions. He is heart-broken after the death of his beloved big brother, and determined to find out the actual cause of his death. Zheng Ye Chen’s styling as a general is amazing here. His super good look in the general’s uniform and then in the guard’s uniform is perfect. His sword fighting choreography is convincing too. His love for the Princess is endearing and sweet, radiating from his gentle facial expression and words. His gaze is tender and loving. Seeing such scenes, the viewers’ hearts are filled with love.

Xu Chu Yue is a very pitiful princess, and yet very lovable. She has a secret. She has a special stone in her that can turn her into one of the 12 animals on the Chinese horoscope whenever she sleeps between certain hours at night. Once she reaches her 12th animal, she will sleep forever, never to wake up again. So she has to stay up at night and go to sleep in the day time. No one knows of her secret except those within her small circle. Xu Chu Yue is innocent, forthright and curious, and loves her younger adoptive brother. Hu Yi Xuan’s portrayal of the princess is absolutely perfect. She is cute with bright eyes but carries an air of sadness between her brows.

Xu Xing Chen (Yang Lin) is a prince born to a consort who has lost favor with the Emperor. He and Xu Chu Yue have grown up together, taken care of each other, survived the viciousness of the palace politics. Xu Chu Yue treats Xu Xing Chen as a little brother but he is romantically in love with her. At times, he comes in between Xue Yao and the Princess. The scenes are funny and hilarious sometimes, and heart brokenly sad at others. For the Prince, he has wanted nothing but the Princess, as she is his moon and he is her star.

This story starts off very well as a flashback from the perspective of Xue Yao, telling his story with the Princess to a group of children. The story is serious and yet not serious as well. But as it begins to develop, the couple’s romance becomes a broken record, going round and round and round, frustrating the viewers. By the end of the story telling by Xue Yao, he takes his beloved sleeping wife and jumps of the cliff. Except for the ultimate villain, there is no resolution for many of the characters as what has come of them. For me, these are poor editing and lazy writing.

Despite some of the plot holes here and there, and my frustrations at times, I have rather enjoyed this drama for the love story which is beautiful and sad. If you don’t mind all the usual tropes such as love triangle and a rather sad ending, this drama is quite a good watch.

Updates:

There is an epilogue released some time after the final episode and I almost missed it. The epilogue in effect is an alternative ending. It includes all the things I've described earlier concerning loose ends. Here in the epilogue, everything is tied up nicely.

In the epilogue, Xue Yao doesn't jump off the cliff holding a sleeping Xu Chu Yue in his arms. Instead she wakes up in the nick of time and they make up all their lost time together travelling the world. All the other second couples also have their happy endings. I believe this happy ending makes many viewers very happy too.

Leia Mais

A young girl in early menopause and her terminally ill ex-boyfriend.
He kidnaps his ex-girlfriend who is about to get married and drags her with him in search of his biological father.
But couldn't he have gone alone, I wonder?
What was the need to ruin her life, knowing that he will die soon?
Arguments, violence and mistreatment of this poor friend/companion (what a shitty role he has), the bodyguard specially brought back from America who practically doesn't say a word. This poor betrothed who chases her to save her.
In all this tragic comedy Woo Do Hwan's physique is one of the few things I would save.
From the eighth episode until the end the pace becomes slower and the story sadder.
Ups and downs of the disease that keeps getting worse, one moment he's fine, then he seems dead and the next moment everything seems ok... which makes you wonder if it will be over or he will wake up again...
Towards the end we discover the reason for the title "Mr Plankton".
In all this there are things that don't hold up: for example... The real father was the first. But taking the test when the child was little, no? The story collapses like this and makes no sense.
He abandons her by her real mother, runs away with the car, loses control and when it stops, the fiancé gets into the car (?!) or when they are on the island the criminal appears out of nowhere, alone and without henchmen in tow (?!!)...

Leia Mais

A must watch!

I do not like leaving reviews after the 1st episode but I feel i have to explain why you should be watching this!
i had low expectations on this drama and i have been surprised by how good this is!

the first thing i have personally noticed is how the music plays a great role on this drama and accompany each and every type of moment accordingly: you will have some action, some fairy tale, some comedy, some silliness, some seriousness... each moment is differently highlighted by the perfect sound!

furtherly, the camera moves around the set, sometimes in circle.. and it really takes you to a 360 vision of the surrounding, fantastic!

there is a very high and good sense of aesthetic, the chiaro-scuro from the lightening is just perfect!

then.. i am not particularly into the ML but.. wow.. he is super good! his expressions, he is mischievous, playful, and his smiles.. are not just silly ones.. it seems obvious already he has a final goal for what he does .. and it is more complicated than what it seems at the beginning.

also, they use black and white for flashbacks from the past.. and i just love it!

the narration is clear so far, you understand why things are the way they are, things are very well explained to you; the plot, after just one episode, is already disclosing for something deeper, more painful that what you might gather from the first 20 minutes of the drama!

i have high hopes now for this drama and i also hope i won't be disappointed :)

Leia Mais

Candle in the Tomb is the best out of the Winter batch of 2016/2017 Cdramas by a long mile, and that's largely because of the refreshing subject matter and its production quality. There are some green screens which were not processed properly in post-production, but in general the CGI is pretty good.

The drama is adapted from the uber popular same-name novel and hence the story is rich. A lot of it is just pure imagination on the author's part, but the good thing is that there is no cliches (like all the love stories you've been seeing), and it's a pretty "loyal" adaptation (yes, this is a dig at General and I). The directing is great, the jump scares are terrifying (the two kids in the first tomb and the professor in the penultimate episode - brilliant, brilliant acting on his part), the acting is decent, there's a little humour here and there, just bits of everything. But it's really well-executed, and that's what sets it apart from the awful The Lost Tomb*.

The main complaint I have about the drama is its pacing. The first episode is quite dull since it was mainly used to introduce the main and side characters, one which won't appear much in the rest of the drama at all. I think they have every intention to make a sequel (I heard that Da Jin Ya will have a larger role in the next books) and that's why they expended this much time in setting up everything. The first tomb exploration was quite eventful, and that's where things start to get interesting. However, the pacing problems began again. I mean, they took half an episode to bury Professor Hao!

Also, the whole archaeological team just seems like a huge burden to our three main characters. You're really just watching to see how they die out one by one, and it's difficult to feel sorry for them because of how useless they are. There's a huge reversal at the end but I won't spoil it here.

Other minor flaws include two dubbers for Shirley Yang because the original actor is Taiwanese, and the main dubber is not fluent in English, bad syncing for the English dubbed lines, Shirley Yang's exceptional picture interpretation skills, the archaeological team member who's obsessed with aliens (a horrible attempt at comedy) and so on.

It's difficult to elaborate on the highlights of Candle in the Tomb, because it is a very consistent drama, and thus the flaws stand out more. But trust me, despite what I have to say about the negatives, the drama is definitely worth a watch. In any case, I'm really looking forward to a second season, preferably with the same cast.

*There's bound to be recommendations for The Lost Tomb because the two dramas are of the same genre and are based on the same topic. Nevertheless, there's no need to spend time watching TLT. It's so bad that you should flush it out from your memory if you ever tried watching.

Leia Mais

When I started to watch Death Bell it reminded me of Saw for some reason. Maybe because of murder cruel ways used to eliminate students. Maybe because the riddles.

Movie has great background music which fit the story perfectly. Acting was really enjoying to watch, actors captured emotions truly well, especially surrounding chaos which took whole school hostage.

Overall I enjoyed watching this movie although there were so common trick which basically directors uses in this type of movies. Like never trust "good guys" or people which say about themselves that their are worthless etc. I was disappointed that murder revealed it self right at the begging. But lucky it did not demanded the story ^^

I have to mention that the last scene with titles in the end made me laugh so hard! This is pure dark humor - and excellent I have to say!

Leia Mais

BaiLu is a great actress who has so many great talents

BaiLu and Dylan wang both are great actors and good looking which makes drama more interesting to watch.Story base drama is good because it’s has love, ambition, passion about work,handling problems with their own judgements,so yes it was pretty good.. BaiLu’s acting skills always makes me impressed..all the characters doing well and perfectly executed whole drama. I like most when BaiLu and wang Heidi romantic scenes,they looks so natural , it’s feel they made for each others I love their chemistry so much. It’s easy to watch them because they portrayed every role very clearly.. Hopefully we can see them as an ancient drama, wuxia, because I think they are perfect. Both had historical successful drama and they are looked so good together

Leia Mais

You won't be able to respond normally to hearing the word "sunny" ever again

Well, this was a weird but fun watch that could only come from Japan!

I really liked how, when it came down to it, this was about two kind-of-kinky people who just hadn't had a proper conversation with each other about where they're at in their relationship, with one lead being terribly dense and unwilling/anxious to fully voice his desires and concerns and the other being forward physically all the while desperately craving simple but meaningful things from his lover: quality time together outside of sex, being relied on, being greeted at the door, and verbal expressions of affection.

All in all, I would recommend this sometimes frustrating drama.

Leia Mais

I wacthed Gomenne Seishun! because it starred two of my favourite japanese actors: Hikari Mitsushima and Ryo Nishikido. And it was pretty good.

The story is very original and quirky, I really liked it. It was very funny and entertaining. The story also tackles on some very important issues like discrimination, bullying and LGBT, which rarely appear in japanese dramas. What's more, they were tackled with a surprising seriousness, and that was great.

The cast was great. Ryo Nishikido and Hikari Mitsushima were fantastic, as I expected. The rest of the cast was also great, but Yuta Koseki deserves a special mention for his performance in episode 8.

The music was nothing special, but the theme song by Kanjani8 was pretty good.

In conclusion, Gomenne Seishun! is a very funny and well acted drama that also has a serious side when it tackles on some very important issues, which I appreciated.

Leia Mais

Currently, I have a gigantic smile plastered on my face, my heart feels lighter than in days, I just finished belting out the lyrics to the ending song of Healer and I think I might as well be floating in euphoria.
I mean, how do you get better than this? Healer is, to sum it up in a single word; precious. An utterly precious and beautiful production that gives so much warmth and joy. And so much love.

Now, normally I try to be "cool". Really, I do. I go around rooting for the underdogs. Over-hyped and mainstream artists usually do not get my adoration. Lee Min Ho, Kim Woo Bin, Park Shin Hye- all of these over-popular celebrities don't really do it for me. Clean cut looking, cutesy flower boys aren't my type either. I even go around putting an air of aloofness whenever I see crazed fan-girls and wonder how they can be so completely obsessed over a guy who barely looks 18. These are all the reasons why, me falling in love with Ji- Chang Wook is a great hypocrisy in its entirety but alas, it has happened and I have a terrible feeling that it's going to last for an eternity.

If it's any justification, I would say that the first time I saw him in Empress Ki, I really did think I was never going to like him and his beautiful face truly did nothing for me, rather, it was his excellent acting that ultimately sat my judgmental ass down. And if I was reduced to an obsessed mess for his highly flawed character in Empress Ki, I knew I didn't stand a chance with Healer.

To put it simply, watching him is pure bliss. He's just too fucking good. Despite the fact that the other characters brought their best, it's no denying that Healer is the king of the show. A puppet master that plays your emotions with utter abandon. I found myself getting attuned to his mannerisms; the way he often tilted his head as if considering the situation at hand, the way he spoke, his confident swagger and his innocent smile. I found myself sighing in complete content whenever he showed his face, bawling when he was in pain, pausing the button and literally caressing his face on the screen whenever he was down. I mean, at this point I am not even embarrassed to say that I more or less resemble the rabid fangirls I once scorned.

It's an evidence of his versatility that Ji-Chang Wook can perfectly execute entirely different roles and yet, retain the sincerity that always encompasses his acting. I'm blessed that I still have more of his shows left to watch because I know that stalking his Instagram feed and bookmarking his ridiculously adorable videos is nearly not enough for me.

The other actors do a marvelous job too. Park Min Young portrays the sassy and quirky girl with a big heart to the T. Even though I felt that her emotional scenes weren't as strong as they could've been, I have to admit that her character is very likable and strong throughout. Yo Ji Tae with his Kim Moon Ho always dazzles and the Ahjumma- the brilliant and hilarious hacker who always had Healer's back is a delight in her self.

Like many other users, I too agree that this show has one of the best OTP's in K-Drama history. The romance between the main leads is so untainted and pure that I swooned every-time. Their chemistry is absolutely electric and their love-story is heart melting. (If that's a word..)

With intelligent script writing, wonderful action scenes, epic romance, excellent screenplay, thoughtful plot and spot-on acting, Healer really does come full circle.
It will make you feel all sorts of emotions, with never a boring or forgettable moment and bestow upon you a journey that you wished would never end.

Without a doubt, a must watch.

Leia Mais

É bom, vocês que são chatos

Eu raramente escrevo resenhas de BLs que acompanho, mas *My Golden Blood* será um caso à parte. O drama ainda está no início, então minha opinião pode mudar com o tempo, mas já dá para comentar algumas coisas com base nos dois episódios disponíveis.
Os efeitos são ruins? Sim. Mas é exatamente isso que torna a série ainda melhor. Por mais que os efeitos não sejam de qualidade, a atuação de Joss e Gawin, além da química entre eles, compensa qualquer coisa. Sem contar a OST, que é simplesmente maravilhosa!
A história em si é interessante e envolvente, com bastante espaço para aprofundar os personagens. O enredo de humano e vampiro pode parecer clichê, mas a série sabe brincar com isso. E o melhor: My Golden Blood não se leva a sério o tempo todo. Há cenas bem engraçadas que trazem humor para a trama, tornando tudo mais divertido. Eles sabem que não é "aquela superprodução", então abraçam essa vibe de forma leve.
A atuação de Joss e Gawin continua incrível. Joss expressa muito bem as emoções do personagem, e Gawin também entrega um ótimo desempenho. Juntos, eles têm uma química forte que segura a série. E preciso repetir: a OST é simplesmente *perfeita*! Sou completamente apaixonada por essa música – a voz do Gawin, a melodia, a letra… tudo se encaixa perfeitamente.
Além disso, a série traz várias referências icônicas, desde Crepúsculo até Enrolados. Mesmo com os efeitos especiais duvidosos, a história consegue te prender. E sim, você vai rir muito dos efeitos, mas isso só deixa o BL ainda mais divertido. No fim, My Golden Blood é uma experiência que vale a pena!

Leia Mais

All In Good Fun

This show is so ridiculous. I loved it. It is fun and funny.

This show is not to be taken too seriously. It's like an old fashioned Melodrama. The characters are over the top and silly but humerous and entertaining. The undervoice dialogue is often hilarious. That was the best part. It is a big contrast from other serious shows by these actors but I am sure the actors all had a total blast making it. I wonder if they were able to ad lib their own audible thoughts. The plot is ridiculous and story sometimes doesn't make sense but who cares? It is not high drama but just for fun.

And contrary to a previous review it doesn't make fun of people with disabilities. That would imply he is typecast as villainous because of his disabilities. A person's character is not based on their physical abilities. That person should finish the series and not be so quick to judge and condemn.

Leia Mais

I like the premise of this drama. To think that every choice a person makes will determine a different future is fun to think about. One of the points that the writer was trying to make is that you should try to make choices that won't lead to regret. I find the idea of time travel and parallel universes to be intriguing. Also, the thought that we all walk down our own paths and have to be happy inside ourselves before we can be happy with someone else is a theme in this drama. I think that is what makes good character development. I like the ending also...what is Mirae's choice??? It could be anything in any lifetime...good, bad, and ugly. I really like that idea. This drama had a couple of draw backs. First, it isn't a romantic comedy. I don't know why it is in that genre. Second, it is S-L-O-W. The same story could have been told in much fewer episodes.

Lee Dong Gun, Jung Yong Hwa, Yoon Eun Hye and Han Chae Ah did a great job with their characters. I know that some people have problems with a few of these actors, but I think they all did an excellent job.

The music is annoying.

I won't rewatch this.

I think that if you like dramas that make you think, then this is a good one for it. Especially if you like the thought of time travel and parallel universes.

Leia Mais

The children of Jiwha-dong.

I fell in love within the first few minutes of the first episode of this drama.
The drama follows a man who is looking for his long lost sister, that same man shares same emotional state with a woman he recently met.
Yeo Jingoo’s and Moon Ka-young's performance was so amazing in this drama and their chemistry was flowing so well.
This drama gives it all; the thrill, the fantasy, the romance, the mystery all in one go with exact amount of everything.
As much as this drama is interesting, it also shines light onto serious things that even tend to happen in real life:
Domestic abuse.
Murder.
Bullying.
Stalking.
Attempts of rape.
We get to see so many characters in Link and we get to see their daily life and what they go through. We meet the children of Jiwha-dong.
We also get to see the female lead struggling with a few things that I mentioned up there.
Even though she went through such serious topics, we get to see her heal and become stronger than she was before. Aswell as the male lead. He goes through so many rough things ever since he was little to his adult hood.
He deals with his sister going missing, his mother becoming sick and disassociating from the world, his father barely being there for them when needed.
He turns into this cold, distant character that you want to sympathize with. That you want to hug and put into your pocket and keep him safe.
The drama shows us that tough times never last, but tough people do.
It shows that no matter what we can go through, there is still that tiny speck of light that might drop and shine up your life.
Life can teach people to never trust someone again. Whether it being someone broke your heart, messed with your loyalty, did something bad- life can tend to be unfair but once you get to meet specific people that were made for you, you'll see how much it's worth it.
You will lose people along the way, and like the male lead said;
"It’s because we’ve lost someone. We’ve lost someone precious to us. That’s why we can’t hold on to someone. We’re afraid of losing them again."
However everything is going to be okay, we're all human, afterall.

Leia Mais