Im-Siwan giving another iconic character: Jang Byung Tae, the dogged warrior against bullying!
After the iconic Jang Gu-Rae (Misaeng), Si-wan has given us another legendary character as Jang Byung Tae. Words would not be enough to praise this idol-turned-actor for every diverse role he undertakes. At 35 years of age, he plays a high-school boy with such finesse which I doubt actors of that actual age would be able to deliver. His latest work, Boyhood, deserves to be added into his ever-growing list of amazing works & personally for me it has wrapped up my 2023 Drama-Year beautifully!⭐ STORY SUMMARY:
In first half - we meet Jang Byung Tae, a meek school-boy, oppressed all his life by bullies, no matter how many school he changes. He has been "whooped" so much that he and his family assume it to be his destiny & he has no other meaning/dreams from his life. By a comedic chain of events - in his new school he is mistaken to be renowned bully/fighter than being someone who is bullied. He gets to live life on the other side - but all good things must come to an end, right?
The second half - reveals the truth & once again Byung Tae is miserable as bullies oppress him and his friends. He reaches his breaking point & when his friends/family make Jang Byung Tae realize that his life is meaningful & he is not someone that should just be bullied. He vows to fight the bullies to end this cycle of violence so that one day he and others can wake up to enjoy life as they should. But in face of the oppressor, can Byung Tae emerge victorious as a true Dragon Warrior?
❤️ BEST PARTS OF THIS DRAMA
In short - EVERYTHING! But let me break it into main TOP 3 (rest under detailed review)
1. Hitting the right notes of nostalgia through the music, cinematography, story & acting by all that made me experience 1989!
2. Balancing the serious issue of bullying with apt comedy, action, cute romance & friendship of youth!
3. Im-Siwan: he proves his acting chops again. Dialogue, face expressions, dancing - is there anything this man is not good at?
OVERALL:
Very rarely you come across dramas that remains true to its premise & expectations. Boyhood manages to deliver it through the acting, action, music, story, friendship and romance - making it one of the best dramas of 2023 for me! It wrapped up neatly in 10 episodes, which ensured no dull moments, even pace & satisfactory conclusion. While Si-wan is the highlight for me but the above factors intertwined with his character's journey beautifully making this a delight to watch.
Would highly recommend to watch, it would be worth your time & I am confident land up as a drama high-rated on your individual lists.
Im-Siwan, yet again has all my heart ❤️ what a talent! He already has recognition for his work, cannot wait for it to go to another level/global in his future work (especially counting it for Squid Games 2)
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❤️ DETAILED REVIEW - of parts that I loved in this drama
• The Dogged Spirit: Laughing in the face of bullies
Throughout the series, it delves on bullying & it's effects which we face head-on with Byung Tae & his friends. The gravity of the bullying will make you somber & is more prominent in the second half of the show. The seriousness is cut through with apt comedic situations, dialogues & acting - making it a perfect blend of comedy . The show will give a lump in our throats, misty eyes but loads of laughter!
• Im-Siwan as Jang Byung Tae:
In his role as Jang Byung Tae, Siwan is exemplary right from his dialogue delivery, his stances (as the bullied guy & then the change as he learns to fight), the pouting, the crying, the cute dances. Literally everything this man does is par excellence & a delight to watch. TBH, I would just ask the readers to simply go & watch the show only for Im Si-wan. He is one of those few talents that are rare and needs to be watched, re-watched, recommended at every opportunity we have.
• Soundtracks, Cinematography & Acting:
Without downplaying anyone - I consider Byung Tae as the only main cast & rest support him in his journey. The story of Byung Tae & his youth cannot be told unless sharing about the bullies, families & friends. The actors in these roles all bring in their A Game in execution, making us relive the 1989 rural life of Korea through their adventures. Their unique stories & characteristic quirks blend seamlessly in Byung Tae's personal journey from being bullied to fighting for justice! Aiding the acting is the right location, make-up, fashion, camerawork & props that is sure to hit the nostalgia button - as you watch their school life, places the gang hangs out in and the awesome fights!
The music is diverse: tracks that are plain fun, soulful renditions that define our relations of our youth - friendships & romance, & dance hits of 1980s K-POP. All the tracks may not be memorable, but each of them fits perfectly into the scene that is playing.
DOWNSIDE:
1. I wanted more romance between Byung Tae and Ji-Yeong:
They have a lot of sweet moments which are cute & so wholesome. But since we are used to K-dramas having a confession/kiss scene initiated by the ML, I blame this unconscious bias of mine for finding fault here. Right from the start we know they are tight & even without the drama explicitly showing it - I know where these two are headed in future, in terms of romance. But human me is unable to overlook this minor thing.
2, What is the ending for Jung Gyeong-Tae and Kang Seon-Hwa?
Given the evil forces they are - again I know where they could be headed, but I guess I would have liked it to be shown that being implicit/open-ended.
The above issues are very minor, personal opinions and it does not impact the overall magnificence of this drama. It still remains as one of the best dramas of 2023 for me! This drama had everything - good storyline, great acting, fitting soundtrack, beautiful cinematography - truly a hidden gem of this year & I cannot wait for more people to discover & enjoy it! ❤️
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After reading about 5 volumes of the manga, I was ecstatic when I found out they were making a live action movie. I already expected that it would be different from the manga, less hormonally driven if you get my drift, and I was right.
They made a couple of changes that I didn't care for, like having a character that moved away in the manga be a main character in the movie. This kept Akira from fulfilling what I considered an important role. There were a couple of other changes too, but nothing so dramatic that it kept me from really, really liking the finished product.
I LOVED Karam as Akira, although it shocked me to learn that he's Korean. That boy speaks Japanese like a pro. Ito Ono as Mizuki was a little bit harder for me to connect to. I don't know, I think she was too pretty, too obviously cute. It always felt to me like Mizuki was cutest to Akira in ways that not everyone else understood. He was the blatantly cute, everyone mistakes him for a girl, one. With Ito Ono, you know she's a girl; it's obvious.
Still, the movie is adorable, and bizarre, and gender-bending, so know what you're getting into. Loving the manga as much as I do, I'm thrilled that I liked the movie. Cheers!
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This drama has good flow to it ...no dragging...though there is an evil character like any other Thai drama nothing over the top and surprisingly not really irritating..which is quite a fresh change
Everything is justified..and all characters got what they deserved by the end
I would definitely recommend this drama..
Both leads did well and looked pretty ..supporting characters r very good too ..esp the ones around the evil lady working as her assistants deserve an applause by the end
it's all about how female lead becomes better person with help of male lead !!
Oh btw the theme song for this drama is really good ????
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The Wailing is the eighth film of one thousand and forty films I very willingly, gladly and without hesitation give the title of Masterpiece to.
I'm not too big of a fan of Asian supernatural horror. Whilst I very much enjoy it and give most films a pretty decent average rating, I find a lot of them bleed into one another with similar plots and a very safe view on the supernatural. In Japan it tends to be curses that have people die in mysterious ways, South Korea, a cursed object that has people murder each other are the most common ones I come across.
When I clicked The Wailing was supernatural, I prepared myself for a 6 or maybe 7 out of 10 movie that was good but wouldn't hold its own too well in the vast expanse of horror.
The Wailing gave me some stunning frames. The cinematography in this is beautiful. The gore frames are gruesome, unadulterated and unapologetic. The ritualism and belief of South Korea are shown in their full glory without fear. Na Hong Jin doesn't shy away from racial tension between the Japanese and South Koreans with a slightly historical take with a beautiful twisting story that left me with my mouth gaping open but still feeling just slightly uncomfortable - something I believe Hong Jin did on purpose. I was shown acting that was so well done, no matter what I watch these actors in from now on, I will always know them from The Wailing. The varying supernatural aspects were unique, something that stunned me, unafraid to step out of genre restrictions and lead the way with something new. With a story line that is intriguing, stunning and just raw, this two and a half hour journey was worth watching.
This is a film deserving of the hype that numerous other Asian horrors got but turned out to be predictable messed. THIS is the Korean horror of 2016, the one that should have lead the forefront of South Korean, or even Asian, horror into 2017. This is a film that shows prowess, promise and skill. Hong Jin treats us to such wonderful skills from not just himself but his script writer, his cast, his editing team, his make up team, etc, everyone involved. You can feel the passion and love and pure dedication that went into this movie.
A full 10/10 is just not enough for this film.
A twisting, numbing, horrifying masterpiece.
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Tropey but Enjoyable, Great Acting
The storyline of Romance of a Twin Flower sounds tropey – fall off cliff, switch identity, amnesia, an egregious antagonist, an admirer turns deadly, and more – but the execution of it is excellent with intact scriptwriting, directing and acting. The setting is authentic, the costumes are nicely done and beautiful, the dialogs are as expected, and the logic is sound. Most of all, the chemistry of the main couple is good and believable.The drama opens with Nie Sangyu (Peng Xiaoran) falling off a cliff. She is then rescued but has totally lost her memory. Nie Sangyu is a cruel and despicable person, but the rescued Nie Sangyu is a kind and very lovable person. Turns out the rescued Nie Sangyu is not the original Nie Sangyu, but no one suspects that she's not the real one because they look exactly the same except different in temperament and character.
Nie Sangyu is married to Marquis Ning Yuxuan (Ding Yuxi) who is forced to marry her, but he dislikes her because the original Nie Sangyu is not likable. After going through all the life and death experiences together, both the fake Nie Sangyu and Ning Yuxuan fall in love with each other. When he finds out Nie Sangyu’s real identity as Ji Man, Ning Yuxuan wants to marry her, but this must be done privately because her real identity cannot be revealed to others just yet. Their wedding is disrupted unexpectedly as the events unfold.
Both Peng Xiaoran and Ding Yuxi have given a wonderful performance here. Their characters are believable and lovable. I have loved Peng Xiaoran since Goodbye My Princess. Here, she is beautiful and natural. Ding Yuxi may not be everyone’s pretty boy and he’s not tall in stature, but he’s a wonderful actor. I have enjoyed all his dramas.
The antagonists are made known from the beginning. Ma Ke plays Ling Jianxing as Ning Yuxuan’s nemesis. Throughout Ning Yuxuan’s career, Ling Jianxing has always been there to create stumbling blocks for him, many times deadly, but each time, Ning Yuxuan is a step ahead of Ling Jianxing.
Ning Yuxuan also has a concubine whom he marries for a reason. Wen Wan (Jia Nai) is the most hated character in the story. Hypocritical, jealous, murderous, Wen Wan wants Nie Sangyu dead, and sabotages her repeatedly. Again and again Nie Sangyu dodges death through her quick wit and help from Ning Yuxuan.
Luckily, we have an intelligent and benevolent emperor here that makes the story very pleasant. The two maids that follow Nie Sangyu/Ji Man around are sweet, and her friends are trusty and dependable. Ning Yuxuan’s loyal bodyguard, Gui Bai (He Changxi), is also an interesting and lovable character. There are some very lovely side couples with their respective sweet romance. Too bad a secret admirer whom I have come to like, becomes a deadly antagonist.
My Verdict
Despite all the tropes and cliché, and some plot holes here and there (eg. how Ji man loses her memory), this is a very enjoyable drama. For romance buffs, this is not smooth sailing for the couple; they are separated for one year (for an acceptable reason) before getting back together again. Great acting, lovely story, and good directing.
Enjoyable watch! Don’t miss it!
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STORY: I really liked the cute, little moments that made up their lives, and that they were added throughout the film. It definitely conveyed the love they had for each other, that even in the middle of a crisis, they took time to reaffirm their love for one another. That's just so nice, something a lot of other BL dramas get wrong or miss out on.ACTING/CAST: The fact that the kisses were cute and not two-straight-actors-making-kissing-look-awkward. It's something other series could learn from. It came across that they had been together for some time and weren't afraid to be intimate. (my big gripe against other shows that still make the boys all coy when it comes to intimacy)
MUSIC: There's a theme, but frankly I forgot it already.
REWATCH VALUE: I will watch it again, now that I know the ending was happy.
OVERALL: My only fault with the story is that it's so short. The ending is a bit abrupt and rushed. I would have liked to see a bit more of the brother's motives and coming around, instead of just the phone call. As always, please support the studio and watch their other stuff so they keep making the best Korean BL!
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EU QUERIA MAIS DOS DOIS JUNTOS!
Vamos começar que esse dorama te faz passar fome em niveis absurdos, até mesmo quem tem paladar infantil tem vontade de comer todas comidas feitas nos episódios. Eu não sou fã de doramas de época, inclusive esse foi o primeiro que eu assisti inteiro, acho que por misturar os dias atuais ao passado.Os primeiros episódios te prendem muito do inicio ao fim, mais pro meio confesso que vai ficando meio enjoativo, principalmente naquela disputa com os chineses.
E os episódios finais eu já não aguentava tanta armação pra cima do rei que só queria o felizes para sempre logo.
Os atores principais entregaram MUITA química, do inicio ao final, e achei maravilhoso o retorno dela para a vida real dela ser acompanhada dos cozinheiros da cozinha real e o encontro do casal ser da forma que foi e ele voltando realmente como o rei e não como alguém que “reencarnou” no corpo dele e eles se apaixonaram.
Enfim, o último episódio deixa muito um gostinho de quero mais.
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The story starts out with two brothers, Prince Jin Yang and Prince Eun Sung. One very much wants to sit on the throne, while the other one would rather dedicate his life to the fine arts. Prince Eun Sung is a sensitive artist trapped in the snake nest that is the royal court, forced to fight in a war and act in a way that belies his gentle nature. Prince Jin Yang is the power hungry snake who wants to the throne to make up for the trauma of having to grow up outside the palace without the love of his mother. He takes revenge upon his family like a vicious child, hating his own brother and destroying everyone in his path.
Sung Ja Hyun is a noble man's daughter who wants ~more~ than an arranged marriage and kids, dabbling in painting, which is how she meets Eun Sung. They bond over their love of the fine arts and plan to marry, when their dreams are shattered by court politics.
After Prince Eun Sung is whisked away to a war, Prince Jin Yang, like a child tries to take Ja Hyun as his concubine to take revenge upon his brother. Setting forth some kind of love triangle, but what was refreshing was that it was always clear that he never loved her. It's not played off as some tragic love story, but always portrayed as what it is: him wanting what his brother had. Just like as a child, when his brother had that love of his mother. I think one of the most compelling parts of the drama was the psychology of Prince Jin Yang. Even if you didn't agree, you understood why he did what he did. It made him human, even if there is a lack of humanity in the things he does.
It doesn't quite have the magic and the complexity of the Princess' Man and it sure doesn't have supporting characters quite as strong. It doesn't have that grandness and the feel of epicness either. Many scenes are very similar and seem a bit copy cat in a distracting way, it's not surprising that they were made by the same director. It's been compared a lot to the Seven Day Queen because of the power struggle, but I think that Grand Prince is actually better plotted and executed.
When it comes to the comparisons with those two dramas I would say that they're cousins, similar but also distinct with their owns unique merits. If you have already seen Princess' Man I would skip the drama, as the similarities are a bit too much.
They were only minor characters, but I enjoyed what Ja Hyun's parents brought to the story, supporting their daughter in everything. I also liked Roo Shi Gae, who could have just been a comic relief character, but managed to worm herself into my heart with her charm and steadfast support of her Eun Sung, knowing and accepting that he only loves Ja Hyun.
I didn't feel like acting in this was especially good, neither of the leading trio have been known as great actors, but I think they all did a serviable albeit a bit bland job. Jin Se Yeon improved quite a bit from her previous roles and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb or anything. She isn't exactly great, but not too shabby either. Yoon Shi Yoon was perfectly cast with his boyish charm and twinkle in his eye at the start, he managed to portray the hardening of his character well. Joo Sang Wook while competent was a bit too wooden and he could have added some more flourish to his character, I didn't feel like he portrayed his character to his full potential. One of the weak points of the drama was Na-Gyeom, Prince Jin Yang wife. It was never believable that her and Ja Hyun were ever friends and the evilness of her seemed to be more to move the plot forward, she just wasn't a well developed character.
The drama suffered a bit from a retread of the plot in the middle, but it picked up again when it came to the third act, where it all payed off and came to a satisfying conclusion. The episodes really got better and better towards the end, the tension reaching a boiling point and it all paid off in the very end.
Recommended for saeguk fans who like their saeguks to lean heavily onto the romantic side. It doesn't reinvent the wheel and some parts are a bit too familiar, but it's certainly a 20 hour well spent and entertained.
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62 days in - no signs of true romantic affection.
If you saw the show, you know what I mean. If you did not see, you can vaguely get what I mean. Can’t believe I’m saying it, but it would be so much better if it was not a BL.Let’s start with some positives. I truly loved how everything here was rather selfish, even when they tried to do things for the other person. Good intentions are not always enough, and expecting gratitude just for the effort, when the result is not preferable is again - egocentric. And I loved it.
While the story might have been lackluster, the characters were actually well written and really consistent. No weird change of behaviors because the scene needed it, no quick character development that removed all the flaws and made the leads saints. Both the leads were frustrating (one more than the other), but they also made sense in their behavior - I might have been mad, but I understood where their behavior came from.
Sadly, the plot did not present the same level of cohesiveness. The first two episodes were great in terms of pacing - proper set up and characters’ introduction. Nothing felt rushed, and that’s what killed the show. Taking the sweet time in the first half forced the director to cram all the important plotlines in the last two episodes - just the highlights of a story, nothing gets truly resolved nor developed.
I don’t want to talk about chemistry. It was great when they were friends, but it stayed “friendly” till the end of the show. 2gether hi5 had more romance behind it, than whatever they tried to do there. I loved the low-key angst and the confusion that came from not realized jealousy, but all that buildup led to nothing.
The acting was decent, but got worse the closer to each other the characters got. The editing was fine, but got worse the closer to the end we’ve got. The directing was nice, but got worse each episode. You get what I mean - all went downhill real fast.
Overall, as much as I enjoyed the first 4 episodes, I truly disliked the next 4. Last two? I was just laughing. Conflicts came out of nowhere, none of the characters actually talked about the events and issues, as if they did not exist. We skipped through so much, it was all meaningless by the end.
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It's the story about 2, very different, sisters who deal with their problems regarding love, family, work and wealth. You can't help but fall in love with Misaki, Hazuki and all the other characters: their acting is simple yet natural which makes you feel like the story is real.
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My Heroic Husband Season 1
I just completed Season 1 of My Heroic Husband.The beginning of the story ties into the ending. Ning Yi's journey from becoming a Matrilocal husband to really falling in love with Tan Er is a sound love story. The importance of brotherhood and have one's back is shown throughout the story. If you understand Sun Tze's Art of War, you know all the tactics are deployed not only as a cloth merchant but also as a conquering Jing strategy. The weak crown Prince of Wu and his weak personality are shown. His Ministers and Generals' disrespect is why the previous Emperor doubts before he died to plan a Secret division and gave a secret eredict to Minister Qin.
Although the bandit arc is long and tedious, there's a great significance as to why it went that way. Corruption, disloyalty and even cunningness have always been in ancient Chinese literature. If you can understand this, you know why the bandit arc is of great significance to Ning Yi's story. He had to make a hard decision; let Lin'an fall or be killed for trying knowing that he at least tried. Xi Gua (watermelon) will be a significant support cast for Season 2, and I can see that she will either join Ning Yi or be killed off in Season 2.
The end is a cliffhanger and explained what happened to the person who betrayed Ning Yi initially. The ending is left with Ning Yi in Season 2 to be near the end for him, and it'll be interesting what his tactics are of conquering Jing.
I can't wait for Season 2.
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Lost You Forever as a live adaptation almost made it.
Lost You Forever as a live adaptation almost made it; it could have been perfect. All the elements that brought magic to the world of DaHuang—world-building, complex characters, cinematography, direction, film composition, and editing—were by far the most beautiful and complex I've seen in contemporary Chinese dramas. Based on Tong Hua's novel of the same name, it chronicles Xiao Yao's life and journey to a peaceful existence through entanglements, political upheavals, and depression.World-building and complex characters were LYF's strongest feats. As a character-led story, we find ourselves moving through all the emotions as we watch our favorite characters succeed and fail, trip and fall, and get up and brush off, in a cycle of questionable decision-making, inability to take action, or willfulness confined in their psychological prisons against a backdrop of reverse harem romance. No character was free from flaws, and no character was inherently good or evil—a melting pot of antiheroes, antivillains, and villains.
Romance-wise, the story plays on multiple tropes present in every Chinese drama one can think of. From childhood promises, 15-year oaths and blood oaths, to piggyback rides, savior complexes, and underwater kisses, Lost You Forever is no exception. There are plenty of heart-inducing moments for all with four different suitors and relationships.
Plot-wise, the story is at its weakest, with Xiao Yao's only ambition in life being to have a life with the person who will always put her first and never abandon her, while Cang Xuan wants to rule the world so he can protect Xiao Yao. Sprinkled among these two plots are cheesy romances, assassination attempts, broken promises, underwater dates, and personal sacrifices (a majority coming from Xiang Liu).
In terms of characters, the drama attempted but failed to portray Xiao Yao's struggle with low self-esteem, self-worth, and depression. These character traits were most prominent in her and plagued her decisions and how she interacted with the people around her. Her feelings of isolation and misplaced identity among her noble peers were also not touched on, all of which were important to her character development (devolving) and her choices, and which would prominently reveal her relationship dynamics among her male leads.
Instead, the drama's attempt to skim over the thematics of trauma-guided decision-making in order to portray an empowered woman whose unwavering requirements for a lover (one who will always put her first and never abandon her) made her out to be a shallow, tunnel-visioned, and uncompromising character wallowing in self-pity. Her dissonance from her environment made her quite ignorant in many aspects. At least, in the novel, her depression can be attributed to her dissonance and disassociation. She desired no power but failed to see the costs of the peaceful life she desired. And without her understanding of those sacrifices, Xiao Yao, as a character like her novel counterpart, has very little character development. In the end, Xiao Yao as a protagonist fails to impress me as the empowered woman the drama had hoped to portray, which comes as such a pity, as XY's character had so much potential in the first act, the Qingshiu Town arc.
In terms of male leads, Cang Xuan's character development being chucked away as some kind of dream in the third act amounted to incredibly lazy writing and it takes away from his growth. From wanting to protect the one he loved the most, to losing her in the end due to his obsession, Cang Xuan emerges to be Xiao Yao's worst enemy, but his eventual self-admittance in defeat to his circumstances and finally realizing that loving Xiao Yao means to let her go comes back in a beautiful circle—that he had lost her once, and he'll lose her again. However, the drama downplaying his villainy took away the power of this narrative.
Jing as a character, ironically, remains true to his novel counterpart, written to fulfill Xiao Yao's requirements, to help bring XY's journey into closure. The drama did attempt to bring dimensionality to his character by giving him extra lines (some stolen from Xiang Liu's character) and extra scenes, attempting to make him more proactive in the plot. However, due to lack of character development and poor character setup, his stagnancy keeps him tied to XY as the plot device to her eventually getting what she had most wanted.
Xiang Liu, the novel readers' favorite character, continues to dominate the story and plot. Despite XL being criticized for several out-of-character scenes and for being too lovelorn, like his novel counterpart who never wasted a single word or page, XL commanded and captivated every minute in the drama. Even though the drama changed and omitted several key scenes and downplayed his relationship with Xiao Yao, XL remains a complete character with a complete arc.
Acting-wise, I believe it is Yangzi's best performance and I hope she continues to grow. She shines the most in her scenes with Tan Jianci, making their on-screen chemistry sizzle like no other. There are a few times where one can tell that Yangzi could have pushed her facial expressions more or that there's just one thing missing to make it a perfect portrayal of Xiao Yao.
Zhang Wangyi portrays Cang Xuan, managing to captivate and bring together a prince whose growing obsession over his love for XY is slowly chipping away his sanity. Zhang Wangyi does a beautiful job of projecting confined jealousy on his face, and these are the moments I live for.
Deng Wei portrays Tushan Jing and my critique of his acting is that he still seems to be very camera conscious, and that shows through his awkward performances. In contrast, Wang Hongyi brings together Chiusui Feng Long, portraying a young noble whose personality is filled with fond memories and optimistic ambitions.
However, it is Tan Jianci's portrayal of Xiang Liu that captivated me the most, as well as many audiences around the world. His immense repertoire for micro-expressions, line delivery, and control body movements brought a convincing Xiang Liu to life.
Among the pretty costumes and beautiful soundtrack, things start to fall at the seams, particularly in the writing of character arcs, conflict resolution, and plot closure. A limited budget also hindered the possibilities within DaHuang that the imagination didn't hold back. Despite strong characters, the adaptation shied away from delving deeper into the heaviest theme present in the novel: how trauma and psychological disorders cripple healthy decision-making.
When you have a world based on mythology, you expect to see a visual interpretation worthy of those myths, which the budget of the drama eventually failed to produce. Production design and CGI were lackluster, in some areas simply looking terrible, i.e., the blood faucet, Xiao Yao's mediocre cherry blossoms, Jade Lake, and Queen Mother's lotus are among the worst culprits. And then throwing in censorship, poor writing experience, and linear storytelling, LYF just couldn't move over the typical threshold that has been holding back Chinese storytelling on the small screen.
LYF had so much potential in the first half, but in the second half where the story starts to come together in closure, it utterly failed to encompass the world of DaHuang, as well as portray the poetry of Tong Hua's novel.
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The action in this movie was well-orchestrated. Every action scene was definite and distinctly different. All of these actors should do more action movies or dramas; they really excelled. Again the biggest hole in the movie was the story towards the end. But be warned. If you are looking at this movie strictly for the actors, I think the ending might be a big disappointment for you but otherwise well worth the 2+ hours. BTW, starting to wonder if the Korean film industry just think SK police are stupid. Just saying.
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Sure, for some “fate” may be an elusive term, it may be non-existing in our time and space for others, and perhaps at the end of the day “fate” is for the wishy-washy people that can’t get out of a peculiar disillusionment of love (only viewing it as perfect) and would rather live dream-like state. Still, in this instance, I prefer living in a dream-like state while watching some drama’s, in this case, what FTLY you has is a combination of metaphors, life lessons, joys, emotional pains, and of course endless possibilities concerning the belief (and questioning) of true love/destiny.
STORY:
Although FTLY was adapted from the Taiwanese version, it definitely lived up to its expectations for being a lighter, more romantically charismatic series. From the beginning to the conclusion of the series, the melodramatic edge to the story filled up necessarily when needed for the plot development, and found that it didn’t drag along the story relentlessly, which was a positive aspect to this series. The humour/comedy in this series is one of the best entertaining factors in this series; I suggest that this is its strongest point for being funny even in times when there were serious moments.
CHARACTERS:
Lee Gun: You will always remember Gunnie. There are many reasons why, and I'm sure those that have seen it are probably going to agree. His bright, sometimes enigmatic appearance/expressions on screen right from the beginning brings this series into a often sweet, but charming edge. He is not the regular main lead trope that constantly berates/belittes the main lead girl. Gun is actually a decent human being. As a male lead he treats Mi Young with sympathy and respect, which I thought was commendable. Of course given the circumstances, all the characters express and act on certain things because of events, but Gun is admirable in his character. If anything, this makes this series redeemable because of the fact that Gun isn’t the stereotypical kind of male lead.
Kim Mi Young: Ahh, Mi Young, my heart bleeds for this woman. She indeed goes on an interesting journey of self discovery and independence, from a “post-it” girl to a wonderfully, talented girl that has the rest of the world ahead of her. Watching a character blossom into their own individuality, while grappling with emotional pains was visceral but also bittersweet. I really felt a “realness” with these characters, and Mi Young especially. The acting just felt natural, definitely not forced. I enjoyed Gun and Mi Young’s chemistry, so in addition to these interesting back histories of each character it was nice to see a couple on screen convince me of their bond.
Daniel: He was breath taking. His character is un-predictable, especially in correlation to Mi Young. Of course I couldn’t help myself by *fan girling* anytime I saw him or Gun on screen just smiling and of course, existing. But there was depth to his character, and I thought at least emotionally speaking, that there was nothing I didn’t like about his character. At the risk of spoiling any more details about these characters, I must say that there are plenty of reasons to watch this series. Aside from the good laughs, good cries, and overall good impressionable moments/dialogue; these characters are sure worth while watching over the course of time. I can go on and on about how wonderful they all are, but I’m pretty sure you get the gist!
SOUND/OST: Simply beautiful. I was already enjoying the music by the second episode. There was a combination of upbeat to melancholic music in terms of the atmosphere/mood of the series, which I thought was played out well. Most of all, the sound was memorable for certain moments in the series. You expected a certain theme/song for certain characters and then certain scenes with characters interacting. It was thoughtfully well done!
OVERALL IMPRESSION: From start to finish I fell in love with this series. It has a refreshing element to it in the sense that the humour and romance was balanced very well. I mean, I found myself bursting out in laughter for certain things Gun would say or do, and I'm sure if you have a funny bone that you'll enjoy it as well. Aside from the melodrama aspect to the drama, I do believe it did justice to audience members in keeping the story line engaging. I guess I was indeed fated to love this series even before it started because I still haven’t gotten over how wonderful it truly is.
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Ja Myung loved nobody else but Ho Dong, like what she said, he weighs heavy in the scale of her heart, but she chose her people (it's like rather frightening to have one person powerful in your heart).. onthe other hand, he weighs lighter in the scale of La Hee's heart, yet she chose him coz it's the truth, a simple little truth that holds her happiness, so why ignore it?... Oh, how can love built one's hope and dreams yet ruins one's life at the same time,,, there was no happy ending at all, but if dying together (Ja Mung and Ho Dong) with one sword struck between them, for that last embrace, is the happy ending, and so be it.
I hated Ho Dong, but pitied him as well.. in any case, will the ending of the story change if Ja Myung stayed as Puku with Ho Dong, if La Hee didn't loved him so much or Ho Dong only lead an ordinarylife.
''does love needs to be greater than desires?
or desires' much greater than love?...''
''will you fight for your love or choose what is more good for the many?''
In the end, there's only one choice to make... and last chance to be with the same feelings again... until death. I suppose it's a story about fighting and letting go of those feelings, in different consequences... but theirs led to their own destruction.
I have to agree that the ending have disappointed some of it's viewers, especially knowing that the planned episodes were cut due to low ratings and they have to make the story short and the ending revised as usual, yet i can say that they won to make it all heartbreaking.
I think that it has a much better story than QSD, unlike the latter which revolves around the main character.. i liked it how JMG made a bird's eyeview of everything, everyone has it's own story to tell.
Not to mention it's OST's Love Is Not A Crime and By Myself.. Oh so lovely songs, so pensive indeed.
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