Reviews

the lack of slice of life in cdramas

my sister recommended a drama to me because the male lead is her favorite k-pop idol. i declined several times, but after finishing taeri's drama, i decided to give it a chance. my dear friends or my unfamiliar family showed koreans doing slice of life so well but there's no good slice of life in cdramas, but i found "the forbidden flower" to be an exception. recently, i started watching "sweet games." these types of dramas may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you enjoy this genre, "sweet games" is a solid choice. i wish "do you like brahms?" had more comedic scenes like this drama because it strikes a great balance between drama and comedy.

Leia Mais

Story

Heo Im (Kim Nam-Gil) is a very famous acupuncturist doctor who worked in one of Joseon's superintendents, caring for the most needy people. It turns out that at the same time, he was accumulating a lot of wealth going to treat senior officials at night.

The opportunity Heo Im so much hoped emerged: he was cast to treat the King's disease, and completing the treatment, he could finally win the position of a royal doctor.

At the beginning of the journey to palace, he was surprised by a desperate father with his very sick daughter in the lap and decided to leave them waiting, giving priority to the treatment of the king.  It occurs that before starting with acupuncture, Dr. Heo's hand began to tremble and he wasn't able to apply even the first needle. The incident was considered an insult to the King and he had to flee the palace before being imprisoned. But the officers chased him and cornered him on a bridge. After receiving an arrow, Dr. Heo fell into the river and traveled in time.

~

Live Up To Your Name, Dr. Heo ... I started to watch without many expectations and I was completely stunned by the script! It is simply amazing and very well written. No flaws, the story flowed very well and was a phenomenal experience. It's from another level. It isn't a simple time travel drama.

The drama is a mix of medical, historical and romantic comedy genres with a more adult twist. The exchange of environments (Joseon / Seoul) is fantastic and very well made and occurs at the most opportune moments. They also succeeded in highlighting the change in medicine between the two centuries, focusing, for example, on equipment such as the needle, herbs, then scalpel, medicines and others.

Oh yeah, the story brings up several other historical points and characters that were important to medicine. The history pass in the time when the Japanese invaded South Korea. Let me cite an example: Dr. Heo Jun (Uhm Hyo Sup) was actually one of the best royal doctor during the King Seonjo Dynasty in Joseon and constantly appears in the drama , bringing brilliant lessons; So we still take a "bath" of historical knowledge.

Acting/Cast

It's even funny because, at the beginning of the drama, I watched two completely flawed protagonists. Dr. Heo had been torn apart by the injustices of the world and could no longer be considered a doctor, for his values had been lost in the arduous path that life was in Joseon. Choi Yeon-Kyung decided to be a doctor after losing her parents and resent her grandfather, she became apathetic (apathy - lack of passion), a little arrogant and did not sympathize with her patients.

The evolution of the characters is the big point of the plot! They with their own faults help each other, correct and grow in an impressive way. And you know what else? The story unfolds at a perfect and exciting pace.

I can say that I followed Dr. Heo's path and that today I am his great fan. That I understood your feelings, your inner conflicts, your responsibilities and your despair. And this is all merit of the brilliant performance of Kim Nam Gil.

The secondary characters are so charismatic and I've been falling in love with them little by little. Everyone has some influence on the plot and their presences have made the story even more unique.

Music

The OST is beautiful and exciting.

Rewatch Value

Yes, this drama has a flaw: it's over. Oh really! I'm missing this drama, I didn't want it to come to an end so quickly.

And the romance? The romance is beautiful! Perfect! The protagonists have a lot of chemistry! Really! And as the Japanese samurai said there in episode 16 ... They look beautiful together!

So if I could honestly say to you guys not to miss a drama that was broadcast in 2017 I would say that's the one. I know a lot of people don't know and didn't follow and that is why I need your help so that this review reaches the hearts of our chingus!

It's a drama to get involved, get excited, have fun and that's exactly what we're looking for!

~ Sorry for my English.

Leia Mais

Torturously realistic to the point of pessimism

This is a very well-written show with well-developed characters. None of the characters are shown to be particularly good or particularly bad - but as human beings, which is something I greatly appreciate as a writer and avid drama-watcher. The realistic themes covered here will definitely get the viewer to think long and hard about our societal framework and how that can either help or hinder our happiness.

Another thing I like is the acting of the main four. Though all of them are subtle with their emotions, they still form distinct personalities which make for great performances overall. Understated acting is perhaps one of the hardest types of acting to accomplish, so I believe the lead actors did a superb job with their characters, being neither overdramatic nor wooden.

A warning for those who want a happy ending: you will be sorely disappointed. The ending is an unconventional one which feels like a missed target. Especially with the emotionally-draining situations the characters are often stuck in, not experiencing even one moment of true happiness, the ending feels like somewhat of a waste, especially for viewers like me who watched the drama as it aired. If you decide to watch this show, be careful to not get too emotionally invested in the main characters as I did.

To close, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys rich character development and unpredictable, yet realistic outcomes. The best part of this show is how incredibly human the characters are, which is something I believe needs to be shown more in movies and TV.

Leia Mais

I think ever since I have known that there are such things called 'dramas', this particular one called '1 Litre of Tears' exists. Wherever I looked for drama recommendations this one was always included. Now I know why. 1 Litre of Tears falls nothing short of a masterpiece. While I sincerely wanted to rate it 10 there were a couple of characters that bugged me so I'll give it a 9.

The story is absolutely brilliant. The fact that this happened in reality and that there are still thousands of people suffering from this disease is truly saddening and heartbreaking. I can the portrayal of a person's disability in it was 100% accurate. It was so realistic that I felt like it was actually happening in front of me. The main cast gave outstanding performances- especially Sawajiri Erika. She was so convincing that I felt her pain.

Apt to its title, this drama could make you cry a lot- depending on you. I am going to confess that there were a few times I absolutely teared up. In fact, I think not tearing up while watching this would be inhumane. Anybody who is capable of feeling sorry for the physically disabled or people suffering from painful diseases will be able to feel it here too. Aya (both the fictional and real one) is a very inspiring person. The things she recorded in her diary is deep and moving.

The way they showed the transformation of an ordinary girl's life after she encounters Spinocerebellar Atrophy was the main focus of the drama. More than her struggle, it was also focused on how it affects those around her- be it friends, parents, siblings, teachers or regular people you meet on the street. It makes me think of all the physically disabled people I have seen in public. I think I can understand their feelings more clearly now.

This drama is almost like a documentary made on Aya's life. Neither is it happy to begin with nor does it end happily. But the sadness and tears aren't the only things in it. Most of all- it will remind you to treasure life and be thankful for what you have. There's a deeper underlying meaning to it too. It also showcases the kindness and cruelty of humans and their attitude towards such people. In a lot of countries, people are still not aware of hardships such people have to go through and treat them badly. Just like Aya said, "Why did it choose me?" The matter of falling ill was not by choice but only cruel fate.

This drama is one of the rare gems that you should definitely not miss out on. Watching it once was enough for me, so no rewatch value where I am concerned.

Leia Mais

Absolute Disappointment

The live action doesn't even match the novel. The writer put much effort writing the story only for the live action to be a joke. What is this? Out of budget show?

Bihyung even look like a freaking labubu, what was that for? Is it so hard to follow the original story? Bihyung is a dokkaebi for god sake also a gun? So you telling me getting atleast a fake sword is hard now too? Wow. Rather saying "adaptation" It's more suitable to be "inspiration" the live action is a joke.

Yoo Sangah as a healer? What is this? I thought this is supposed to be Omniscient Reader Viewpoint not Director Viewpoint. Ridiculous, live action. Other than that, Yoo Joonghyuk look like a hongdae guy on his way to ask Kim Dokja number. Yoo Joonghyuk design were way more better than that, he's wearing a hight level clothes from the novel unlike the live action.

Honestly, the live action were completely different from the novel. I would not recommend this live action. The live action were nothing but a disappointment, changing the story won't make it cool because the original story were already peak. This live action is a total downgrade. Ain't Omniscient Reader Viewpoint anymore, It's Director Viewpoint no Hell Viewpoint itself.

Leia Mais

need a lot of patience to sit through the first half

first half is both annoying AND boring but if you have patience, the second half is truly beautiful.

The goods :
1. The way this drama showed grief and how different people confront it. The lack of healthy communication was frustrating at times but very realistic and relatable. Yongpil was the first one who realized they were drifting apart cuz they were all running away and decided to put an end to it.
" why you didn't run? why you didn't try to forget?"
" but what if I did forget you?"

2. Go Mija. easily the best character in the whole series. She is the most well written character along with Yongpil. Her character has layers and I cried each time a new layer was revealed. She was so kind and brave. A great mother for her daughters and Yongpil.

3. Go Mija and Bo Mija flashbacks. tear jerkers.

4. Yongpils dad redemption arc. God knows he is one of the most annoying characters I've seen in my 12 years of being into Kdramas but I'm happy with the result.

5. Samdals family ( minus Samdal herself ) are all intriguing both in characters and their relationships with each other. I wished we knew more about the sisters pasts. Their love stories were more interesting than the main couple in my opinion. The family dynamic is very fun to watch.

6. Samdalri island and its beatiful beaches and gardens.

Now the bad;
1. Our female lead Samdal. I dont know why she and her collogues were so dumbfounded that she fell into a scandal given the fact that she's both unprofessional and a BRAT. Samdal is unlikable from episode 1 to the very end. She is an immature girl with a big ego who constantly throws tantrums.

2. Alcoholism. Samdal developed a horrible drinking habit after going back to samdalri and I think its an irresponsible portrayal if none of the other characters in the drama mention it in a bad light. She wasnt just sad, she was Addicted.

3. Samdalri people and their big mouths. small villages where everyone know each other have their own problems for sure ( gossips, lack of personal space, fear of being judged etc etc) and this has been touched upon in few other dramas but it doesn't make watching them any less insufferable. Yongpils friend had nothing else to talk about other than Samdal.

4. Second male lead. What was the point of his existence?

Leia Mais

The synopsis here is totally missleading. It's no university setting at all. I mistakenly thought it was about him meeting a (healthy) girl when his girlfriend is sick and the sense of duty towards his girlfriend. It's also not him who is doing the growing and learning part but rather the girl. It's more like he is teaching her.

The guy-with-sick-girlfriend-falls-in-love-with-other-girl part is accurate, though.

That said, it was a nice and beautiful short story. It wasn't what I expected, but I liked it nonetheless.
The acting is really good, so it's easy to sympathize with the characters in spite of the short amount of time. I didn't watch this because of Lee Jong Suk, but it sure made me notice him a lot more. If you watch this because of him I'm sure you won't be disapointed.

The short time is another forte of this special - it never get's draggy.

I'm not much of a rewatcher, but I might watch this again because it's beautiful and Lee Jong Suk is so damn hot.


P.S. if you watch this, you will be rewarded with hot kisses ;P

Leia Mais

A complete disgrace. Dishonor to whoever decided this was a good idea

I still can’t believe or more like, it’s hard to understand how someone can ruin a masterpiece. One, Kim Dokja is NOT a prophet. He’s a READER. He knows what’s going to happen because he is a READER!! Even his name means “Reader” or “only child” but everything thinks it’s always the latter to which is true because he loves to READ.

The director have at the reach of a simple click the webnovel, the manhwa, sNs-nim to do a great live action yet they decided to yeet everything and do their own thing? To which btw it’s a disgrace, garbage, it’s like dragon ball evolution!

This is far from an adaptation. They ripped off almost everything to add nonsense. They eliminated characters developed!! Kim Dokja hating the story tls123 wrote for him? Really? That didn’t happen. NEVER.

Kim Dokja a bully? Really?! He was the one being bullied!! The character KDJ had admired for YEARS is Yoo Jonghyuk! That’s who he wanted to be, the name he had repeated for years like a mantra to get strength and to get through all the bad things that happened in his life.

And why everything looks so cheap?! The wigs? Their clothes? I can’t believe how a company couldn’t do better. Did they spent all their budget casting super famous people INSTEAD of using it for a better wig? They couldn’t even get YJH’s hair right.

And what’s with the guns?! In ORV NO ONE USES THEM. It was hard to read the first chapters for them? If you’re doing an adaptation I believe idk that you should take some time to READ the material, to talk with the authors and do a better job. But the kimchi head of the director probably doesn’t know how to read…

Instead of watching this is better to read the webnovel, manhwa and hope that the anime would do the Justice orv deserve.

Orv la doesn’t exist. This was just a bad dream… to bad I can’t give 0 to this crap

Leia Mais

Definitely a great watch!

Usually I avoid historical dramas because it mostly filled with wars and political schemes. But this one is different. I loved how the balance of comedy and politics is maintained. From the first episode, is like a hilarious rollercoaster ride. There is not a single moment i felt bored.

I really loved Ban Hua's character, she's strong, independent, and straightforward. Both her and Rong Xia are likeable characters. Which made them a perfect couple. Supporting actors were great too, especially The Ban Family, Du Jiu, A Ke Qi, Princess Dening, even Jiang Luo, they're so fun to watch. The OST are great too.

At first i thought 40 eps are too much and make me lazy to watch it. But now that i finished watching, 40 eps felt like nothing. Its a great show for those who like light&fluff drama.

Leia Mais

Beautiful World emanated full of bodacious feelings from the start. What started with a mere bullying scenario for which a 16 years old had to pay a heavy price ended up with completely different case. Young adolescents were involved in despicable act ostracizing their peers, instigating wrong doings, fawning, wheedling and so on. Often the mixed emotions the people of this age feel make them indulge in many activities which they mainly do out of impulse. Knowingly/unknowingly they go through so many changes that can be overwhelming to deal with. Although through dramas, movies or social awareness related programs in schools, parents are always reminded to be extra careful with the adolescent children; however, they are the ones remain in oblivion most of the time. Teenagers are on the otherhand constantly reminded of not getting afraid or to seek adult’s help are often times refrain from doing it since in many cases adults seem blasé or mordant to their problems. The story focuses on the root causes of the problems. Mainly the children who have feeble familial bondage, suffer from lack of appreciation, reared in an ostentatious environment, continuously taught about social stratification are most likely cause violence in their academic life. Sprouting from extreme abomination they have for themselves gradually being passed on to their seemingly weaker peers out of jealousy. When their formidable act goes out of control then interferes the adult (teachers, parents and the authorities) creating foment and coercion instead of bolstering them positively for their won betterment. Eventually they fall into doldrums; either destroys themselves or their supposed same aged victim.

Keeping this the main theme, which I suppose the writer got inspired from the book Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, the dramatization took place with some usual dramatic formula. Although it ended with a little unexpected twist but still it maintained to retain its main essence till the end. As the very name of this drama, the makers also ended it in a positive note rather than making it into a heart wrenching one, signaled from the first episode. The story dynamics and the pace of progress per episode was interesting all through.

Also liked the little optimistic message it delivered in the end – to always keep our hopes up and only move forward in order to make everything beautiful around us.

Bullying is a sensitive topic and is a wide social problem in South Korea. No wonder they always try to highlight this issue through visual media to indirectly create awareness. The mood of this drama and story writing is commendable by Kim Ji Woo. She has a certain style of writing which I really love. It exudes somewhat similar feel like the drama Memory and later found out she is the screenwriter of both of them. I just did not like the camera work - the peeping style camera angle or the extreme close shot of every face - which actually gave me a headache. Directions, OSTs, acting by the ensembles all were praiseworthy. All the child actors were excellent, mainly Nam Da Reum and Seo Dong Hyun. Seo Dong Hyun was remarkable in playing the negative role. Unimaginable, how he could manage to pull the skill so maturely at such a young age. He was phenomenal in portraying the evil expressions. Nam Da Reum is always exceptional. They both have the brightest future ahead. The actors in their parents’ role all gave their best performance.

All in all it’s a well - written, directed and acted- drama no one should miss.

Leia Mais

A hidden, under-appreciated gem!

I’ve already watched all 24 episodes on IQIYI. Some might say this drama is cheesy or has a lot of silly humor, but I personally loved it. There’s nothing wrong with cheesy humor if it makes you laugh, and this drama made me laugh. To me, this is what ROM-COM should be – romance AND comedy.

I loved FL. She was a strong ruler without being a b****. She simply exuded strength and power by the expression on her face. She wielded power like a man – by her expression, by the way she carried herself, by her confidence. She didn’t have to be underhanded, scheming, vindictive or seductive. She was strong yet playful – I loved the winks she gave. She and ML were, indeed, a power couple, although ML tended to give way to FL, making her the dominant partner. My favorite scene: she regains her memory and seats herself on ML’s throne. When he finds her, she boldly declared who she is, but he takes it as an invitation and says provocatively, ‘Yes, my lord’, leading to a steamy kiss scene. I also loved the scene where FL is taking out the evil/crazy Qi Meng with arrows. I like a woman who can solve her own problems, and the men in her life recognized her ability to do so and stood back and let her do it.

I loved ML too. He was handsome and confident yet he fully supported FL and complimented her power with his own. He wasn’t intimidated by her – they were equals. I loved how she gave him strength and confidence when he needed it – like when marriage envoys from the third city (can’t remember it’s name right now) turned around and began to leave because SML felt insulted. ML starts getting antsy, but FL steadied him by placing her hand on his, and they ended up winning the game of chicken. He even looked cute dressed as a woman (loved that facial gesture he gave FL). I was little disappointed with how he reacted to learning FL’s true identity, but he quickly changed his mind once he thought she was in danger. After that, this couple remained solid – each loving and supporting each other – a wonderful power couple. One last thing I’ve got to say about ML – this man liked his rose-scented baths! I’ve never seen a ML bathe so much! And he has the Cadillac of bathtubs too! I hope it had a hot spring feeding it because I’d hate to be the servants that had to boil water and fill that thing!

The villainess was sufficiently hateful. Even though we had to watch her (and FL) marry ML, we knew it was a fake ceremony since ML/FL were on to her schemes. I usually don’t like these arranged marriage tropes, but it was clear that ML was in love with FL and would have dumped Qi Meng if FL had asked him to. Qi Meng wasn’t as annoying as some of these psycho chicks because FL always managed to get the best of her and foil her plots. As for the male villain, all I can say is he has a great bod which the director was happy to show us over and over again. I was disappointed that he escaped punishment at the end along with those old geezers who couldn’t accept a female ruler…even though she’d been leading them for years.

The supporting cast was loveable and added plenty of humor.

That being said, I’m not sure if I’m completely happy with the ending. Yes, ML/FL finally complete their marriage ceremony, but in the extra scenes, we see indications that there may be a sequel. If so, I’m not going to watch it because the Chinese have a way of ruining a good drama. I’m happy with finishing the story at episode 24.

Leia Mais

If you re into romantic things then skip it there is a slight element of romance but not your classic Korean love drama.

This drama is a lot more powerful than people think the messages that it is passing through are too deep to describe. The political propaganda the interdependence of media, politics, the law, and businesses. It is in some sense reality.

The story could have developed faster I think at some point it dragged on while the finish was a bit too fast- they should have used 2 episodes to develop what happened in the last episode.

As for characters I really liked prosecutor Koo and chief Moon. Yeol Moo was annoying sometimes it felt as if she had no emotions, she cried very well I have to admit but her interest towards Koo was invisible/ non existent. She looked more interested in the kid Kang Soo. I also really liked Kang Soo, he played his character very well, in order to judge him as an actor I will have to see him in different roles, because I don't know if he played this role very well because his personality is as such or because he is such a good actor.

Romance

I preferred the second lead couple it was funnier as I said before yeol moo was so just not into it that it seemed like she was faking that she liked him. They were funnier and I could see chemistry between them ( strange chemistry but existent).


If you like crime DEFINITELY watch it if you re into sappy romance SKIP ! this aint for you :)

Leia Mais

An Amazing Qing Era Series

RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE (Ru Yi Zhuan) was a really well made series. I watched it right after I finished Story of Yanxi Palace, back to back, and at first I had very mixed feelings. But instead of letting my love for Yanxi interfere with my love for Ruyi's story, I decided they were both great and equally lovable, albeit different perspectives of the same era, during Emperor Hong Li (Qianlong Emperor) reign.

Personally, I really loved that Ruyi's story tells almost the complete opposite story than that of Yanxi. Both are such amazing series and two of my top favorite historical dramas now. Both are stories of equally strong women and how they survive in the Forbidden City. Both drama's are almost perfect in their own ways.

Some reviewers criticize UlaNara Ruyi (Xun Zhou) for being a weak portrayal of women, but if anything, it is the exact opposite. She is exceptionally brave to endure all that she did, all the twisted schemings, and hidden dangers of the palace. Never does she whimper and try to flee, or worse-join in on the twisted schemings herself-instead she becomes a woman worthy of respect and honor. For Ruyi, there was so much brutality and backstabbing around her. For her to endure with grace, humility, and even optimism all that she did-well she's all the more a strong woman for it. She fought for her love and yet, stood up to him when it mattered most. And, compared to Yanxi's heroine (who I equally loved in her own way), Ruyi offers a more realistic portrayal of historical feminism in China. Neither should be seen as lesser.

I agree, with those that criticize the Emperor Hong Li (Wallace Huo), as it was difficult to watch as his character degrades throughout the length of the series. It became harder and harder to see what Ruyi saw in him, but the fact that she stood up and held her own made the ending so much sweeter and poignant. It was so moving. Honestly everything was so great, the cast, characters, visuals, story, music, etc. I loved this series.

For those that wish to compare and contrast it to Story of Yanxi Palace, as if the shows were rivals, don't let that make you miss out on a great historical drama that is Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace. This was a unforgettable series. Brilliant.

Leia Mais