Reviews

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've started watching this drama since its airing time and unfortunately not all episodes have been subbed so, if you don't feel too much confident with your japanese, I suggest you to wait. (Hopefully not a life time lol)
After this preamble, I'll tell you that this drama can be a challenge for many lol
The main protagonist has really a weak personality and that can be frustrating most of the time. But it's always nice seeing as a person can turn into a new leaf thanks to one's own effort and love.
As for the villain, he's really psycho lol, but still we shouldn't see everything as black and white. I'll let you be the judge of that.
Why don't you give it a shot?
That's it. Enjoy ^-^

P.S. sorry for any mistakes (English is not my first language)

Leia Mais

Ultimate JieJie/GreenFlag, "Blended Family" Romance

In a sea of shows featuring Red Flag MLs and Innocent FLs, this show stands different.

Overwhelmingly, the show is positive and should be watched, but there are absolutely a few glaring flaws.

Biggest Negatives:

😖 The male make-up and wig glue was criminal - multiple times it broke my immersion simply because I could not stop staring at the glue and white powdery face wondering if it was hot and literally melting off?

😖 Plot holes/inconsistencies before the end were mild but within the last episodes there was one period of time where the scene KEPT switching between day and night; and the events of the last episode specifically both appear to be days AND months apart simultaneously.


Biggest Positives:

❤️ Intricate balance of family values between old and new love ESPECIALLY with a child in the equation

❤️ A ML who isn't just a green FLAG but rather an entire FORREST

❤️ There is an episode dealing with how he deals with the the situation after he believes the FL's been assaulted and it is now probably THE best and loving scene(s) of a ML ever (*yes the scene before it could be triggering as it's definitely on the REAL end of the spectrum versus many shows doing over exaggerated "cartoonish" versions).

❤️ The conversations, arguments, and pleas characters have regarding their hopes for the future including the ending dialog (all nitpick flaws aside)


🙃So, what is the show about?🙃

Our main character is the FL; an "unacknowledged" Concubine of the Lu household, held there by her lack of status in society, her previous gratitude and devotion to her partner (2ML), and the daughter she shares with him.

The show demonstrates family politics in a realistic manner regarding the feelings of people who are in various forms of relationships with other people. It focuses on maintaining a level of distance between unmarried and unentangled individuals which means there is VERY little "true" physical intimacy between the leads. Perhaps as a bit of a bait, the show inserts two "dreams" of the MLs into first part of the show, but they are always clearly stated as "dreams".

It features a Love "Square" which includes: The 2ML in love with FL but unable to acknowledge her and often forced to humiliate her. A 2FL who is married to him but feels trapped in HER marriage. She imagines herself in love with a man she never saw the face of and so resents her husband and being forced to marry him. Our ML who is the calming and protecting force for the FL which stirs the jealousies of the 2ML. And the FL who has to let go of all her childhood devotion in order to break free of the torment his family subjects her to and embrace the new chance at life with the ML.

Within the story, there are two simultaneous plots weaving back and forth. The first is the family dynamics of the Lu family and the FL's struggle to remove herself and her daughter from their grasp and regain her independence. The second is the bringing to justice of the Lu and Xia families regarding their corruption in the present and their past deeds around the death of the Princess which saw the FL's father die as a result.

A core component within both sides of the show is family and it's role in making one step up with courage or back down in cowardice. Because of this, while all of the characters are multidimensional, the one I found the most fascinating was the one that was LEAST striking of all; the 2ML.

Chen Ming Hao had the job in this show of being unassuming, hunched, timid, someone who would fade into the background. His character calls himself a coward. Every other character has the job of being forceful and being given an actual presence to work with. Whether it's Kay Song as 2FL with her signature almost-crazy then sympathetic aura; Eddy Geng as the ML who has the "easy" time of being given the flashy "I'll protect you" and "I'm a big shot so you have to fear me" scenes; or Zhu Li Lan who's character is written with the forceful resolve to make her situation for her and her daughter better by any means... CMH had to make the audience not necessarily "hate" him... but be sad and disgusted with him. In this he excelled. He also proved, which is why the character itself is so fascinating, that when given the chance by the script, that he TOO could have stand-out scenes during which he is either confirming or denying his character archetype.

Overall this show is highly recommended with the expectation set that there ARE issues regarding timeline (especially towards the end), that the makeup/wig department with the males could be a lot better, and that there is VERY minimal physical intimacy scenes.

Final Rating wavered between 8.5 and 9 due to negatives because for ME they drastically affected my ability to enjoy an otherwise AMAZING show.

Leia Mais

Could've been much better, but it's still good

The main problem with this drama is the chopped editing that is very noticeable. Because 7 episodes were cut out, the transition between the early episodes is not very smooth.

I oftened asked myself, how are we already here? when did the relationship changed so suddenly?

I can overlook it, though. The plot itself isn't anything new, so if you think you found some unique xianxia, you're mistaken.

The first couple of episodes, I wasn't really sure by the ML acting. It felt like I didn't know what his true intentions were or what his personality is.

When we passed 10 episodes, it got better, and I do like his character. Do I think he's the best demon lord? No. He doesn't really give me that feeling, which makes sense because he doesn't even want to be the Demon Lord.

That's what surprised me the most.

The fact that he would give up his powers and people for Li Fei. The divine tree.

Lei Xiuyuan is very powerful, but so is Li Fei. The writers are just scared to show off her true potential. So she needs to be saved all the time.

Not even once she saved herself, which is honestly sad because I'd love to see her win at least once all by herself.

When friendship between the main characters and side characters is really great. They always come to help. No matter what is happening.

Now the positive things.

I absolutely love Li Fei masters. Both of them would sacrifice themselves for her. They love her too much. They are more like her father's she never had.

They're honestly my favorite masters.

Overall the drama is good. You'll like it if you're watching it for the plot. Even though there is chemistry between the leads, their romance is more like a subplot.

Leia Mais

Nodame Cantabile The Final Score II is really a continuation of the first movie. I wrote a review for The Final Score I and my thoughts there are very much the same here.

The continuation and deepening of both Chiaki's and Nodame's talents and relationship are the focus. And they both have to decide what they want and what is important. The story is told in the same funny, silly and charming way the whole series has been told. This movie is the best of them and usually with sequels, you can't say that.

More of my thoughts are expressed in the other review and I'd only be repeating myself too much.

The music is a 10. I can't give it any lower. I think I am more of a classical fan now.

I give the re-watch a 10 because I just got done watching a 2nd time.

I recommend the whole series highly.

Leia Mais

From a person who only watching this, not the original not the novel

I was scrolling on my Twitter when this pop up on my tl and a decided to give a try, I didn't expect much and didn't know nothing about it, just started because the actors look cute. But for me It was a pleasant surprise, the actors are very young and I believe this is the first series for the majority of them, but that doesn't mean they lack any acting skill, the series is very light, the acting feels fresh, the comedy it's on point. The two main leads have extremely good chemistry and make me very happy seem them together, the soundtrack is also really good. When I righting this it's only two episodes out and to be honest I can't wait to see the rest of the series, they had me sit for the first episode. I didn't watch the original or read the novel to compare, but what I can say is that this one really deserves a chance, it's a really sweet story until now.

Leia Mais

I really liked the over all plot of this drama. Hou Ming Hao is so adorable, acted pretty well for a youngster. The actor that stood out for me was the one who played Qi Mu. He's the BEST actor in this drama, i just loved the way he acted towards the end.  The actress was hard to watch because of her expressionless face or ...RBF. Her voice was very monotone when she switched "personalities." I understand her expressionless acting when she switched but her voice was equal to her expressions so it was quite hard to watch her. Although, her action scenes were quite fun. I love the CGI effects of the futuristic screens, it felt like a game or a sci-fi anime. I disliked the way they edit some of the scenes and of course the DUB the Chinese dub was so frustrating to listen to. It was worth it though. The intensity and mystery was what got me hooked on  this drama despite my pet peeves towards Chinese dubs. There is no romance  but there were little hints here and there.  I would definitely re-watch it again!

Leia Mais

Honestly, it was so good! I love the story so much that I even cried at some scenes lol. Its a very fun drama to watch because the story is really good. I started watching this because I was finding a nice movie or drama to watch on netflix then this came up and I watched the trailer and somehow got interested. I started watching it at a friday night and finished it sunday night lol. Yeapp its that great thats why I only finished it in a few days, it is worth it thoo, really. The story is nice and meaningful, it is funny and enjoyable. This makes you realize that family is really important. I seriously recommend watching this movie! I love it!!

also, the characters are good looking too so thats really great thooo ;))

Leia Mais

The Most Entertaining Headache You'll Ever Have

Never has a show more made me stop and go: "I have absolutely NO idea what's happening right now, but I am INVESTED."

Things that will put some people off regardless of anything else...
1. Some of the costumes and set pieces look like they came from Wish. I personally don't care as much about these things and even I noticed how low budget they looked.
2. The camera shakes in some scenes and may cause motion sickness or headaches.
3. CGI is standard very low budget effects.

This said, the show has an interesting premise of having the FL needing to face off against her past self, this time in the body of the "good" sister. There ends up being a LOT more to the story than just this initial set-up and for the most part everything is rather detailed without any dropped threads... but where it becomes a test of comprehension skills is that there are a LOT of flashbacks. Indeed, some flashbacks look so much like the current scene and last for so long it becomes easy to forget if you're watching something in the past or present.

Another issue becomes the storyline of the ML and his love for the sister and the FL in the past. With overlapping time lines there were multiple instances when I wished they would have made past it's own portion and THEN moved the show into the present instead of doing all the flashbacks.

Leia Mais

What an incredible performance

I'll start this off by saying I am a big Jackson Yee fan, so there may be some bias, but he performed so well, especially given how new he is to acting. This is also my first review, but I had to for my fave.

The silent strength of both the leads never fails to impress me. The topic is very serious, and really quite heartbreaking at times. This shows some of the people who are outsiders in their social circles, but find each other and power through. The ending could be a bit confusing, but the emotions throughout the film really make it worth the entire watch. It's pretty sad, but still worth rewatching to see how well everyone does and see the happier moments.

I'm utterly impressed by how well the leads perform in this movie. Zhou Dongyu has incredible films, and this is no exception. I want to note that Jackson was not even 18 yet when he filmed this movie, and his mature aura is really incredible. It's totally different than his regular personality and its incredible to see how well he does.

Overall, this is an amazing movie, that makes me tear up even when I am watching the trailer. "You protect the world, I'll protect you".

Leia Mais

Oh, My Goodness, Liu Yuning!

I had to give this drama high marks, but not a perfect score because I felt cheated out of happy endings that some of the characters deserved. I know, I know, life isn't all happy endings, but this one should have and could have been all around (except for the bad guys, of course!)

That being said, Liu Yuning! His expressions! His fierce persona, his gentle persona. The battle to let his feelings grow and come to fruition. His performance in this one was masterful! And it helped that he had such great chemistry with his FL. I don't know why some haters get on him so much. He is drop dead gorgeous and looks smoking hot in historical army gear, and he is a good actor!

This one definitely deserves rewatch, for me, if only to stare at Liu Yuning and watch him fall in love with his leading lady.

I think Prisoner of Beauty merits all the high ratings and accolades it has gotten. The story was well written; the characters were well-casted and very well played. I loved the 4 Wei generals. Loved Bai Zhi. Loved Qiao Ci and Qiao Ping. Absolutely loved Wei Shao's military advisor Gongsun Yang - his expressions were delightful! Even the villains deserved to be despised. Great acting from the entire ensemble!

(Did I mention how sizzling hot and gorgeous Liu Yuning is in this one?) 😉

Leia Mais

Fun to Watch and Even More Fun to Listen To

This is the perfect gateway introduction to K-pop/K-dramas for the uninitiated. I'm not a devotee of animation, but I had a watching party for KPDH, and the viewers were enthusiastic, especially about the OST.

As an avid K-drama fan, I laughed when "Love, Maybe" played when Jinu met Rumi, knowing that Jinu was voiced by Ahn Hyo Seop, who played the ML in Business Proposal, where the song featured heavily. What a lovely Easter egg for fans!

I awarded an extra star for the soundtrack. "Free" has beautiful lyrics; "Takedown" and "How It's Done" are great for working out; and "Golden" is powerful. "Soda Pop" may be pure sugar, but if I'm dragging on my daily walk, I play it and get instant energy.

I'm looking forward to a sequel, as the story felt rushed and unfinished at the end.

Leia Mais

Insight With Stimulus To New Perspectives On "BL" shows

Y this series surprised me: bravery in displaying what many want to be left unseen.

While the portrayal of real issues isn´t something I´d necessarily "enjoy" watching, because it stirs guilt and doubts in me, the entire show should be considered a gift of insight to us. By making me question the industries, I also focus more on what I want to support in my feature, which is definitely not this type of working environment, hence, I will inform myself more of what I support with my views as a consumer. It is also nothing that should be left unspoken that is why I give the ...
--------------------
Story >> 8.5
... however, I still have some trouble looking past some coincidences and plot twists. Do they make sense? Definitely. Are they too much sometimes? Yes, but just a little. Portraying fates, that are close to what must have been happening behind the scenes of some shows, is a real challenge and I´m honest with you when I say they did an outstanding job. The excellency would have been if they kept their feet of realism firmly on the ground but they slipped into a more melodramatic direction, which is perfectly fine because it's a drama and not a documentary, I am just being a bit picky about that.

New Ship >> 9.0
The tragedy and dilemma of this story are not easy to bear but it´s definitely worth watching. It gives different POVs into the controversy behind the scenes of some Thai "BL" shows. And the truth hurts. A LOT.

The War of Manager>> 8.0
Similar to the first story, obviously because of the same environment, but also different in the base of the main characters and their significant differences in personality and behaviour compared to "New Ship". At some point, I was in denial that those kinds of greedy people exist in our world, but unfortunately for some actors/humans, they do.
--------------------
Acting / Cast >> 9.0
I really hope that Seng gets the credits he deserves for his acting, which was one of the best performances I have ever seen in my time as an Asian drama geek. His portrayal of Pan really hit me on many levels and I really can´t think of anything to criticise. Billy´s performance was also praiseworthy and I won´t forget about those two for some time. It´s just that all actor's performances combined I found some things I found somewhat irritating, thus giving Acting a 9.0.
--------------------
Music >> 7.0
I´ll leave it like this for now, because I am not really tempted by the music yet but I also don't find it disturbing or incorrectly matched/selected.
--------------------
Rewatch Value >> 4.5
This may not be easy to follow up after I highlighted how good I find the actors and most parts of the plot but because it is tough, me rewatching it will be unlikely. HOWEVER, this doesn´t change the fact that it is an incredibly executed series that I didn´t expect from a Y series, to be very honest.
--------------------
Overall >> 8.0

Leia Mais