Reviews

Would have been better as an ad on YouTube or smth

Don’t expect good writing and character development here.

The first issue I have with All The Liquors is that Kihoon has too many problems and they’re solved all too easily. This is a story of a stubborn chef who meets a foolhardy marketing employee. Somehow, the chef manages to break all his personal rules. WHY??? And more importantly, HOW???? To those who say "it's because of love!! love is the answer", come on. The story was seriously underbaked.

Second issue - I’m not sure if it's just me but the couple didn’t look terribly compatible.

I know Kihoon is supposed to be a stiff and antisocial chef, but that doesn’t mean he couldn't have any personality whatsoever. He came off as really awkward in most scenes (I can’t tell if this is intentional), and seriously ruined the vibes for me.

All in all I must say that this isn't the worst South Korean BL, but it's not memorable either.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/03/24/all-the-liquors-2023-bl-review/

Leia Mais

I just finished watching this amazing movie right now.
Up until the end I would\'\'ve given this movie a 10 in story, but the ending just ruined it for me. It wasn\'\'t a bad ending, it just wasn\'\'t my type of ending. Some people will probably love this movie and give it all 10\'\'s but for me the ending just wasn\'\'t how I would\'\'ve ended it so i\'\'m giving the story a 9, the acting was a 10 since all of them were amazing actors, the music an 8 because while it wasn\'\'t the best music it did fit the story just fine. As for rewatch value, while I personally don\'\'t like to rewatch movies or dramas until 1-2 years afterwards, I would rewatch this one so i\'\'ll give it a 7. Overall, i\'\'m giving this movie a 9 because if you\'\'re a fan of any of the cast(lucky me for being a fan of all three of the main actors!), or a fan of the Wuxia genre, or a fan of Chinese choreography, you\'\'ll absolutely love this gem of a film.

Leia Mais

Indie Chinese BL: interesting premise but flawed in terms of production value, editing and writing

This Chinese drama did almost not made it through, it was first stopped while airing after 4 episodes by the Chinese platform on which it was being released...and then it was picked up for full release by another international distribution platform. That in itself picked my interest and after watching it, it is a real BL story (not disguised at all as a bromance) so of course it did not pass the censorship and explains the release issue.

Regarding the drama itself, there is a very indie and artsy vibe that I appreciated for some aspects. I liked for example the art school context and the opening generic. I also enjoyed some of the relationship evolution that feel quite gritty. But there is also to my eyes a lot of production issues. The low budget is very clear : it gives a raw aspect to some of the scenes but it explains a lot also regarding the limitations of the series. The director is using too much fish eye effect, most of the time there is no clear reason nor need for it, it is not flashback-driven and seem to be used to hide the poverty of the background/sets. The editing is really odd between scenes: you jump out from one to another and it feel a bit amateurish. The camera moves are also sometimes a bit odd.

If I liked the premise of the story, the artsy context in which the characters are evolving, I was a bit disappointed by the way the script resolved out-of-screen or too quickly a lot of the conflicts and issues. Some situations seemed very dangerous and complicated but their resolution was kinda anti-climatic. The acting was not bad but not transcendent. Guo Jia Le, playing Qi Lu, had the most interesting character growth. He had also a believable chemistry with Zhang Xuan Yu, playing Qin Xiao. I was unfortunately less convinced by the chemistry of the secondary couple: it could have been much more interesting but it was a bit of a letdown (not sure if because of the acting or the script).

I would recommend this to people looking for a Chinese BL which does not shy away from what it is and do not disguise it as a bromance. It has a strong indie flavor which is not an issue in itself but the low budget is clearly felt and there are quite a bit of editing / production issue. There are some interesting and gritty parts in the script but the way the story unfold is far from perfect. I think it is quite comparable to the Chinese BL Addicted in terms of production value. So if you enjoyed it, you might as well want to give a shot to this one.

Leia Mais

REAL Exhausting!!!

The series started with two strong individuals that found themselves in unique situations at the same time and respected each other enough to want to help the other. But in the end, it became two individuals with no backbone that go through a constant obstacle course of abuse and torment with no peace in sight. Messy and sloppy scripting. Inconsistent character development. Over exaggeration of torment and relational links. Extra ineffective and unnecessary side storylines which makes the torment drag even more. Chemistry between the leads is nonexistent when considering what they had to endure 'in the name of commitment and love'. The 'villains' continue to have an unrealistic connection to continue tormenting the leads with everyone knowing. Are these the only 2 families in the city? This is not what anyone wanted to see. Even when the ML and FL have a 'moment' of happiness it is lack luster and more of a relief than swoon worthy. Even for a soap the script isn't clean enough to see. STAY FAR AWAY from this MESS on FILM!

Leia Mais

Dear Drama Lovers

Beauties of the Emperor is based on the difficult faced within these critical eras of war, when the females also have a large role to play in the growth of a nation. I like how the four main characters developed their personalities and emerged with a strong belief in their dreams. The actors worked hard with the roles, even though at some points it was sort of ridiculous to see how desperate some people are for their love interests. I think the overall point in this drama is how emotions play a enormous role in the development of any dream, and it is the ones close to you that influence your choices. From the beginning it had a sad, sweet and overwhelming desires to reach for our own dreams and wants. However, it became engulfed in tragedies and many innocent people being killed, or lost in the dangerous situations. There are a lot topics to discuss and think about in this drama.

Leia Mais

This is the first review I'm writing on here, and I just had to write it! I feel like a lot of people didn't like it for a couple of it's points, but I could easily overlook these and was seriously addicted to this drama! I wanted to share how awesome this drama is and how I definitely think it worth your time.

First point...Jessica. She was not a good actress. She was annoying sometimes. That's why the cast got 9 instead of 10. However, by the end I actually really liked her character and even felt her acting improved. I don't know Jessica, I'm not her fan, never heard of her before this...so this is totally unbiased. I LOVE Lee Dong Wook with all my heart, and he was just adorable in this! It was so neat to see him in this kind of role. The main chick...I saw her first in Playful Kiss and BOF and was so shocked to see her character in this drama. She did SUCH a good job. I was seriously impressed. She can definitely act, since this is a complete 180 from the characters I've seen her play. She was so cute!

The story...I gave it a nine. Only because it wasn't the best drama I've ever seen, but as far as entertainment value it was great! I'm watching several dramas right now and this is the one that I actually watched unsubbed first just because I couldn't stand the wait! There was drama, romance, bromance, and towards the end there was really good suspense!

There were a lot of different characters in this drama and some of them you don't like at first, but by the end you will love them all!

I would have to say two of the side characters had the best drama romance I had ever seen. Seriously, they are the most adorable couple ever, you could watch this whole series just to see the parts with them in it an it would be worth it. They are like in a whole different world odd balls. It was awesome and hilarious and sweet.

One of the complaints I've read about this drama is that there wasn't enough romance, etc. However, I thought it was really well done. It was different than other dramas and had other things besides the romance going on, but once it started I felt it was always there and not lacking. I was not disappointed at all in the romance department with this drama, and I'm a huge romance buff.

The main plot line, that wasn't about the romance, was done really well in my opinion and added a good amount of suspense for the characters. I absolutely loved how it came to a climax and the resolve. Seriously. I was impressed.

The music was excellent. I don't know Korean songs and singers...but I really enjoyed the main song.

The rewatch value is a 10 because I will definitely be watching it again in the future. The first several episodes of this drama are hilarious! Seriously funny. There is good humor throughout and I literally laughed out loud at some point in every episode...usually several times. So the humor is always there. I enjoyed the progression of the romance between the leads and enjoyed the romance between the side characters just as much.

Another plus is that all the side characters were fleshed out and in the end their stories were wrapped up as well. Nobody was left hanging.

I hope this was half way understandable...I just want people to appreciate/enjoy this drama as much as I did!

Leia Mais

Revolutionary Sisters is a great form of emotional therapy, but not for everyone

Revolutionary Sisters is NOT for everyone, I acknowledge that. Even though I ended up absolutely adoring it, it really isn’t for everyone.

The first ~15 episodes are painful - not because they were poorly executed or portrayed poor acting, but because watching the way the characters treat each other is just awful. After the death of the 3 sister’s mother is resolved, the plot really does improve. All of the characters get fleshed out and each one grows and changes for the better. Yes, in the beginning the daughters are particularly awful to their father, but the whole story is about their growth as daughters, sisters, and women. You come to understand them, why they turned out the way they are, and witness their beautiful metamorphosis when they see the faults in their ways. Watching the sister’s feel awful toward their father upon realization of their horrific behavior is the most heartbreaking, yet satisfying part of this drama to watch.

I will be completely honest: the first ~15 episodes had me wondering if I really wanted to watch Revolutionary Sisters. The murder/mystery genre really isn’t my thing - add that on top of the despicable treatment of the father by his 3 daughters and it really was a tough call. But, as shameful as this sounds, it was the affair of the oldest sister’s husband that kept me going. At the time, I was the most angry and disgusted with her (the oldest sister, Gwang Nam) behavior. She was awful to everyone and stuck up. But the affair tears her apart as a person and it destroys her world. She humbles due to the new hardships she must face on her own and really changes into this beautiful person. I identified with her the most and I adored her story with her husband the most.
My husband and I have been together for almost 10 years. I could really sympathize with the feelings that Gwang Nam experienced in her position, as the oldest sibling/daughter and in a long-standing committed relationship. No, my husband and I have never *knocks on wood* had to deal with infidelity, but the raw feelings and struggle this couple experienced, I could feel compassion for.
To be clear, I don’t really care to watch a drama revolving around characters who are cheating, but this was so different. Maria, the woman Gwang Nam’s husband cheated with, took advantage of him once while he was black-out drunk and conceived a baby (let’s say it how it is guys). While he’s not innocent of adultery and lying, he still sincerely loved Gwang Nam, he was just stuck between a rock and a hard place of doing the right thing. And through finding out about her husband’s affair and recognizing her responsibility and role in their failed marriage, Gwang Nam realized how much she still loved her husband. But it was too late. Things couldn’t go back as they were because a baby was now involved. Watching her come to terms with the aftermath of his affair and letting each other go had me sobbing like a baby. I can’t imagine going through that, but the feelings hit right like they should. From there on, I had to know what happened to them.

I next liked the second sister, Gwang Sik. She was the best out of the 3 sisters to start. She was a little too perfect for me, but her flaws, albeit relatively minor compared to her 2 sisters, became more apparent once she became married. Her romance with the aspiring trot star was pretty adorable and left you with mostly happy feels. The way their relationship impacted the prior generation was sad, but I think it turned out right.

And Gwang Tae. I *disliked* her for the majority of Revolutionary Sisters. She was manipulative and conniving. Money was the most important thing to her and I just don’t identify nor sympathize with that. Her constant business with the loan sharks didn’t impress me either. She just came across as you’d expect of the youngest sibling: spoiled, whiny, and used to getting what she wants. BUT in the last ~10 episodes (after her huge blow out with Gwang Sik), she really turned a new leaf (and things kept happening that kept positively impacting her character, which I approve of). I personally feel that her romance was the most shallowly written as I didn’t feel the build up of emotion and feelings as distinctly as I did for the other couples, but by the end, I really liked how they grew together and supported each other despite their flaws. I especially love how she defended her brother-in-law. At least she’s loyal! :D

There are many other characters in Revolutionary Sisters, but since it’s a family drama, that’s too many to analyze in my review here. But there’s someone I’d really like to mention...

Young Hee - the woman who finally makes Appa, Cheol Soo, happy towards the very end of the series. I love her happy demeanor, her loud, but classy style, how she’s attracted to Cheol Soo and how she wants to take care of him. It was so nice to see him happy and treated so warmly considering how poorly he was treated by his wife and how unhappy she made him. I was so happy that Cheol Soo finally found happiness with someone.

The conclusion of the drama was done through multiple time jumps - 8 months later, another year later, etc. I both liked and disliked this because it was a bit odd to have so many time jumps, but seeing the sisters with their families, plus seeing how the other characters and extended family were doing was nice.
Unfortunately, there were 2 loose ends that weren’t resolved to my satisfaction:
What happened with Gwang Nam’s father? Who was he and is it really okay for Gwang Nam to think he’s passed away?
What about Aunt Bong Ja and her love, Dol Se? I know things were complicated with Gwang Sik and Ye Seul being married, but we didn’t even get to see resolution with their matching necklaces...

In regard to music, I enjoyed the music, especially the instrumentals! They were well selected and well placed to really build the scene.

So overall, I *would* recommend Revolutionary Sisters, but warn that the first quarter of the drama is truly difficult to stomach; have patience and it’ll pass. You really need that awful beginning to adequately depict the character changes that occur over the course of the story. If you can get through the beginning, it seriously pays off. I will definitely be rewatching.

Leia Mais

vertical series are a pain to watch...

Besides vertical, the story is also not thought trough. The question my mind asked from the beginning is, why does Nam know that Han is a killer... And why is the title "next door" when they live together. There is no explaination or background.

Acting was decent, the "BL" parts are ok, but besides that, is quite stereotypical. There is not much to say, besides that the episodes are too short, the shortest just 45 seconds, that you NEED to binge-watch all of them otherwise it makes no sense and the better option would have been to make them at least 8 minutes long.

This is a series nobody needs to watch, if you do, you might like it and it's for sure not terrible. But I would have prefered much more episodes to explain the background and of course a better storyline. For a Korean productions this was weak.

Leia Mais

“Are monsters born or made?”
That’s the question that this drama want you to answer.
I watched this drama just because Kyungsoo was in there. And, I’m afraid to say, it was the only reason why I didn’t drop it after two episodes.
The plot is quite interesting. A family is crashed by a young and clever serial killer. That handsome serial killer takes away the little kid of the family, making the older one crave for revenge.
The plot itself isn’t the real reason why I gave this drama 6 out of 10.
It had a great potential : an epic battle between two brothers and the man who teared their family apart. BUT, as we all know when it comes to korean drama, the only thing that spoiled it all was the romance that the screenwriters tried so hard to gave us.
Two completely opposite characters : the dumb, nagging and useless female cop, who didn’t act once as a heroine. And the clever criminologist, who’s character was pretty good but got ruined by the female lead toward the end of the story.
The little brother, Lee Min, was the sugar to pour in this bitter tea.
He was educated by a serial killer, so in the end he became one himself. His personality, his appearance and his morals were fascinating. Yet, he was a huge attention seeker, he forgot really quickly about his revenge toward his brother, making the plot lacking some good concepts.
Lee JunYeong was supposed to be a creepy and dangerous man. Unfortunately, he wasn’t.
All his charisma, the charisma that Kyungsoo gave to the character while playing his younger self, was totally outshine after growing old.
He was a pure and innocent man who had two choices : to forgive his family or to punish them.
They tried to give him a sad story just to make sympathize with him. His characters became pathetic in the end. Just a poor man who just wants to built a family with those kids.
Cha JinHa was a pain in the back. A stalker, useless, sleepyhead girl who just wanted to make Lee Hyeon her boyfriend. She was such a bad character that I couldn’t stand her for only two seconds.
This drama had a good plot. But once again, korean screenwriters spoiled it with a romantic and stupid love story.

Leia Mais

Dumpster Fire that Sank Faster than the Titanic

The first absolute flop of 2024. This is what happens when great source material is essentially thrown out the window and absolute garbage is written instead with maybe 3%-5% of the book like the names of the characters and a few of the similarities but that's it. I only wanted to watch it for WRC who played SML and the great story of the female general. Instead what the audience got was a dumpster fire that sank faster than the Titanic.

Pros: Give all of the actors their dues; even with this hot mess of a script, they all did a great job as their respective characters. The costumes, OSTs, scenery, and the 10 minutes of screen time that WRC (CYQ) got in 36 episodes along with the FL (AM); their chemistry was really great as microscopically as it was shown. The fight scenes in the beginning were very well done. More of that was needed. Since the ending was so ambiguous; even though AM turned CYQ down in front of like everyone (which otherwise would have looked like she was "colluding" with the enemy again) at the end and rode off into the sunset supposedly alone, I do believe that this time she rode towards him as the rest of the time he was pursuing her. Who could resist that kind of proposal? A Marquis with an entire army just to ask her again to be his wife. What bolsters this opinion is that for the first time ever she wore pure white, had her hair down just like CYQ did and she crossed the river heading north. So I will take it as her understanding who really had her best interest all this time at heart and would let her be free. Also they shot a second ending where supposedly she meets him in a forest after she leaves and they set off traveling Jianghu together. I would have preferred this ending but according to the leads apparently even they didn't know which one would be used.

Cons: Dear lord, where do I begin? Literally everything that wasn't mentioned above. How can someone take such a fantastic story and turn into a mess of epic proportions? What was wrong with the first female general being the story? Why force the rather ridiculous romance of ML and FL on us when there was literally nothing between them? She and Xiu'er had a greater connection ~insert massive eye roll here~! Why did it turn into ML's story? He was a joke, a fool of a playboy that by the mid-end turned into no less villain than the first emperor. He had no contemplation of taking of human life; only his own mattered, everyone else be damned. This wasn't "Fighting for Love", it was "Fighting Bullshit on Screen."

The crappy palace politics and the twists with Mu Bai or whatever his real name was and the empress who apparently grew a heart and brain overnight. So unnecessary and just dragged this already giant mess into an even bigger abyss. Why kill Tang Ge? And the anticlimactic end to CQ. I can't form sentences on this absolute scale of destruction of a solid story. I hope Beimo returns and conquers Nanxia so their people would live in peace and away from the royal madness as it seems Beimo has it more together and their people aren't subjected to the crap Nanxia does.

The amount of loose ends is staggering. I stopped trying to figure them out halfway through because they legitimately gave me a headache. Very few were actually tied. This macaroni art Frankenstein project wrapped filming in December of 2021 and people were waiting only to be sorely disappointed a little over 3 years later. I truly hope WRC gets better scripts and projects in the future; he deserves it. This was a great injustice to him and his character because essentially everyone but the ML were relegated to support cast even the FL and it was her story!

Would I recommend it? Absolutely not. It'll piss you off especially if you read the book or know anything about the original IP or if you're watching for some semblance of integrity or intelligence, none of which exists here. The entire production team screwed up on a stratospheric level. Just run!

Leia Mais

biggest disappointment of this year

I started this drama loving it because the plot was interesting enough and the casts were amazing, most especially the chemistry between the main leads.

Look at where we're at now... the title of my review says it all.

It was going pretty good till Ep.8 and I KNEW it was just the calm before a fukken storm, scratch that, a fukken apocalypse! Why'd they have to ruin it like that?? What were the writers thinking??!! Forget the whole story, what was that ENDING?????!!!

Zi-O was labelled a "monster" cause if were to look at this in the perspective of a mere mortal, he was indeed one. He was a "monster" 'cause he was not "normal". He had superpowers and was made up of all sorts of things and animals. He just wasn't human. Thus, he was a monster. He kept to himself after he ran away from the organization, and one way or the other tried to blend in and live on as normally as he possibly could. But there's only so much he could pretend when the moment his emotions get affected, blue lightning-like powers zap from his fingers? Normal is hard, normal is impossible. He realized so when the organization tracked him down and began chasing after him, creating chaos in the midst. He's a monster, through and through.

But then comes in the female main lead with the most unique name I've ever seen or heard; Ha Neul Ae Gu Reum. When I saw her for the first time, I though she'd be different. Far from the normal portrayal of female leads. Isn't that what we hope for getting into a new drama? A female lead against the stereotypes. She seemed so to me, but then she kept getting knocked out... and I'm confused. Is she also not a human being? Does she has superpowers too? How is it that she keeps losing consciousness every time there's a fight? She's a god-dang cop, no less! None of the other police officers fall as badly as her, let alone pass out! There was just too many too count. And the last fall she took, it was really the last one. She never woke up... And that's why I despise this drama so much!

Ep 1 to Ep 8, they got our hopes high, they got us feeling good, like the world has finally been set right. But come Ep 9 and onwards, it's simply hell. Zi-O became corrupted, he became the villain, ha! What a joke... so he really took his role as a "monster" so dang seriously.. And Gu Reum was just heartless. So different from how she was in the beginning of the show. I now people tend to change, but for a person like Gu Reum, I didn't think she'd forget her true self so easily... She was just cold, especially to her "husband" Zi-O (yeah they got married can you believe) I saw no love, no emotions, no chemistry after Ep 8. It was all gone.

The biggest peeve I had was the in the last episode. Gu Reum begged (some emotions finally cracked) for Zi-O to stop his horrendous plans and to "please come back" but he refused. And then she got shot and her final words to him were still "come back" and you'd think he'd AT LEAST try to see what wrong he's done and to finally COME BACK to who he was when she fell in love with him... BUT NOOOOO he goes ahead with his plans and creates a gazillion copies of his "baby monsters"... wtf.

And that's how the drama ends.

Disappointment is an understatement.

Leia Mais

A remarkable take on exploring a wife's identity, morals, desires, and romance.

I love how this film tackles infidelity in a different light. It isn't simply about wanting the forbidden fruit solely because of selfish desires, but it goes to tell viewers that a married woman may possibly be more than just a man's personal trophy, a mother to her children, and a figure who stays at home to solely do household work, to want nothing more in life than all of that.

Putting into mind Japan's collective perspective on such an identity, this film goes to break such a concept by telling its audience that a housewife isn't simply a robot to be told what to do; they are living, breathing creatures who also have their own wants and passions.

In the film, one of the things I enjoyed was the transition between the scenes, i.e. going from Point A to B, then going back to A to continue it. While at first it may confuse you - as to whether what's happening takes place in the current timeline or not - you'll later understand its flow and be captured by its charm.

This film isn't fast-paced nor is it too slow - it's just right. Imagine yourself riding waves of the sea, not knowing where you are going exactly at that moment, but nonetheless enjoying the journey.

I also absolutely loved the chemistry between both leads and the atmosphere the cast gave off in general. Toko (Kaho) and Kurata's (Tsumabuki) sex scenes were breathtaking. I loved how they weren't put in the film solely for the sex; the emotions, the silent exchanges, the build-up. They were scenes that would linger on one's thoughts even after the film ends. In general, this film does that - it makes you think, reflect, and understand.

The music was also a huge plus. None of the tracks or bgms stood out in the wrong way. They all added to the atmosphere of the scenes they were in, adding beauty and life to those moments.

I would recommend this if you're looking for a film showing a different perspective on infidelity and how blaming the one who cheated in black or white reasoning isn't as simple as it is. There's always a gray area to explore in relationships and putting a ring on it shouldn't eradicate that at all. It is meant to be explored rather than caged and hidden within. I will definitely give this another rewatch just to pick on the little details and to think twice of various lines mentioned in the film.

Leia Mais

Human drama, war and historical.
99 years of love (Japanese-Americans) is a story about a man who migrated long ago to the land of opportunities and peace and love (America) where he finds love and a steady job, everyone's dream.
There you see the bigotry and injustice he faces in a land not his own BEFORE the world war 2 and as soon as the war starts, the Japanese Americans are sent to isolation camps (dark part of American history that no one even talks about for some reason).
A good educational drama with a lot of heart, but still makes you feel very uneasy, how Americans of Japanese descents were treated, before the war it was not good, but after the war started it became pure oppression, this drama is an eye opener on this subject.
Cons: the story is told only from the Japanese people point of view, I would have liked more on the Americans point of view. I wouldn't say this drama is epic or perfect but it's damnnnn good.
This is one of the family human dramas that have to be seen by many people.
Shampoo gives 8.8/10
http://gooddrama.to/japanese-drama/99-nen-no-ai-japanese-americans
JUST FIVE EPISODES GO FOR IT

Leia Mais