Reviews

a lot of potential

Overall: I wish this was released on an official international platform with high quality subs but even then, the story would still have felt choppy - too much was left unexplained. 50 short episodes between 1 and 2 minutes.

Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, blood, beaten up off screen, past intimate partner abuse

What I Liked
- the premise
- tension
- visuals

Room For Improvement
- too much was not explained, what exactly defined 'scumbag', did he keep doing it?, scenes sometimes jumped from one scene to something totally different
- nonsense stuff: how did he not have any money because it seems that he would have money if it was requests from people, police hadn't caught him?

Leia Mais

PURE ENTERTAINMENT

Big issue is a good drama . The one which keeps you wanting for more .
A totally new outlook from the perspective of paparazzi media , with retro vintage music combined .
In short Big Issue is a complete package of enjoyment.
Everything makes sense.
Greed, power, money, nothing's much overhyped here like all K dramas do .

It's all within the limits of the person's capability .
The difficulties they face , I mean even being that to is not easy .
Each and every relevant fact have been factored out .
In short
This drama is a masterpiece .

ACTING :
You know many actors and actress play certain roles but in this drama they have this Aura of the character they're playing .
They have one of the best chemistry .
Specially Han Ye seul , What a gorgeous beauty .
She has the talent of acting with her eyes and expressions .
I was just mesmerized by her throughout this .

ROMANCE :
Are you a fan of cold romance ?
Then welcome to the club .
This drama will make you crave for it .
But you'll get really nothing except little niggles in b/w .
This has one of the coldest romance ( If you've seen K2 you know what I'm talking bout ).

PS : The biggest hidden lesson is the social media outlook .
Photos , how dangerous can they be ?
I mean just think of the fact that if you're being monitored everytime . How would that feel ?Even thinking bout that makes you cringe , right ?
Now what if it gets leaked to the world .
That's it I will leave you here to wonder .

Leia Mais

Mixed

I didn't hate it, didn't love it. Honestly, I'm mixed about what score to give this because overall, it was good, but there is a giant glaring problem, and that's that it gets pretty meh during the last two episodes, which isn't good considering that there's only 6 episodes, 20 minutes long.

Let's Dive In.

My initial take on this series was good, I enjoyed the plot, the build-up, the difference of seeing them as teenagers compared to adults and their getting back to knowing one another. I understand Miyata's past trauma with Takashi, but boy oh boy was it annoying to see him constantly being pushed away. I think this would've worked better had the episode been a bit longer, but for what we had, there just wasn't time for the back and forth. On top of that, the breakup and the getting back together all happen within the span of the last two episodes, which is where it starts to fall for me. But I loved their dynamic, I loved that their intimate scenes were handled so graciously, and enjoyed the majority of what I watched.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - It was good. Meh at some parts, but mostly good.

Acting: 8/10 - Good! There wasn't much room for super-heavy scenes, so most of the acting was mediocre.

Music: 6/10 - didn't pay attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 6.5/10 - Ehh, I've seen better J-BLs, but again, I didn't hate it. I still would say to give it a shot if you have time.

Leia Mais

It is Time to Wake Up from this Beautiful Dream

What a drama! Such a pleasant and refreshing surprise.

The story revolves around Zhang Yi Meng (Wang Ya Jia) who was Princess Yuan Zhi that lived in the state of Xi. The General came to take the princess whom he was in love with away from her upcoming marriage. Princess Yuan Zhi and the general escape the army pursuing them by both jumping off the bridge to the river below. Waking up, Princess Yuan Zhi finds herself in modern times.

Zhang Yi Meng, who lives in the present day, is convinced that she is a princess who has traveled from the ancient state of Xi. Her parents feed into their daughter’s actions of being a princess by allowing her to decorate her room the same as she had back there. Seeing that she is in this unknown world, Princess Yuan Zhi tried, but failed to make several attempts to go back to her time. Finally, her father takes her to see psychiatrist Dr. Han.

As she is by the lake, she faints, waking up back in the state of Xi. Everything seems familiar but oddly strange and why is that, because this is actually a treatment process planned for her by her father and her psychiatrist Song Jing Cheng.

Eventually Zhang Yi Meng figures out that there are cameras everywhere. She continues to play along but she is not the person who has the problem. It is her father. How about that?

Yes, her parents were actors. While filming one day, his wife, Zhang Yi Meng’s mother dies when she hit her head. Her father could not deal with the loss. He began taking medication which just exasperated how he was feeling. But with the help of his loving daughter who worked with everyone on set, Song Jing Cheng and Doctor Han they were able to help her father get the treatment that he needed.

You also will find the connection between Zhang Yi Meng and Song Jing Cheng. They both knew each other about 10 years ago as Zhang Yi Meng saved Song Jing Cheng from a fire. Both of them had been looking for each other for a long time. They were fated to meet each other.

I can only say that I enjoyed watching this drama and highly recommend it. You will find yourself amazed that this quick 11 minutes and 18-episode drama could have so much to offer. Which is quite a lot. It was nice to see how Zhang Yi Meng along with so many others help her father with handling the loss of his wife. We all have suffered losses from family to friends and we all assimilate differently and that is what happened here.

As the father, walks through the set and ends up at the bridge where his wife died, he 'sees' her once again. They smile at each other. He finally knows that the illusion and dream that he has created must be over and it is time to wake up.

Leia Mais

Palatial Mediocrity

I. The Good
First up, let's appreciate the elaborate costume designs. The costume team outdid themselves, for both the ML and FL's costumes (except for that decision to add two shoulder handles on the imperial robe). It's been awhile since I've looked at male costumes and thought, 'That's a gorgeous piece of work'.

Another gorgeous piece of work is LZH (ML). I agree with the comments that LZH's nuanced and compelling acting chops has what it takes to promote him to full-length drama cast. One could see the physical changes as he assumes the demeanour of the crown prince or discarding it like a robe to embody the persona of the second prince. He singlehandedly carried all 3 hours. That's not to say that XZZ's (FL) acting was bad; LZH so brightly outshined everyone else that it left searing afterimages preventing us from observing anyone else. I did love LZH's sizzling chemistry with XZZ, especially when he was flirting with her as the second prince. Special mention should also be given to HEY (ML's sidekick, Du Bin), for his expressive comedy and chemistry with LZH, reminiscent of Gao Hanyu in Legend of Fu Yao.

The choreography for the fight scenes were so graceful and well-executed, it was like watching a dance. In the first episode itself we are treated to beautiful, fluid sword work by the ML and the seamless performance as the FL whirls around to assassinate her own assassins.

It has an open-but-leaning-towards-happy ending, which appears to be the concept of this drama. At the end of 24 episodes, you realise that the drama comprises shadowy wisps of storylines held together by elaborate costumes, ornate sets, dynamic chemistry, and whimsical humour.

II. The Bad
The plot is boring. The premise starts out strong: The solemn crown prince ML has a flamboyant twin brother who seems determined to aid Shattered Star Valley in undermining the royal family. The ruthless Shattered Star Valley assassin FL is assigned the task of assassinating the crown prince. Taking on the identity of the Duke of Yin's daughter, who is destined to wed the ML as his crown princess, she plans her murderous plot during the day. In a twist of circumstances, she is compelled to obtain royal sperm from the second prince, only to find out that the second prince is a Shattered Star Valley covert operative who has no qualms flirting with his sister-in-law. However, the storylines were predictable and uninspired. You're left watching it only for the sporadic comedy and gorgeous views.

III. The Ugly
There were some scenes that were so excessively unbelievable that it cut through the mood and slapped me like a giant flapping tuna. For instance, in episode 6, when the FL prevents the assassin from killing the real Duke of Yin's daughter, she's shot so hard, she's pushed 2 kilometres out from the forest, into the open, and over a cliff.

There were also scenes that dragged out for absolutely no reason such as when the ML is rescuing the FL from her homicidal aunt or the moments before the imperial physician is about to stab the ML's acupoints.

IV. The Verdict
This is a visually magnificent, easy-to-watch drama, if you are able to ignore the banal plot. I would have rated it an 8 or even a 9 but for the storyline.

Leia Mais

The King and The Clown is not a comedy. It's an adult situation historical movie. The story is about a troupe leader who makes a simple request to perform for the King.
I enjoy watching this movie because it was entertaining, artistically and mentally. Despite the simple title of this movie, it open the doors to many dark sides of society including abuse, harassment, and childhood trauma.
The movie, The King and The Clown, is definitely for adults. It was never meet for teenagers and children to see.
The story and plot of the story is easy to follow.
The actor and cast did a superb job. I enjoy watching the overprotective friendship between the two lead actors, Kam Woo Sung and Lee Jun Ki.
The music was great simply because it fit the historical time.
My overall score is a nine for this movie. I did not give it a ten because I wanted to know the real back story of the two lead actors.

Leia Mais

This dorama already got great reviews that I totally agree with but thought of adding my two cents as well ;) It was the drama that I was most anticipating of the summer, and maybe of the year. As an anniversary drama, it is star studded as expected. It's the first drama for Tsumabuki Satoshi in 5 years ( except he had a guest role in an episode of Higashino Keigo Mysteries in 2012) since the lead a taiga in 2009. He's reunited here with Mitsushima Hikari (Villain) and Eita (Orange Days, Dororo) rounded off with award winning Aoi Yu. With that cast alone, expectations flew through the roof.

I was certainly looking forward to the reunion of Mitsushima and Eita and seeing Tsumabuki in a drama again after so long sure is a delight. Whether the drama met my expectations or not cannot be answered with a simple Yes or No.

My main reason of watching was for the cast, so in that case I can't say I was disappointed. The characters felt real for me, the relationships authentic, and the chemistry is present. I was invested enough with the family that watching them every episode was bliss. Acting from the main characters was top notch. Asahi's character got many criticism of being over-acted, but I found it was actually well thought out. I think if he were played any other way it would've been too dramatic so I cannot imagine anyone playing it better than Tsumabuki. Other performances varied from great to okay but none felt miscast. Yoshioka Hidetaka didn't really add much to the characters so my shallow self wished it would've been a better looking actor that took the role XD He wasn't miscast but not too great either.

The story overall is heartwarming and sweet, but we had some story lines that were stronger than others, some more relatable than others, hence some episodes stronger than others. The story line revolving around the three older siblings were the most engaging. The story of the 2 youngest siblings was set-aside in the background and needed more attention from the writer. For that reason I found their resolve a bit shallow. Episodes about characters other than the siblings were less interesting. There were also a lot of cheesy dialogs running throughout the drama. It certainly isn't something new to Japanese dramas but dramas without cheesy dialogs have been done and this could've benefitted without as well

The soundtrack was used effectively here and the theme song added this timeless enchantment to the drama.

On the whole, not a perfect drama, but still touching and uplifting, with great performances and memorable roles. I will miss this drama for sure.

Leia Mais

Go into this drama believing that true love really does exist after a long time-7 years- and it'll be easier to watch this drama. I have to say that reunited love is one of my favorite storylines so although this drama was draggy in some parts, and the plot wasn't that unique- I still thoroughly enjoyed watching it.

Wallace Chung has good chemistry with Tiffany Tang. Physically, they look great together and Yi Chen (Wallace) demonstrated his anguish for Mo Sheng (Tiffany) very well. Yes, he was dubbed but that's necessary since Wallace's pronunciation in mandarin isn't that good since he speaks Cantonese natively. It's fine though because his dubbed voice is nice and the dubbing is in sync. The story itself is nothing that new but this drama was calm and beautiful. It's an easy watch even with some annoying characters that I fast forwarded through.

The flashbacks were also a main aspect of this drama, they used flashbacks periodically within episodes to slowly unravel the misunderstandings and backstories. Though this drama was slow-moving, the anticipation created within the flashbacks made me want to come back for more episodes; in that respect, this drama was kind of addicting for me. I admit that they did repeat the same flashbacks over and over again in the end but I just fast forwarded it so it wasn't a problem. In the flashbacks, the director used different actors for young Yi Chen and Mo Sheng. Props to the young actors, they channeled Yi Chen's and Mo Sheng's spirits very well. Young Yi Chen even kinds of looks like Wallace and young Mo Sheng was so cute and bubbly.

I liked how their love never wavered for one another throughout the whole drama, and that the antagonists couldn't tear them apart. There were tons of misunderstandings in the beginning, but it didn't take that long, and once they were resolved their relationship was wonderful to watch. I really liked Yuan Feng and Xiao Xiao (Viola Mi) here. They were both hilarious and had such character depth; they felt like real people.

The music was lovely. It complemented all the tranquil and emotionally anguished scenes. Wallace's real voice in one of the songs was also really good.

Re-watch? Maybe, maybe not. I recommend it to people who don't want to watch a crazy plot, and just want to watch a beautiful romantic drama. (9/8)

Leia Mais

-Ta De Xiao Jie Geng (2025) is a great romance reborn miniseries with Wang Yi Ran (as Fu Zheng) and Shi Tong (as Wen Li) in the lead couple’s role. Most of the cast did a good job bringing their characters to life but the leading couple’s romance was a delight to watch. Shi Tong really brings the character Wen Lin to life in a natural way with a breath of fresh air. Wen Li is delightful, especially as she comes up with new ways to lure and captivate Fu Zheng who is seven years her senior and considered a family member. He has been in love with Wen Li for some time and it is lovely to see how Wen Li shatters every one of his attempts to resist her. One could say about Wen Li is that, instead of getting revenge, she managed to bring justice to her mother’s untimely death and to her own self. In the process, she manages to coax Fu Zheng who was the one that was always there for her in a steadfast and loving way. Good drama, enjoy it!
This drama can be found on YouTube under the caption: New drama "Her Little Balloon Flower". #Wang Yiran #Shi Tong #New drama #Mainland drama #Love

Leia Mais

Un Drama che lascia il segno, che ti fa soffrire e amare con la stessa forza

Un k-drama storico intenso e profondamente emotivo, recentemente disponibile su Netflix. Ambientato durante la dinastia Joseon, il drama si apre con il ritorno improvviso di Hong-rang, figlio di una potente famiglia di mercanti, scomparso da dodici anni. Il suo rientro, privo di memoria, sconvolge gli equilibri familiari, in particolare quelli con la sorellastra Jae-yi, che ha sempre sperato nel suo ritorno ma ora si trova di fronte a un uomo che potrebbe non essere chi dice di essere.
La serie esplora con grande profondità temi dolorosi come i legami familiari spezzati, l'identità e la follia. Attraverso una narrazione avvolta nel mistero e nel melodramma, Dear Hongrang mette in luce le ferite invisibili causate da abusi e traumi infantili, mostrando come queste cicatrici influenzino le relazioni e le scelte dei personaggi. La follia non è solo una condizione mentale, ma diventa una metafora della disgregazione familiare e della perdita di sé.
La regia raffinata e le interpretazioni intense, in particolare quella di Lee Jae-wook nel ruolo di Hong-rang, conferiscono al drama una carica emotiva potente. La serie si distingue per la sua capacità di trasmettere emozioni contrastanti, passando dalla tenerezza all'angoscia, dalla speranza alla disperazione, offrendo una visione profonda e toccante delle dinamiche familiari e delle conseguenze della sofferenza non elaborata.
Dear Hongrang è un'opera che lascia il segno, consigliata a chi cerca una storia intensa, capace di esplorare le complessità dell'animo umano e dei legami familiari in un contesto storico affascinante.
Questo drama mi ha letteralmente spiazzata. È davvero bellissimo, ma anche profondamente triste e a tratti crudele. Un’autentica montagna russa di emozioni: si passa dalla rabbia alla disperazione, fino alla dolcezza struggente dei momenti condivisi tra i protagonisti.
Lui è semplicemente perfetto in questo ruolo. Lo avevo già amato in Alchemy of Souls, ma qui riesce a superarsi: è meraviglioso, intenso, capace di trasmettere un’intera gamma di emozioni solo con lo sguardo.
Dear Hongrang entra di diritto – e direi anche con prepotenza – nella mia TOP TEN dei drama più intensi, dolorosi e romanticamente indimenticabili.
Un racconto che lascia il segno, che ti fa soffrire e amare con la stessa forza.

Leia Mais

Really good, but I have some critique

Dang this show is so good. Many people compare this to Signal, so I can’t help but do that too. This isn’t as good as Signal but is still a fun timey wimey crime thriller.
The premise is really good and executed very well, and the plot is paced excellently. There are so many plot twists but they never felt needless, just the consequence of messing with time or a revelation that explains a character’s motivation. I do think that the first half of the show is better than the second. The main villains shift about halfway and I enjoyed the original villains from the first half more. The plot/conspiracy in the second half also wasn’t as interesting to me, but the plot twists continued to be excellent. I loved the ending of every episode, it was so darn good how all of them were like “wtf?!?!?!” and that really shows how good the writing is. But in part due to timey wimey shenanigans there were a few plot points and revelations that happened more than once, and they do lose emotional impact and it weirdly feels like you’re wasting time because you’re essentially watching the same scene again. Plus there’s this MacGuffin that everyone is after in the second half and that takes a while to move on from. However, the second half does a great job of tying everything together and a lot of things make sense. The timey wimey stuff is handled amazingly and the “explanation” for it is actually pretty good too.
Seo Jin had some great character development and it was awesome seeing him change throughout the show. Ae Ri... I’m so sorry, sweetie, it’s not your fault, it’s the writer’s fault. Han Ae Ri spent 25% of her time crying about her mom. The times where I had to suspend my disbelief the most were with Ae Ri’s actions; she continually made stupid choices like investigating dangerous things by herself when she knows it’s dangerous! Argh. I still like her, but it was frustrating at times. Basically her actions felt like they were plot devices, which is lazy writing. The other characters were pretty good, and I enjoyed Ae Ri’s friends in particular. It was great seeing them all team up. Oh and I loooooove the original villains of the show, 10/10. I won’t elaborate because they’re related to plot twists.
Despite the fact that I just complained a lot about it, I think this show is really excellent and I would 100% recommend it to anyone who liked Signal, Tunnel, or any crime/thriller fan. So while there are some things I wish were better, I have trouble holding that against this show because it was just so good.

Leia Mais

Yes there is a lot, like a lot of sex scenes, but I don't this it was to much or to explicit sex was part of the plot there's more about the movie than sex. This about Love, different kids of love, there is friendship, true love (no matter how it started)and the extremely obsessed one this is what I think the movie is really about.

The acting is flawless, great job, every single character was well played and which I bet it wasn't easy to play.

The music is outstanding traditional Korean music that helped no only to understand the scene but also to understand the characters feelings.

If you're over 18 (just saying), should watch it, and see there is more deep than just just sex.

Leia Mais