Slow Burn, Big Feels
This series pretty much has it all tbh, there is action, drama and romance with a provocative plot. The characters are well-developed too, the story is interesting and the visuals are really pretty to look at. Plus, it doesn’t shy away from real-world issues so if you are tired of cookie romances and want something fresh then please add it to your list because any series that can make you root for a heist-loving rebel with a heart of gold is worth your time.The Master of Disguise: Joker
He is my favorite character ♡ he has a very suave and charming demeanor but under all that there is a man crushing under the expectations of his parents who only show love if he meets their impossible standards, so to cope he channels his energy into becoming a modern-day Robin Hood and I think that his moral ambiguity makes him a fascinating ML. My man is waging a one-man war against oppressive wealth inequality while trying to find his own freedom from familial pressure.
The Heartbroken Fighter: Jack
His story is a polar opposite yet equally heartbreaking. He begins as an idealistic, shy young man with dreams of becoming a taekwondo champion and opening his own school. But life throws him a cruel curveball because he ends up being forced to become a debt collector to survive, he transforms into someone unrecognizable, hard and intimidating on the outside but still tender and kind within. I think watching Jack grapple with his duality was one of the things I loved the most ngl. He’s a man trying to reconcile who he was with who he has become.
Jack & Joker together :
The relationship between these two is the heart of the show. They start from strangers to friends, then to enemies and finally lovers, they go through so many stages to end up where they do and it's slow but I personally think it's refreshing to see a BL series that takes its time building a relationship between the leads, plus their chemistry is off the charts thanks to YinWar. You can tell these two actors trust and understand each other deeply because whether they are working through misunderstandings, confronting their pasts or supporting each other in the present, they always nail the emotions head on.
Cinematography :
In my opinion, the series is stunning to the eyes which is a rare feat in BL dramas lmaoo but here, the cinematography catches the glittering and superficial opulence of the wealthy with the gritty realities of poverty really good.
Social Commentary :
I have to mention this because the heavy themes in this show are really worth paying attention to, like wealth disparity, family expectations and identity without feeling preachy, these were all subjects that really caught my attention. They went deep in how society shapes us and the lengths we go to in order to break free from the chains.
The Main Cast:
I just fucking love them. Their chemistry is just so damn good y'all, their emotional beats hit hard and they bring so much to their characters like it's so obvious how much they worked for this show, they have poured their hearts into these roles so PLEASE GO WATCH it. You won’t regret it.
➭SPOILERS AHEAD - DETAILED INSIGHT
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First, let me start by saying that Tattoo’s character development was really good. I’ll admit it tho at first, I couldn’t stand him. His decisions seemed selfish, reckless and frustrating. But then I started to understand where he was coming from. He was someone desperate for a better life, for a chance to escape the endless cycle of poverty and the choices he made were just about survival. It’s heartbreaking when you realize that desperation can push even the kindest souls to do things they wouldn’t normally consider but by the end, I found myself really liking his character.. Ahem..with Aran. I SHIP THEM SO BAD OKAY?
An other thing I have to mention is that I absolutely cannot stand the father. Every single scene with him had me seething lmao. The way he treats Joke is beyond infuriating, it’s hella toxic, I mean the constant belittling, the endless disapproval, and the way he dismisses every effort Joke makes ( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°) I deadass think he was actively trying to destroy his own son. How can you call yourself a parent when all you do is tear your child down, leaving them feeling like nothing they do will ever be enough?
What makes it worse is that he doesn’t even try to understand Joke or his choices. Instead, he clings to this outdated, rigid sense of control expecting blind obedience while offering zero support. It’s no fucking wonder Joke feels like he has to bury so much of himself just to survive under that man’s shadow. Tbh watching their interactions made me sick because you can see how much damage the father’s words and actions have done to Joke’s confidence and that little redemption shit they tried to give him wasn't enough for him, sorry but I can not and WILL NOT forgive that man, he is literally emotionally abusive and Joke deserved better.
Lastly I will say that I am absolutely floored by our main leads ღ The way Jack and Joker started as complete strangers, slowly growing into something that could have been so much more. Sometimes, I catch myself wondering, what if Joker had never gone to that bank? What if Jack had never felt betrayed? Would things have been different? Well I'll never know ಥ_ಥ but seeing Jack so hardened by everything he had been through was painful however after the time skip, when his eyes met Joker’s, I didn’t see hate in his gaze ngl, not for one second. I don’t think Jack ever really hated Joker. Deep down, I think he hated himself. He carried so much guilt, so much anger and Joker became an easy target for it. But as he let go of that anger as he forgave Joker, he started to find himself again and the way their friendship rekindled so slowly, so naturally was what made it all the more powerful. There was no rush, no shortcuts, just a slow rebuilding of trust. Watching them fall for each other, piece by piece, moment by moment, felt really satisfying after all the emotions I have been put through with this show. At the end I think it was more about healing than just love. They became each other’s safe haven.
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My Kind of Drama, No Typical C-Drama Cliché's
Let's see, no break ups or last minute break ups, no misunderstandings, no evil parents, a minor antagonist that tries to cause trouble for our lead couple but her screen time is limited so I'm actually okay with this. There is a love triangle but a tamed and not out of control one. We get rid of the love triangle around the halfway point of the drama.So now that we got all of the usual C-drama worries out of the way, it's your choice if you want to watch this drama or not. Me personally, I adore this drama. The chemistry between our leads is so cute and romantic that I didn't even remember it was a younger male chasing older female. The ML knows what he wants from start while the FL has rough past encounters with love that even the thought of falling for her younger childhood friend had made her hesitant. But eventually she has courage and take a chance on love with her childhood friend. My favorite thing has got to be the amount of support the lead characters have for each other, as each wants to protect the other in their own way. Not only that, they also have tons of support from their boss, their friends, their families, and yes even second leads, which by the way, good amount of growth for the SFL, from being annoying to being very likable.
The osts for this drama is amazing. For me, it was enjoyable to listen to every time the song came on. Fits perfectly with the scenes that occurred.
The story went at a good pace that there were so many episodes left filled with loveable, romantic, and cute scenes. I give major points to the writer for showing that you don't need a break up scene or misunderstandings to make a great drama. Dramas can have conflicts but when you have such understanding, firm, and supportive main couple, you can handle the conflicts that's thrown at them and it's not even as bad as say other C-drama conflicts.
Definitely one of my favorites and a rarity that I give a 10 all the way, especially in a C-drama.
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Absolute Masterpiece
This is not really a BL. The secondary couple is more "typically" BL, but they serve as a contrast to the main story - more on that below.This is a very complex and layered story - it's not so convoluted that it's incomprehensible, but it will help a viewer to go into it understanding that how people act is not as simple as it first appears. The two leads are not hard to look at, and neither are most of the secondary characters. There is humor in this story, but it's not a comedy and it's certainly not fluff. Keep in mind that it's very consciously framed as a fairy tale - and fairy tales always have a positive message to give, but they also contain a lot of darkness.
As you've probably noticed, the reaction to this is either a "10" or a "1". I feel like it's impossible for this to be a 1, just based on the acting and quality of the production - but I think many people don't understand what they're watching, or were expecting a BL, in which case maybe I can understand, because this contains none of the standard BL formulas. If you're looking for something cute and fluffy, I would recommend against watching this. But it does have one of the most affirming messages you could find in a drama, and is clearly designed for family viewing.
A lot of people have absolutely no mercy for Nut, the main character, extremely well-acted by Job Thuchapon - "toxic, abusive, gaslighting (!) and selfish". It's clear early on that this is someone who as experienced very serious trauma, included sustained emotional and physical abuse - to the point of PTSD. This is a young man who has suffered all that, and has, completely alone, had to support a mentally ill mother since he was a teen. As the story progresses and you grow to understand the true depth of what he's suffered, it's hard for me to believe that so many people can't develop any compassion for him. He's not perfect, and so he's "canceled".
He's one of the first protagonists in a BL-ish story that's complex, realistic, and fully realized - he's not an archetype, and you don't even know if he's a seme or uke - because there's no such thing in real life, so there isn't in a realistic story, either. He's complicated, the product of his life, and flawed, like all of us. And also explicitly and unambiguously identifies as gay, which is rare in BL, but fortunately this is starting to improve.
The secondary couple has a lot of "typical" BL characteristics, including the enemies-to-lovers trope, but this is a conscious choice with a specific purpose. The key to this is their parents. Gen's are wholly and completely supportive, and Song's father is obviously loving, but absent and ambivalent about Song's sexuality - but ultimately this is worry, not lack of acceptance, and his reaction is quite a bit more typical in the experience of lgbtq+ youth than the more ideal parents Song has. (Regretably, Nut's experience is all too common as well.)
The reason for this is to show the contrast between getting love from a healthy family and the horror Nut faced from a monstrously abusive father and a weak and ill mother. Song's relationship with his father is not idyllic, but shows healthy resolution of trauma (the years-ago death of Song's brother) and bridging diffrences through love and understanding.
Nut only receives this through a miracle.
It should be fairly clear fairly early on that you are probably not going to get the ending you would want - but it's the only ending possible. A quick comment on that is below as a spoiler.
The production is first-rate - this must have had a serious budget and so much love was poured into this.
The ending is bittersweet but not sad. The message of this fairy tale is powerful and beautiful: there is no power greater than love, not even death, and there is nothing that it can't overcome.
Story: 10. There are a couple of flaws that I believe are the result of cuts to the length - I understand several hours had to be removed to get it down to 16 90-minute episodes. But the writing is easily the best I've ever seen if you count this as a BL, and among the best of any series of any kind I've ever seen.
Acting: 10. In Sarin is perfect as the innocent teddy bear - innocent but not stupid or weak. Job's role is challenging as the complex and damaged Nut, and he's wonderful. Um Apasiri is powerful in every one of her scenes as Nut's ill mother Na. Tee Thanapon, who was underwhelming in 2Moons, has improved enormously and holds his own with a strong cast. All the minor roles are well-acted, including the annoying female coworker (who will grow on you once she gives up on her hopeless love, and is the character who voices the underlying message of the story).
Music: 9: Just right and ably supports the story, and never drowns it out.
Rewatch: 3: It's rewatchable, and I think anyone would benefit from a second viewing to pick up a lot of the subtleties that might have been missed the first time. However, it's 24 hours long and very heavy, so it's hard to imagine watching it again.
Overall: 10. This is a beautiful and powerful series - it will stay with me, and will always be one of my favorites.
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I usually avoid historical. NO REGRETS. Personal All-time great drama.
Took a chance to watch this series because I'm a fan of Shin Hye Sun. Don't regret anything about it. I don't usually watch historical because I don't really find it that entertaining. But the fusion of modern-ish stuff, fantasy, and romantic-comedy made this well worth the watch. I watched this series with my brother who doesn't typically watch kdramas and he watched every episode with me. We watched as it was ongoing and waiting out every week for the new episodes. It's good enough that we're recommending it to our friends who watches kdramas.Acting was really good. As expected from Shin Hye Sun (female lead). Her unorthodox character is not easy to pull off. But pulled it off she did. Respect for all those scenes. Basically carried the show for all her scenes. I was embarrassed for her at times, it was that good. Kim Jung Hyun (male lead) did very well, was very funny and did very well on his action scenes. The rest of the main actors were superb as well. Their acting made it that much more immersive and the story engaging. Support characters had their own flair, their own story, and shouldn't be counted out. Just watch them. I liked (almost) every support character in their own way.
Story is very engaging and was spaced out pretty appropriately. It felt like no scene was a filler. Everything had a purpose. I had rewatched episode 1 at least 5 times because I watched it with friends, because I recommended the series to them. I didn't once get tired. I could watch this series again right now. Rewatching value 10/10. Applause to the writers. I know this series had some controversy because of the original work, but everything was done excellently, imo.
Music was mixed with contemporary music, and I gave this a 9.5 star because I've heard more memorable OSTs. This wasn't as memorable by itself, but they all fit the scenes very very well. Didn't take the attention away from the emotions of the scene, and added to it.
If you're on the fence about this series, I'd say give the first episode a go, because the first episode will determine how you like the series, as the first episode is as intense as any other episode in the drama. I've wasted a lot of time rewatching the episodes between the new episode releases, and it was worth it as well. I personally like this series, and is one that those who has avoided watched historical, should still consider. This series will go down as one of my all time greats!
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Now that's out of the way,
This movie contains some 'difficult to watch scenes' and explicit, yet realistic portrayals of sex.
''I want to know what women want, what they're thinking. If they could have ANYTHING, what do women really desire?''
When do our desires become perverse, what is perversion?
This movie seeks to explore not only human sexuality, but the disconnection from humanity that so much of today's youth experience.
We don't know how to connect, where to begin.
For some, sexual encounters are the ultimate disconnect we seek, for others it's the single point of connection.
This movie seeks to portray ''meaningless sexual encounters'' in their correct context, it will perhaps help YOU redefine your interpretation of meaningless sex.
Once this movie is finished, take a moment to ponder - what kind of sexual encounter was meaningless to him?
I have my own thoughts on that.
We follow a completely ordinary man, in an extraordinary occupation in which he ultimately finds solace, defeating loneliness by gaining his own version of ''great purpose''.
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I remember I had found out about this drama on YouTube when the trailer had showed up on my feed (https://youtu.be/GUV50QDDR-M). I was about to not click on it, but I'm glad I did. The trailer was soo cute and I really thought that the show was airing already. I immediately shared the trailer with my friend and she was hooked in! We began obsessing over when the show was going to air, and even counting down how many days until the first episode would release (lol). If you were following the drama on it's MDL page, you would know that the airing date was originally said to be November 30, but then it was updated to November 9! I think I've watched the trailer more than ten times now just to fill the time as I wait for new episodes to be released.
This drama is generally about a girl who is the childhood friend of the boy she likes. They go to school together, and eventually mutual feelings develop. While this happens, a new male student is introduced, and happens to become the male lead's rival (there is a female rival too, but she isn't a major part of the story). Although there is a love triangle, nothing overly dramatic or harsh happens between the male characters, except for a little jealousy here and there. This is mainly because they share the same friend circle, and the boys are pretty mature...although...the male lead gets jealous quite a lot XD. Also, the story secretly highlights some real issues people face in life, and that not everything in life goes as smoothly as planned (work, college, relationships). On a side note, the high school portion of the story does take up a majority of the drama (meaning there are more episodes focused on it), but nevertheless it is still a wonderful drama.
I also want to point out some key characteristics of the different people in this drama.
Chen Xiaoxi: She is a very easy-going, cute, innocent, and funny character. Although she isn't the brightest when it comes to her studies, sports, and other things, she shows determination regardless. I personally think she is the friend people wish they had during their childhood.
Jiang Chen: He is very smart, good-looking, and mature for his age. Unlike many other dramas, he does secretly like Xiaoxi back--though we constantly see him trying to pretend to not be interested in Xiaoxi--and isn't afraid to let her know later in the story. I love that his love for Xiaoxi never strays, and in his heart there is no room for anyone else but her.
Wu Bosong: He is a very thoughtful, sweet, and funny person. We often see him running back and forth to get things for Xiaoxi and make sure that she is okay. A lot of the things he does for Xiaoxi he hides it from her, and I especially loved the time where he told the store owner to say that everything was less expensive than it really was, for Xiaoxi. He is the guy that all girls wish they meet. He is honestly just soo caring!
Jing Jing: I absolutely love her, she is such a great friend to Xiaoxi, and stands up for her friends no matter one. She is smart, pretty, and strong as an individual.
Lu Yang: He is so cute and funny. Although he is very childish, he can be a very serious person. He is a person who does not take friendships lightly, and will always help out no matter what.
I personally found this drama very cute, funny, and light-hearted. It has just the right feel and even though it's supposed to be a romance drama, it didn't feel overwhelming. What I mean by that is the drama didn't have one scene after another that was solely focused on the main characters, at least in the beginning when they were still in high school. It didn't shout "ROMANCE" all the time. It was balanced, and focused in on other relationships too and the overall "story", if you get what I mean; which I think is something Chinese dramas excel in. For me, I prefer when dramas develop an exciting plot and not just an exciting romance story. As the story goes on, I noticed that towards the last few episodes where it is focusing on their adulthood, that the pace of the story picked up. Although it did not affect my experience in watching the drama, I wish the drama could have slowed down a little bit and been a little longer. There were multiple times where the story suddenly jumped through a period of time in their life ("one month later").
Overall, I would definitely recommend this drama. This is literally the drama I have been waiting for for my entire life. No other drama can compare. A Love So Beautiful has a simplistic storyline but such a powerful one too, conveying all sorts of emotions.
P.S. If you were wondering how tall Hu Yitian is he's 188cm, and Shen Yue is 160cm.
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After almost a year in dramaland and close to 30 dramas, I've finally, finally found a bonafide favourite. A Korean favourite and an overall favourite. I've watched many dramas that I've liked & enjoyed, but none comes even close to how much I love Lovers!
Lovers is the kind of drama I've been waiting for since Oct 2012 when I first took up residence in dramaland. It was just what I needed to pull me out of a minor slump. I chose it at random because it's a combination of two of my favourite genres, gangster/crime and romance so I said what the heck, just watch one episode and see how it goes. I fully expected to be disappointed. Well, that one episode turned into 20 in less than 48hrs.
And damn … what can I say about Lovers except that this drama is really a wickedly delicious lesson in Sexual Tension.
I'm an avid fan of romance, but lately I’ve become rather disillusioned with Asian romance dramas. It's mostly because of all the recurring cliches: separation because of overseas work or study, random cancer diagnoses, stupid nonsensical love triangles etc but it's also, perhaps mostly, because I hate fake intimacy. A LOT.
I hate the fake kissing, the cheesiness, the characters' lack of sexuality and just the general feeling of watching two grown ass adults act like pre-teens stealing pecks from each other when no one is looking. I can understand that for younger and more conservative viewers this might fly, but at my age I want to see an authentic relationship between an adult man and woman. And let me tell you, this is exactly what I got in Lovers!
Sometimes great sexual tension is better than the actual thing. If most dramas of this genre were half as good at building that tension, as Lovers did, I’d die a happy watcher having never seen two people kiss.
The AMAZING build-up of passionate feeling between Kang Jæ and Mi Joo completely blew me away. Massive props to the director and actors who were able to play up an attraction so palpable that you experienced their every emotion. I loved the banter, alternately playful and frustrated, the subtle flirting, the stolen glances, the longing, the internal struggle, the denial … all of this served to create such mad chemistry you could easily catch your breath and forget to release it.
When they’re finally intimate … it’s like dessert, only more satisfying than the main course. Moreover, if you’re a child of Hollywood like me and you do not want too much left to the imagination, fret not … you can look forward to steamy, lip devouring kisses. Hey, a smoking, HOT red-blooded mob boss like Kang Jæ wouldn’t stand for anything less! Even better? Mi Joo doesn’t want him to! To me Lovers sets the tone of how a romance between adults should play out. The characters act their age in life and love. None of this silly, wide-eyed playground stuff. The typical drama cliches are kept to a minimum or they play out in a way that's logical, rather than frustrating as they tend to be in other dramas.
I’m just decidedly pleased with this drama overall. It’s well written, well executed and well acted.
Given that I like to attack life's struggles with a gangster's swagger, I love that the romance is set against the backdrop of Korean gangland. From the safety of my own living room, it’s a fascinating world to inhabit for 20hrs. Now you may have to suspend belief a little given the absurdity of certain scenes, for eg 2 bands of pipe wielding gangsters invading a hospital en masse and having a go at each other, but no one thinks to summon the police. LOL In spite of this, I love the machismo, the fight scenes, the car chases, the assassinations, the bromances, the loyalty, the code of ethics.
Best of all, the leads are amazing! Kang Jæ is totally badass. Tough as nails on the outside, but melt your heart soft and sweet on the inside. If you have a weakness for bad boys ...
By far one of THE coolest male leads I’ve ever encountered. He lives hard, play hard, fight hard, love hard. And is 100% sex on legs. No wonder Mi Joo calls him her Dimpled Gangster. Male audiences will hate or envy him ;) and female audiences will want … well, HIM! (ha!)
As for Mi Joo, for once I have no complaints about the female lead! I love her, she is awesome! She’s smart, silly and confident all in one nice little package. She’s a breath of fresh air from typical female leads who are annoyingly aloof, stubborn, mercurial and uncommunicative all in an attempt to portray a ‘strong’ woman (I’m looking at you, Joon Young from A World That They Live In, Soo-in from Love Story in Havard).
Her and Kang Jæ’s love is a delicious slow burn. They had no intention of falling in love, but basically grew on each other over time, as fate brings them together time and again, until they realize … wow, this person is really amazing. To me it felt very natural and organic, rather than constructed as say … when one or both characters are made to fall in love at first sight or there's some ridiculous childhood connection.
Story wise I think the show is golden. Badass mobster trying to go legit, but not being able to fully untangle himself from the dark side. Throw in romantic and familial complications and you’ve got yourself one captivating drama. And there are some hilarious, laugh out loud moments too.
There wasn’t any poor performances here either. I was pleased to finally meet the (in)famous mr. Kim Nam Gil, who delivered well as Kang Jæ’s dongsæng and left hand man. Basically every actor did an amazing job with their role. No one stood out as annoying or unconvincing, not even the child actors. Lee Seo-jin, as Kang Jæ, has netted himself another fangirl! To me he played his character just right. With just the right amount of emotion, or lack thereof, befitting a top gangster.
I can not relate to other reviewers who said this drama dragged. I personally never skipped a minute of any scene, a first for me. In fact I rewatched several scenes whilst in the process of watching the drama. The great sexual build-up and the machinations of the mob world kept things fast paced and action packed.
Even the music, which I normally don’t notice, captured my attention. It helped that the lyrics were translated so I knew what was being said, and as a result the score seemed very appropriate in amplifying the overall mood of the drama.
If I have to criticise anything about Lovers it would be the ending. It’s perhaps a tad rushed. If ever there was a drama that needed to be 21 episodes, this is it. That said, it works as it is and I LOVE the show regardless. I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for more than your average run of the mill romance. Something with a more mature spin, and a little danger thrown in for added excitement. As of now Lovers has taken the # 1 spot as my all time favourite Asian drama. It was a bit underrated when it first aired, but then … the best dramas usually are. :)
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I Love the Breeze
I am inlove with IQIYI right now. This production is heaven sent! I am so glad i found this.No need for recap, lets not waste time as you can read the summary from the main title.
What i love:
1. The very good looking leads; It seems like more and more KPOP idols are trying to venture into BLs, i hope its just not for gay business. Irregardless, Shin Jeong You did a good job. Woo Ji Han is also so lovely how could anyone resist that charm.
2. The very good pacing, i love that the story focused on the main leads and gave them the maximum exposure. THey really used the short time so well.
3. The very nice friends, not overexposed. Im also glad Seung Joo found his happy ending;
4. I love love love that they spent one whole finale episode to let us take in the sweetness of their newfound love. Some BLs show us the conflict at the penultimate episode and rush to wrap up things at the finale, im glad this show let us enjoy the main leads as a couple even for just one final episode.
What needs improvement - sorry i cant think of anything right now, im still in cloud 9 after watching this series. I dont think they even need to make it longer, its enough just as it is.
Overall its a 9.5. Speaking of insomnia, I found this drama after a sleepless night and at 7am. I thought Id try watching one episode ended up watching the whole series. Now i can rest. Reccommended for quick watching! Makes the subscription so worth it, IQIYI keep them coming!
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Masterpiece
Story: very good ;well written , comedy was smart while using very well the grotesque.
Soundtrack: very good ;
Not once i got bored by it, it helped the story perfectly.
Visuals: very good ;
Empathy to characters: very good;
It's not every drama these days that manage to get me attached to the characters.
In this one, i felt some attachment even for side characters.
Casting: very good ;
Everyone did well, but Shin Hye Sun stole the show, she is perfect.
P.S: Bae Jong Ok as queen dowager deserves an award.
Realisation + direction; very good ;
Pacing: Good
I'm not giving it 10, because i never give 10, but it came as close as possible.
I don't know why i waited so much to watch this.....
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Mostly centered on the rise and fall of an unfixable friendship, it doesn't stretch out the same one plot for sixteen episodes risking to make it lame and repetitive. Different stories are told, just like different stories happen in one high school class. Each of these plots lead back to friendship in the end, but none of them is like the previous one, as they all touch a second different topic, reminding us we're never the only ones who suffer although not everyone has to face the same kind of hardship we're going through.
This drama is original, true, bitter, at times shocking, but also inspiring, hopeful and fun like the age of its protagonists.
I appreciate the complete absence of romance, not because i don't enjoy it but because it's a nice change in kdramas standards.
At times it seems ridiculous the ability this school has to find a reason to expell someone every other day, but nevertheless the screenplay keeps the suspence up until the very last minute.
And there's no reason to deny or hide it: the bromance will kill you over and over again.
This drama is a jewel.
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The two leads form a splendidly unique mixture, providing unique heartbeat and appeal to the story
“The Kidnapping Day” is all about its two great protagonists. I'm tempted to say: it is about the female lead character. The actress is simply wonderful and perfect for this character. Nevertheless, in my opinion, in her eccentric role she comes into her own so brilliantly precisely because her adult counterpart: the Kidnapper, who is just the way he is – as a rather clumsy person, he is practically the antithesis of this cheeky eleven-year-old but highly intelligent know-it-all. Yet, he ist the one who is sort of seeing, liberating and nurturing her usually neglected self, that is hidden underneath her intellectual brilliance: First of all she is just a child with all needs that come along. So, he might be not as smart as the little girl, yet he is actually the true grown up, who is not letting him be mislead by her genius, but watching out for her and intuitively caring for the child she is, too. This splendid mixture provides the unique heartbeat and appeal. So together they form this edgy team, keeping the audience in a good mood.The plot offers a lot of humor and quite some comicalness of the situation, but there are also serious themes lingering. After all, there is an unsolved murder case. Furthermore, it is nevertheless a case of kidnapping, even if the prefix may change over time. Added to this is the sad fact that health is often a question of money. And ultimately, behind all of this, there is also the issue of abuse. “The Kidnapping Day” is also able to tackle the ever late-breaking topic of “education hype in South Korea” in an original new way, entangling it in an exciting crime thriller.
What initially starts as kidnapping quickly takes a completely different direction. The victim becomes the mastermind. The police, or at least one of the investigators, dares to think twice and appropriately take unusual paths according this unusual case. Good and evil, black and white, its blurred. Yet, there are still unscrupulous villains. We are also stumbling over complex enmeshments, lying way back in the past.
“The Kidnapping Day” knows how to deliver on a variety of levels. Accordingly, the number of viewers has more than doubled over those 12 episodes. The special charm of the two leads also got me and I was happy to stick with them. Mind you, this was basically because of the charming relationship dynamics of the two leads, and how the two shape the kidnapping scenario along the way in a pleasantly witty way, including the solving of the murder case and at last providing a solution .
P.S.
The two protagonists, their particular relationship, THAT is the clever strength and the endearing piquancy. The rest might at times come across rather careless and pallid. Obviously, this is (once more) the product of the new era that has dawned in the KDrama orbit. Numerous new networks are now happily playing along on the market, including ENA, former SKY, which has repositioned itself in 2022 in order to get involved with its own KDrama productions in the top Pay-TV segment. (ENA belongs to Korean Telekom and produced 22 series in 2023 already.)
In general, with Disney, Netflix and others, I´d say KDrama productions feel like having doubled in 2023 (I didn't count, though). But what seems like a blessing at first sight turns out to be a bit of a sham, too. Where are all the original ideas supposed to continuously come from? And if there is a promising plot idea, it is yet far from being thoroughly worked through... Quantity rarely automatically goes hand in hand with quality. And it doesn't work the other way around either. Accordingly, “The Kidnapping Day” also suffers from the ravages of time: negligence can be observed here and there. However, the main strength and driving force of this story - the strangely lovingly developing relationship of the two unconventional leads - luckily is awesome enough to carry and equilibrate.
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3 Nen A Gumi: Ima kara Mina-san wa, Hitojichi Desu
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SPOILER FREE: This is a must for suspense/psychological drama lovers. The plot is quite intriguing and the acting was really good. Masaki Suda was amazing (again) and the plot is full of twists that keeps the viewer on the edge. This series was highly entertaining and it was easy to watch. The death of Reina is a mystery to all and the viewers try to understand what will happen next. It wasn't perfect, but it was still powerful.MAJOR SPOILERS!!!
From the beginning, this series shows the effect that social media have on our society. The drama gives us, each episode, a new clue about the main case and as viewers we try to uncover the crime/suicide of Kageyama Reina. The truth is slowly revealed and as a person who watched the show I expected a great conspiracy or something even if the actual reason is something that is shown -one way or another- in the first episodes.
This show was a message to everyone in a society that can't live without social media. Almost everyone has one account -or more- on sm and it takes away a part of our lives.
The ending was brilliantly filmed as Hiiragi talks on the camera, about who the real killers are pointing to everyone who is watching the series and therefore uses social media. A harmful word -intentional or not- can cause great damage to someone even if that person doesn't know us personally. The anonymity of social media gives everyone the opportunity to give their opinion no matter how harmful that can be. I loved the comments that Hiiragi received while he exposed the truth, as it was the most realistic reaction that could happen. It is not only that some can't accept the truth, but the most terrifying thing is the ones who don't understand that they did something wrong. It was great to show that the purpose wasn't to stop what we call cyber bullying, but being able to change even one person. As someone said if we want to change the world, first we must change ourselves.
To everyone who watched this - including myself - this is a great opportunity to double check before posting anything and thinking before talking, because our words can really be the knife on someone's hand.
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Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
This excellent adaption of one of Gu Long's best known works 绝代双骄 is also known as peerless or legendary twins. The cringey English title is a shameless bid to advertise the main leads as eye candy idol actors. This delightful romp through jianghu is faithful to the original story and checks all the boxes in terms of what a true blue wuxia ought to be.This is a typical Gu Long plot structured around one overarching conspiracy that comes to light after the main protagonists encounter many adventures and solve a few smaller related mysteries. A woman scorned by unrequited love sets out to extract a terrible vengeance by separating twin brothers at birth and raising them to kill or be killed by each other. As the leader of the powerful Yihua Palace, she raises one of the brothers Hua Wuque (Hu Yitian) to be a stellar martial artist whose mission is to hunt down and personally kill the wicked Jiang Xiaoyu. Wuque is a handsome, refined and righteous but overly naive and reserved young man who is the spitting image of his father Jiang Feng.
Wuque's brother Jiang Xiaoyu (Chen Zheyuan) is rescued by Jiang Feng's sworn brother legendary swordsman Yan Nantian and grows up under the influence of the ten great villains of Wicked Canyon. He is renown for his intelligence (mostly due to self praise) and is a lively, charismatic and healthily skeptical young rogue. Less skilled than Wuque, he relies on his deviousness to squirm out of tight situations. He is a determined bachelor that evades several persistent young women before meeting his match in wit and resourcefulness. This embroils him in several romantic entanglements and triangles. During his many colorful adventures, his path crosses with Wuque and they become friends and allies. Together they tackle their main antagonist, the scheming Jiang Biehe and his son Jiang Yulang. Despite their disparate upbringings and appearing on surface to to be polar opposites, both brothers are innately good natured and have common values that bind them in a deep friendship. Nonetheless in accordance with jianghu code of conduct, they must fulfill their vow to face each other in a predestined duel to the death.
The plot and the many archetypal characters in this well known story may seem tropey and unoriginal but Gu Long was one of the pioneers of the modern wuxia genre. If this feels familiar or like something you have watched before, it is more likely those stories or characters were influenced by this rather than the other way around. It is easy to follow because the audience is usually one step ahead of both protagonists and antagonists and knows the big secret that they are brothers. It is a favorite of mine because the overused revenge trope is handled compassionately and does not devolve into simply just an eye for an eye. All of Gu Long's women are capable of being frighteningly single minded in love, unscrupulous, vindictive and utterly ruthless and unforgiving. One of these bad-ass ladies always gets the guy but this is from the 1950s so while there is romance, it is very chaste by today's standards.
I was really impressed by the cast. Many important roles were played by young and upcoming actors and this was very obvious in the first 4 episodes. After that, almost everyone got into character and it came together quite well. While Chen Zheyuan somewhat overacted Jiang Xiaoyu, he is a very versatile and charismatic young actor. He just needs to not try so hard, be a bit more nuanced and develop his own style. Similarly Hu Yitian's Hua Wuque was a bit too restrained or underacted initially. But they had great chemistry and really excelled at showing us how the brothers grew to become more alike as they got to know each other. I must also mention the awesome cat and mouse encounters between Jiang Yulang and Jiang Xiaoyu - what an excellent villain! I actually found this to be the best acted, most nuanced main role.
Finally in terms of what makes or breaks any wuxia it is the fight scenes. These really knocked the ball out of the park - they were truly awesome - excitingly and powerfully choreographed with the right balance between stills, slow motion and non-stop movement. And naturally it is Gu Long so it is a total feast in terms of the number of heart stopping lethal clashes between some very colorful, slightly eccentric martial arts champions with wildly improbable combat abilities. I love this stuff and immediately rewound and re-watched each epic clash.
What a fun, well paced, light heart-ed and engaging wuxia. I wish all adaptations of the classic, best loved Gu Long and Jin Yong wuxias get this kind of quality remake. Two thumbs up!
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1I have read 50% of the novel and I can say that the production of this drama did a great job to make the story alive! There are some minor changes, but that did not affect the storyline. There are some scenes that I thought maybe can be done better because some of them were just kind of out of detail. I wish that they put more focus on the characters' personalities since I know the story can be developed more from that, but that's okay, I laughed a lot watching the FL and ML interact. The chemistry between the FL and ML is so good. Their acting is very natural, like real siblings. I have watched some of Miaoyi's dramas, and I also know Jun as an Idol, I know he was a child actor. This drama honestly surprised me because their acting is so good! I just know that they were actually having fun doing this project together.
I just hoped they put more songs into the drama, but maybe because it is a rom-com, the OST is more fun songs? Idk.
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Newyear (the one who interprets Pond, the main character of this series) auditioned for 2 Moons The Series (also a BL thai series) Wayo's role, and was rejected because he's wasn't "manly" enough. 2 Moons The Series director said that all the six gay men characters of 2Moons The Series MUST be interpreted by straight men.
I know maybe this isn't the best BL drama, not the best plot, characters lack in depht, we all know that. But i think it's pretty entertaining to watch, It's a cute boys love story, and although I know it isn't the best thing in the BL world, I can say I absolutely don't hate the 20 minutes per week I spend watching it. So well, that's all: I'm here to support Newyear, and all the others who also are amateur actors, I hope him to be able to get more thai dramas' roles in the future.
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