Reviews

Ok. So how do I start?
I realy loved this drama. I know it's a similiar to GTO and Gokusen - there's a 'strange' teacher who teaches life lessons but it's still different. The teacher is a swindler and he started teaching by mistake but he is probably one of the best teachers I've ever seen. He knows what to say and when to say it. He's smart and kind ^^. There is also a beautiful nurse (there has to be something like that in this kind of drama), an assistant teacher (who is kinda lost) and a funny girl in class who sometimes might get on your nerves but if she is your friend then she is the best one you could ever have. A person who would never betray you for her own good.
All the actors fit their roles realy well. They know how to portray their character, what expressions to use and etc. Perfect ;)
Even though there's only one main song it realy fits the show. A song liar in a drama about a liar (in other words : swindler). When it plays you somehow feel relieved because you know that everything is okay now. Just this feeling ^^
In rewatch value I gave it 9 not because I didn't like something about it. It's just that if you watch it the second or etc tim you can't get that amazing exciting feeling which you get the first time watching somthing like this ;)

Sooo, in one sentence : when you have free time, if you love j-school dramas you should definitely watch this!!!
(I watched on gooddrama.net)

Leia Mais

The Lineage Here Is Not Important

The importance of police and detective show is the motivation behind the character. That is one of the reason people watch this genre and for me 'The Policeman's Lineage' failed on that part. They didn't show much character introduction scene so the pacing on the first half of the movie was too fast and that made the rest duration a bit dragging.

I wished they included more of Choi Min Jae and Park Kang Yoon's backstory from the start, so viewer could relate to their character gradually. Why Min Jae chose to spy on Park Kang Yoon? Why he prioritized on being a good cop? Why Kang Yoon justified every way to get his goal?

You don't have to worry about acting. They casted amazing actors, especially Jo Jin Woong. He is famous for playing detective character and you can trust him on that. My issue here is Choi Woo Shik. First of all, I am a big fan of him and I follow every of his work. But I don't think he suits this detective role OR his character's writing affect his acting here in this movie. The rest supporting casts are excellent on their part.

I didn't expect much from this movie so I didn't get that disappointed. There is no remarkable scene or character and I don't get attached to neither the heroine or villain. They have this 'Lineage' concept but they don't really focus on that. I think 'The Policeman's Lineage' will be better as drama than movie, where they can give every side's perspective more screentime.

Is it a good movie? Good acting yes, good story? No. It is a bit boring for mystery crime genre and there is no thrilling exciting moment for me since the beginning to ending. Watch it when you have nothing to watch anymore.

Leia Mais

First of all what a wonderful drama, high production values, great acting and characters, brilliant storyline, and a stellar OST.

I never thought a drama centered around competing search engines would appeal to me in the least but what do you know, it did. I mean all the other elements really helped, like Bae Ta Mi and Park Morgan's intense relationship, Cha Hyeun's stellar personality, and some serious drama between Song Ga Kyun and her evil family.

Speaking of Bae Ta Mi and Park Morgan's relationship, man TaMi was and extremely complicated woman, brilliant, tough, and cute, but poor Morgan, she made it very difficult for him though you knew she cared about him a lot, even enough to let him go at times, it was a bit tough to watch sometimes.

Cha Hyeun was hilarious, I knew I would love her from the moment she beat the guys ass in the elevator for grabbing her but, and the cute relationship she get's into later in the show is too fun.

Speaking of fun relationships Bae Ta Mi and Cha Hyeun's relationship was the best, at first rivals turned out to be great friends and super fun to watch as well.

The interesting story between rival companies and outside influences trying to control them set up tension throughout the series and provided an excellent storyline that kept you guessing.

I loved Bae Ta Mi's team at Barro, they really seemed like a family. It even made me jealous, I was like what a cool place to work.

I would definitely recommend this, a definite 10!

Leia Mais

STORY: Ton and Tawan love each other deeply but their love is tested by Ton's new secretary who seems to be the perfect match for him. Then Tawan starts acting distant and cold towards Ton, pushing him away.

Total run-time: 60 minutes over 5 episodes, or about 12 minutes each. Easy binge.

Much of this show is shot out-of-sequence and it's all brought together in the final episode. Bring tissue because it's so touching. It's a happy ending but very tearful.

ACTING/CAST: Ever since Grey Rainbow have I wanted to see Nut Rattanamongkol again. He is so sweet and charming. The actress is very beautiful also.

MUSIC: That last song was so bittersweet. In fact, another Thai drama with great music.

REWATCH VALUE: It's not long so I'll probably watch it again with a friend.

OVERALL: Some parts the pacing may seem a little slow but really this story just takes its time to be told. I think it's rather poetic and done well.

Leia Mais

Sailor Moon was my first anime so I definitely had to watch this live action. It's very cool. Love the storyline and the music. The graphics are just awesome. The monsters weren't done with 3d graphics to be more authentic, real. It was definitely a good choice. The actors/actresses are not professionals but didn't have to be :D They created the feeling that this drama is for children and also teenagers who love Sailor Moon. (actually I'm already 22 but love to watch the episodes over and over again).
So if you're a Sailor Moon fan you must watch this! Age is doesn't matter! :D

Leia Mais

I did not realize starting out that this was a short "web drama" series, but that definitely encouraged me to go ahead and give this a quick watch since it was on my list. For a short series, I thought that the story was fleshed out very well and the production of it was very good. I think I would have even liked to have seen this story be an extra episode or two longer, but it was still satisfying all around.

I enjoyed the acting from all the main characters, save maybe the "villain" character. The music wasn't stand out, but it must not have been bad either. I probably won't re-watch this, but I could see the re-watch value in it.

This worked well for a slightly longer than movie length show, and I think it would be a great weekend watch.

Leia Mais

An adventure

Beyond the absurdity and quirkiness , what shines through is the ability of the director/screenwriter to pull us in this world that they created. I had my doubts about Nam Joo Hyuk and his ability to match Yoo Mi but he is effortless here. This is probably the first drama of his where I was unable to see the model in him.
The story goes places that are unpredictable but once the central theme sets in, the social interactions are the highlight.
Dramas like this are such a breath of fresh air in a sea of cliche and I am glad that I stuck past episode 1.
Get ready for an adventure and be open minded. You will not regret it.

Leia Mais

One of a kind; heartbreaking, passionate, moving

Now that I have finished the show all I can say is that it was MORE than worth the time. This drama is CRIMINALLY underrated and you won't find another drama handling such topics so beautifully. Every scene kept my attention, even the side plots (which is a lot to say considering how easily I get distracted).

STORY
The main thing that needs to be understood about this drama is that it is a romance. The two leads being Ms. Ji and Seung Yoo it's pretty much a given that the main story and romance overall is going to be focused on both of them. With that being said there is some give here for me to get past the main issue. That is the teacher/student relationship. The two are going to interact with implications of a romance no matter what way you look at it, that's just what the show is and just what it wants to show. Still, with it still airing I can't really tell just what way it will go about with their relationship and how.

I wouldn't call this a romance really though, it focuses a lot on corruption and the motives of the characters. There is a time jump about 8 episodes in, which wasn't forced or confusing. Overall the story was engaging, heartfelt and kept my attention and leaving me on the edge of my seat


CHARACTERS/CAST
Seung Yoo clearly has trauma that stems from his childhood, and the depiction of those feelings and raw emotions are portrayed insanely well by the main lead Lee Do-Hyeon. In all honesty the fact that Lee Do-Hyeon was starring as the main lead was the reason I started watching this drama in the first place. What is making me stay for the whole thing is the overall story. The experiences of someone who has a traumatic memory or past is something I can say has 'tried' to been portrayed well, but usually ends up falling flat due to the writing or the unbelievability of the acting. Lee Do-Hyeon is a scene stealer in whatever he is in, the guy is talented and it shows specifically in scenes where he is having a breakdown or some sort of remembrance of what had happened to him. Lee Do-Hyeon doesn't give me any doubt to his character, I don't have to think about the fact that it's a show and someone is acting, I just believe him and I can truly get immersed.

Ms. Ji is a likable character. Again that's my opinion. What makes a likable character to me is to have a character be genuinely a good person. She isn't trying to seduce Seung Yoo, and it may be argued that she is 'stupid' or 'ignorant' to the issue that could be seen with her relationship with Seung Yoo. I see that she has her dignity and sees a student that she can relate to (even more than her husband). Seung Yoo and Ms. Ji see the world in somewhat of the same way with their views on math and infinite possibilities and all of that. You just have to watch the drama and think, you can't go in hating the relationship or thinking she is a predator. Seung Yoo is the one who is drawn to Ms. Ji, there isn't anywhere where they've crossed the line (yet). It may come in the future but at least it was expected.. it's in the description of the show. I don't understand how people are getting so upset when it is said in the forefront. I see it more being there as shock value to get people to watch, even in the first episode. I believe it will be brought back and be a misunderstanding, even if it's not- it's just what it is. It would be wrong, but it wouldn't make this show the worst. There's a lot to like: Lee Do-Hyeon's acting, the portrayal of trauma, corruption, etc..

You have to give credit where credit is due. No Jung Ah (the principal) was one of the most compelling and well-written characters in the show. She was given a background and therefore a motive, and she was developed well enough yet not given too much screentime to take away from the protagonists. Jin Kyung is such a versatile actress and portrays this character eerily well. There were moments when I had to stop and pause as she reminded me so much of similar situations I have been in, specifically people that her character represents. No Jung Ah is selfish but blind to the potential damages she causes, she's power-hungry and is a character that is actually fun to not like as opposed to antagonists that are typical and easy to read.


ISSUES/CONCERNS
Another issue that people have with this show is the attention she gives to Seung Yoo compared to her other students. To that, I'd say that it's a drama with the leads being Ms. Ji and Seung Yoo. Of course, it's going to be the both of them alone, and going on trips, taking things too seriously makes watching things less fun. In the end, what I expect from this drama is for the characters to be developed, a time skip for years from where they are at.. acknowledgment of the flaws of the relationship.. closure..
I would've liked to have seen more development of Ms. Ji's and Seung Yoo's relationship regarding how they got together knowing in the end they were. Other than that the drama was wrapped up perfectly and had one of the most satisfying endings to a K-Drama or any show in general that I've seen. One thing that I also found a little weird was how Ms. Ji's father died at the end, only because I saw it coming.

FINAL THOUGHTS
This drama is one of my favorites, I could gush about it all day and wish I could write better reviews because there is only so much I can say to reflect just how good this show is. It's well done and wasn't typical, it wasn't cliche, it does it's own thing and it does it SO WELL. The music.. especially the OST. 'Darling' makes me tear up every time I hear it. This drama is realistic, acted so well that I didn't doubt any of what was happening or the acting even once. I look forward to more dramas coming from this director and any actors/actresses that were involved with this show.

Leia Mais

I was evidently charmed by the first season otherwise I would not have made it to the second. In honesty, I liked both equally and while the drama retains its initial characteristics, it still suffers from a few flaws not as evident in the first season.

The cast is slightly altered and as opposed to the arch nemesis Miki in the first season, we gain the pretty boy Hanyu who will challenge Komikado in court.

The drama is still very charming and hilarious. Komikado is his over the top satirical self that still captivates you through the whole season. The writing is decent and is still comedically very strong, however, let's get down to the flaws. Some events felt ill planned and made the script feel just a tad loose. I'm a fan of plot twists when done right but this left me a little underwhelmed and felt quite forced. It felt like a "hey, let's connect shit and make it look like we planned it all along." Yeah, it just wasn't riveting.

Furthermore, I felt the legal and philosophical aspects in this drama were not as crisp as the first season. Especially, in regards to Hanyu's character. His goal is to make everyone happy through law but I expected the drama to tackle that issue more creatively. I mean really what the hell does that even mean? It may sound like a dumb question but I have to hold myself back on going on a rant of what exactly happiness is if not bursts of temporary feelings induced by different things. Should we use a utilitarian perspective to determine happiness? I digress, but really, most of the time, Hanyu's happiness philosophy made me want to throw my hands up. It eventually just made me accept his philosophy as nothing more than a word. After all, to create a utopia, you must first understand and define what exactly a utopia is. Nonetheless, let's let that slide.

I really liked the growth of both Komikado and Mayuzumi but it wasn't enough. I still lust after Komikado's personal history and should there be another season, I really hope we get more than crumbs about his history. In fact, it was one of the things, I really wish was touched upon in the first season more. I want that history! However, in terms of Mayuzumi, I felt her character developed the most. She becomes clearer about what her goals are and is much stronger in court.

Nonetheless, this drama still makes me anticipate another season because the characters still remain very well done. While the plot is not as solid as the first season, it is still very decent. I still marvel at the ability of the writers to consistently be humorous yet very strong. I look forward to another season.

Leia Mais

my remaining bit of innocence is gone lmao-

I had pretty high expectations from this show and I was certainly not disappointed. It was one of those shows that the plot was so over the place that it made me wanna watch more. I couldn’t not finish it.
Although the plot was a little questionable, like almost too abstract, it was still very good. I was never bored.
Bible is also a very good actor and I think all of them did a good job portraying their characters.
I must say though, the amount of red flags throughout this series was crazy. Literally, not a single character was even remotely nice. I’m not complaining though!
I swear though, almost every episode had an explicit scene. I felt as if I shouldn’t be watching it, if u know what I mean lmao- Like why did Tonkla always want it raw 😭😭😭?! This was one of those shows that I made sure to watch at night. The amount of questionable scenes would be too risky to watch out in broad daylight.
Anyways, I quite enjoyed this series. I have some opinions about the ending, but other than that it was pretty decent!

Leia Mais

I started watching Thai drama series when I moved to Thailand in 2013. I was never fond of traditional Thai lakorns (traditional lakorns are different from series). I watched a few episodes here and there but never really got to finish any of them because they were too conservative, too caricaturist, and too formulaic for my taste. But somehow I stumbled upon the Thai drama series Hormones (2013) and I actually enjoyed watching it. It's more progressive in terms of perspective on social issues and more realistic in terms of plot/story, script, acting, and overall production value compared to traditional lakorns.

Hormones had a boys' love (BL) side story but the first popular Thai drama series with BL as main story was actually Love Sick (2014). I love Love Sick! I don't think it's entirely fair to assess Love Sick based on current artistic and social standards since Thai BL series in general have improved a lot the last couple of years. Love Sick should be appreciated because it's a forerunner in the history of Thai BL series. It's not simply an imitation of Japanese BL series but an improvement of the traditional Thai lakorns. It also blurs the heteronormativity found in most Japanese BL series and traditional Thai lakorns. When Love Sick came out, it was actually revolutionary. No one was producing Thai BL series then compared to now when it's almost like a dime in a dozen. I remember during that time, the conservative sectors of Thai society even made a big fuzz about this Thai BL series (the same way they criticised Hormones). Some were even calling for the boycott or banning of Love Sick. Luckily, Thai BL series are more accepted now not only in Thailand but also in other parts of Southeast Asia, hence its current popularity in the region.

In terms of plot/storyline, Love Sick is very simple and yet very charming. It's about school boys falling in love with fellow school boys and how they navigated not only their school lives but especially their homoerotic and romantic relationships. Of course, aside from their homoerotic and romantic relationships, boys have other problems that could have been given more focus in Love Sick but let's understand that this is the first popular Thai BL series; everything's new, so let's give it a pass. The script was more natural and realistic compared to traditional Thai lakorns although there were a few times when the dialogue did not really make sense. Acting was generally ok if we take into consideration the fact that most, if not all, the cast members were newbies. The portrayals of Noh, Phun, Earn, and even Pete were actually cute. The chemistry between Noh and Phun was good. Noh was particularly endearing. Editing was awful especially of the first two or three episodes but it did improve in the succeeding episodes. With most probably a very low budget, not much can be expected in terms of production value. But Boy Sompob's official soundtrack (OST) "Shake" for Love Sick can be considered as a template for Thai BL series OSTs. No one does it better than Boy Sompob in bringing sensitive and touching emotions to Thai BL series OSTs.

Overall, I would recommend to watch and rewatch Love Sick. It's always good to look back and learn from the history of Thai BL series and see how far the genre has improved and still needs to improve.

Leia Mais

Shockingly good and well worth the time-link

I first wrote the review after watching 13 translated episodes (many thanks to SOONSETRA for delivering!!!) of this short drama (max 20 minutes long each) and here was my original impression:
incredible plot with the "gotcha" villain
amazing characters
awesome dialogues
fantastic acting of leads and secondary
skillful directing
flawless editing
beautiful and fitting OST incl. bgm but in YT version, unfortunately I recognized music from other minidramas (incl. Li Fei's The Tale of Love and Loyalty jig) which dropped the rating half a point.
tacky decor
eye candy outfits
grateful for tactful combining of serious with comedy, thought provoking with slow burn romance and consistent characterization of FL (thanks heavens).

And after finishing al episodes I am sticking to the 9/10 because the story (of poisoned babies, their moms and people dear to the leads) gives depth to this slow romance and tale of friendships and blood ties. Plus we get to see a rare sadness that comes with watching what happens when you live knowing that life is ending before you even started enjoying it. I loved the romance: the actors were very well paired and delivered excellent performance. Majority of production was cohesive and even if there were goofy parts of the script/story that could have been better developed/delivered, this was almost on par with my favorite mini drama A Familiar Stranger.

Who should not watch this: lovers of simplistic plot and usual tropes (I honestly did not see that much of troping here). People who cannot take ambivalence in the ending (don't worry it's good, but not "juicy kiss followed by carrying her princess style to the alcove"-very fitting for what we had seen in 24 episodes). Anybody who needs a villain all throughout the drama.
Is it spectacular? No. But it has nice visuals, even though a bit tacky for my taste.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orJVihzImyk&list=PLZHWNFciVYEN4-BtQFe_TJC2wj9TwnSPb

Leia Mais

I am working in the medical field and do mountain climbing as well so I really appreciate this series.

I find the story very unique. Having a mountain clinic despite the decreasing human resources of doctors and nurses is somewhat for me is very noble. They may have lack of facilities and equipment in the clinic but they become resourceful to be able to save the lives of the patient.

It's a moving drama. It shows the bond of the people who became a family protecting and loving nature. Reminds me of a saying, "Don't change the mountain, let the mountain change you."

The cast did a great job. Their acting is good. And I think it must have been tough and dangerous filming this drama because of the setting.

The scenery is so breathtaking. It would be nice if I could climb up there someday! haha!:D

Leia Mais

Frostbite.

The Frozen Surface is a dark and suspenseful northeastern revival mystery thriller. It is set in the desolate, melancholic northeastern suburbs of Harbin, Heilongjiang, a part of China known for its dastardly dry and freezing cold winters. The dialogue is mostly in Northeastern dialect, which I am not familiar with enough to comment on its authenticity. Despite its wild natural beauty, this area is among the slowest growing economic regions in China. The general lack of economic opportunity and the dominance of a largely industrial manufacturing base forms the general remote backdrop for this narrative. The timeline alternates between the 1990s which were very difficult times and 2005, when things are notably better but still a far cry from China's advanced coastal cities.

The violent death of a crime boss and two others throws Lanhe County in disarray as various vested interests scramble to position for the fallout. There are almost too many suspects from a jilted lover, mob rivals, the nephew and heir apparent, the ex-wife and an ex-con; all with motive, means and opportunity. Police captain Guan Yu and his team investigates under time pressure to solve this high profile case. The waters are further muddied with an unexpected confession. Very much like 2023's hit The Long Season, the social commentary about the cruel times, hardships the main characters endure and the desperate, heartless and at times tragic choices they make eclipses the mystery itself.

This drama starts out very well but tries to do too many things. What anchors it is fantastic acting by Chen Jianbin (Guan Yu) and Hu Jin (Yang Si). I thoroughly enjoyed their cat and mouse and how a silent empathy developed between them. Even though some characters do bad things, I feel quite sorry for them. There are also a number of absolutely crazy, bloody and scarily violent maniacs in this drama that adds to the growing sense of dread as the plot builds to a climax. Unfortunately, the main villain's origin story isn't empathetic and they made too many bad decisions along the way to qualify as smart. Some plot points are too obvious or are revealed too early. The logic of many characters collapses into the final two episodes and the plot does not tie together tightly at the end. By then, both the director or scriptwriter's brain must have succumbed to frostbite because so many things just don't make sense or are not well explained.

This is a drama that starts slowly but builds up suspense quite well in the first half. The character stories are quite interesting but sad and they are well portrayed by veteran actors. Unfortunately the mystery part crashes at the end. As an avid mystery watcher, I can only rate this a 6.5/10.0. Viewers who are more interested in the setting and the character stories may rate it a bit higher.

Leia Mais