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1This review may contain spoilers
"The Best Love Is The Kind That Awakens The Soul And Makes Us Reach For More" – The Notebook..
The Best Thing as the title suggests was truly the best in terms of acting, visuals, story pacing, romance development and chemistry.. No doubt about it.. Zhang Ling he and Xu Ruohan were obviously the heart of this drama.. Not just their characters but also them.. Their chemistry was electric and seriously it was that good.. Their relationship felt natural, built on meaningful gestures and honestly they didnt need anything grand.. Every interaction felt real.. Like watching two people genuinely fall in love.. It is truly a gem for its take on romance.. No over the top drama.. Just two people finding solace in each other.. Visually The Best Thing is a feast with the flowers, beautiful scenery and all the beauty you could ask for, including the actors..The premise might feel trope heavy but it was unique in its own way and the actors brought it to life in a way that was so natural.. I loved how he peeled Shen Xi Fan's layers.. Her indecisiveness, her blaming herself for everything that happens.. Its messy, its human, and it grabbed me right in the feels..
The Chinese medicine backdrop isnt just pretty window dressing.. I was surprised by how much it mattered.. It underscores the theme of healing, both physical and emotional..
The first 12 eps were a solid 10 for me.. But eps 12-16 were a bit irritating.. They added cliche scenes that didn’t quite fit the drama I had been enjoying until then.. Problems were bound to arise obviously.. But her indecisiveness and how it felt like she was leading him on despite knowing she shouldn’t, was not what I expected.. But whatever irritation I felt just vanished after that phase.. And honestly even when it was frustrating, ZLH made his character so good that I didn’t even care about anything else..
That being said, she totally deserved the ML.. After everything she endured.. The love she received wasn’t just a reward, it was something she had rightfully earned.. Her struggles, growth and the emotional toll she carried made her deserving of a love that was unwavering and pure.. Despite her flaws and mistakes, she never stopped trying in her own way.. In the end their love felt justified,earned rather than simply given..
“No matter what happened in the past, good or bad its part of who you are..
Accept the past, and focus on the present and the future.. ”
“In my eyes, every day you get better and more deserving of love than the last..
So from now on just focus on loving yourself.. As for the rest, leave it to me.. ”
Her friends and the rest of the supporting cast were too good not to be mentioned. However the second couple's story felt underdeveloped and lacked a strong sense of fulfillment.. I suppose that’s because the ep count was shortened.. Causing some of their scenes to be lost along the way..
The parents deserve their own spotlight.. They were truly outstanding.. Man they were really good.. Ep 25, with all the nervousness, anxiety, fear and pain felt so raw.. They were too convincing and natural.. Truly commendable performances..
The director deserves praise as well.. Each episode was beautifully executed.. They completely made up for any shortcomings the script had..
The FL’s mother having breast cancer felt like a story arc designed to give the ML closure for the pain he endured from his own mother’s death.. Back then he had to face that pain alone.. Watching helplessly as she withered away.. But now he had the chance to do for the FL’s mother what he had long wished he could do for his own.. Help her face it, fight it and bring her out of it safely.. At the same time, it was also for the FL.. To make her realize that she wasn’t alone.. No matter how bad things got, she had people who would stand by her.. Unwavering and ready to support her through anything..
" But In my heart, you are the most beautiful scenery in this world..
Xifan, Falling in love with you is the luckiest thing l have ever done..
Loving you is the best thing I have ever done.. "
Overall The Best Thing is such a lighthearted drama.. No complicated stories.. Just two people falling for each other and finding their way together.. Slowly but steadily, in a way that proves no distance is too far for them.. Its neither rushed nor dragged out.. It takes its time.. Allowing you to feel every step of their journey.. By the end you can’t help but feel happy because they made it.. And it feels truly earned.. The Best Thing isn’t just a title.. Its a promise.. There’s a reason everyone is obsessed and the drama more than justifies it..
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This review may contain spoilers
I loved it but it was stressful
I have watched this a long time ago, but I realized I haven't made a review yet. I rewatched it recently, coincidentally. I love this couple very much. I relate to both of them in many ways. This is one of those cat and dog BLs and I was very happy with it. But it took me some time to find that happiness since every episode Dao cries because Kluea can't communicate. I love Kluea, but the guy didn't help himself nor Daonuea. It was a little frustrating, but I could take it. My BIG problem was that Typhoon guy. He was so annoying and his face made me angry. He wouldn't leave Dao alone and it got me so mad, the way he would pry into Dao and Kluea's business being so nosy and not giving up like, dude, get a hint. Dao got me stressed when he decide to "date" Typhoon too. I'm glad it's over and they're happy now being the cutest in Our Skyy 2.Was this review helpful to you?
Let’s start with explaining why did I decide to watch this movie. Well, there are two main reasons: firstly, because Eita is in it and I always wanted to watch something with this guy and secondly, the poster – it intrigued me and reminded me of a movie Amelia; it also fooled me to think this will be a hilarious comedy. So I gave it a try.
Reasons why did I give it a 10:
1. It’s beautifully shot – every scene is like a work of art. Bright colors, intriguing details, breath-taking scenery… Even those moments when it is obvious that there are used some special effects (like the amusement park at the top of the building or prison walls,)they are not cheap like in many other movies I’ve seen, they just deepen the unreality of this world. I’m not an extreme aesthete and I don’t attach particular importance to those things, but in here the beauty of the movie was just overwhelming and couldn’t be overlooked.
2. It has amazing actors – although at first I thought Eita would have a bigger part in this movie, I wasn’t disappointed at all. He did a good job portraying a lost young man with no particular purpose in his life who tries to know more about his aunt he never met. As for our main heroine, Matsuko… well, Nakatani Miki did an awesome job portraying her. Her acting felt so real, that sometimes it was really painful to watch this movie – I was thinking while watching it that this woman was suffering so much, too much for such a fragile person, I could understand her pain and why she was making a mistake after a mistake, and all that thanks to this amazing actress who made this character alive and real.
3. Its story – there wouldn’t be so many praises from me if I didn’t find this story captivating and judging from my score you can guess that I found it as such. This movie showed in a very realistic way the life of Matsuko - from a child who was craving for her father’s attention to a miserable woman who was betrayed by all men she loved and who was sorry for being born. I’m a psychology student, so I’m always looking for reasons for one’s behavior and here I found perfect explanations for Matsuko’s self-destructing ways of acting. It wasn’t like some things were made just to amuse the viewer or just for a sake of making things more dramatic; it was more like a study of a person’s life, a very realistic study may I add. It left me crying many times (and I’m considered to be a cold-blooded person), because it made me see how easy it is to make yourself miserable and feel like there is no way out. And another advantage – even if this movie tells a heavy story, it is not extremely depressing, more like it's emotional and touching. It leaves you with warm feelings and wet eyes.
To sum it all up, I cannot praise this movie enough, I gave it a 10 without hesitation. If you’d like to take a break from overly dramatic, clichéd movies, try this one – I'm sure you won’t regret watching it.
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This review may contain spoilers
The 1 Litre of Tears special takes place after the actual drama events have taken place. Aya has now passed away and everybody is doing their best to live on with their own lives. I'll be writing a spoilerless review..
Mitsuki is a girl diagnosed with the same disease as Aya, the biggest difference between her and Mitsuki would be how Aya tried full out believing she could beat her illness.. Mitsuki is only 15 years old herself, Yet she refuses to accept any shape of treatment from the doctors, This main doctor being Asou Haruto. She is given a book, Or a motivational diary moreover by one of her rehabilitation friends. This mysterious diary, As she starts to read inside of this diary she find herself becoming more and more dragged into the feelings of this girl from the book. This Ikeuchi Aya-san, Who was she?
Interested in knowing she starts asking around and finds out that Asou has had relations with her before..
Through this special you will find this being a summary of the drama in itself, along with how you'll be presented with a few new people and a better ending to the story. How did family and friends live on after Aya's passing?
I pretty much liked the special. They managed to do it pretty well, And it has by my opinions a better ending than the actual drama had even though I liked the other ending to...
This special was just as sad as the actual drama. It had me crying under almost the full out special. The musical score was pretty good. Mostly the same music as it originally was in the Drama though with a few new songs added.
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This is a wonderfully crafted masterpiece that evokes the strongest emotions in a person's heart. The movie is set in the DMZ of two Koreas and portrays how different people can set asides their differences and be able to see each other in the purest form, that we are the same, brothers and sisters.
I found myself on a roller coaster ride of emotions, laughing one minute, in with tears in another. All the actors and actress have done a superb job in this one. The most emotionally powerful scene was the last scene. Only a photograph but conveys so much meaning and emotions.
Definitely a must watch movie, no matter where you're from, you will be enchanted and inspired by this movie's magic, and understand a bit more about what it means to be a person.
Did I mention The master Park Chan Wook who later directed the infamous "Vengeance series" one of which - Old boy went on to win the Grand-prize of Jury at the Cannes, directed this one?
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Hard to watch, but more than worth it
I went into this hoping for a light, fun watch. It's about a teddy bear! Cute and fun times await, right? Little did I know I would be frustrated beyond belief for the first few episodes, only to be won over and eventually more attached to these characters than half of my real life peers.It's hard to watch to begin with, but not in the way a devastating true story might be. No, it's just genuinely difficult to get through the first few episodes when the characters seem to be such awful people, and when it's frustrating and weird. Talking furniture with horrifying CG eyes? I was very upset to look at them!
The central characters are one dimensional from first impressions, and then as the show progresses it has some of the best character development I've ever seen. The reasoning behind peoples actions, especially Nut's, is fleshed out in a way that completely blindsided me over and over. He seems like an unreasonable, selfish person but with time and context, he becomes incredibly sympathetic. But he's not painted to be a perfect person, and he has to work through his issues. But that's addressed! So many times, things that I see other shows gloss over and ignore are addressed and worked through. I didn't expect so much depth and heft to come from what I thought was to be a goofy show.
The issues that are touched upon are heavy, but they're done with a lot of care. I've not really seen another show call out the same things that this one does in such depth and precision, and I am a bit sad because I feel like some viewers might not be as resilient as I tend to be with watching unenjoyable things. The first episodes might turn a lot of people off, understandably, but oh my god to not watch it would be such a loss.
It's also long, essentially you're watching 16 movies, so there's a lot to unpack. It would be a disservice for me to unpack the plot here, even though every part of me wants to do so. I have thousands of things to say about this series, but I'll do that elsewhere.
I will be gushing about this show whilst condemning it for awhile to come. The ending, without spoiling too much, was very hard to bear but it still managed to be a happy one in its own way. Endings are very difficult, and I know some might not be happy with this one, but when watching how everything plays out it's what makes the most sense.
I doubt I'll ever rewatch the series in full, but I'll definitely go back and watch my favorite scenes, which there are a lot of.
I can't say I recommend this to everyone, even though it's probably one of my new favorites I can admit it took a lot of patience. But for the people who do watch it, I really hope it can touch them the way it did me.
Also, it feels so ridiculous to be talking so seriously about a show call The Miracle of Teddy Bear which features absurd sentient furniture, but it's one of the most serious and uniquely beautiful shows I've seen. Obviously it's got its moments, but at it's core it's a fantastic story that made me experience every conceivable human emotion to such extreme degrees that I'm going to need genuine recovery time.
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This review may contain spoilers
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Was only interested in this drama for Vengo Gao, first time seeing him in an officer role and he didn't disappoint. This drama was modern military meets SWAT type of outfit and it definitely brought interesting things to the table.Pros: Loved the team dynamic! Once they really learned how to trust each other, they were indispensable to each other. Yes, NM was not only the leader but the literal glue of the entire squad. I liked how she started at the bottom with maybe 2 friends and the captain wanting to boot her out for her own safety (really wanted to smack him for the amount of times he tried that), and each of the women who were against her, she wore them down with her intellect, honesty, and kindness. The men were a lot easier to deal with; once she beat most of them, they loved her lol.
The captain (VG) himself did very well as the gruff around the edges commander but one who was willing to protect his soldiers especially NM with his own life. Though what started originally as just him making a promise to her fallen brother and mom, ended up as legit feelings that grew between the two of them. This wasn't a military romance, but it was dispersed subtly which was just fine. The ending scenes in the hospital were too funny for words as literally everyone knew by then that the leads cared deeply for each other, so were willing to bust their chops a bit.
All the supporting cast of Blue Lightening Commandos were wonderful and when watching the BTS, they were really all about helping each other succeed even getting hurt in real life doing the stuff they had to do; not to mention acting like total goofballs, which always makes for fun scenes. There wasn't a character that I felt didn't belong from the team or the instructors or even the lead commanders as annoying as their speeches were sometimes. The OSTs were great and powerful for the series and fit just right. I hope this cast gets to work together again on something different, they had terrific chemistry.
Cons: The largest problem were the antagonists, if you can call them that. These buffoons couldn't make a plan stick if it was glued to them. The desert scene, the million other botched attempts. I really got the feeling that the writer had no real idea how to write bad people well especially terrorists. It honestly wouldn't have mattered if they made them invisible and just created a series out of high functioning drills. And what made it even more ridiculous was that the boss lady was the biggest badass; she had nearly immortal strength to take on both leads in high heels (and Vengo Gao is 6'3) and still manage to get the upper hand multiple times, flinging them around the room and shooting and stabbing them. I was legit laughing throughout that whole play by play because of just how unrealistic it was. You got two of the top notch people who's heads you broke bricks over, no problem, but a woman with high heels used them as rag dolls.
The propaganda was through the roof in this one and there were times that it just didn't make sense in many scenes; like when someone was on the verge of dying to get to their core strength, think about the flag and country. Or even for the original handling of NM's PTSD, if she thought about the flag and country, she'll be miraculously cured. Nope, not how it works. The zillion lectures by the commanders that always painted their country as the best in the world, made you roll your eyes. There's a time and place for everything and when you overdo it in scenes that require finesse instead, it takes away from the gravitas of the scene.
Pretty much everyone has mentioned the whole brick breaking over the head thing. And maybe it is done but not suddenly and probably not a dozen in one go. No human skull can withstand that kind of punishment without detrimental consequences and long term ones. The whole trying to portray these human beings as robotic super soldiers, didn't favor the series. Was very unrealistic and unbelievable. Also wish they started bringing in people who could speak English better as foreigners because they get over-dubbed anyway and many times how their lips moved didn't match what was being said. A bunch of loopholes were left untouched and unexplained, I'm guessing the audience was just supposed to forget them.
Would I recommend? If you like great teamwork, real friendships, are a fan of Vengo Gao (he's great in this series), and are into military/SWAT dramas, then this one is for you. Just be aware that the antagonists suck and the WETV app subs are auto-generated so some concentration to understand what's being said is required.
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Cute and sweet romance with healthy and honest communication. Enjoy!
Completed - 5/23/2022The rating of this drama is solely based on my enjoyment and might not meet anyone else’s standard of a quality drama. “Ase to Sekken” also known as “Sweat and Soap” is just what I need at the moment. An injection of sugar to pick me up after a few serious and depressing dramas. In order to fully enjoy this drama, you need to know what you are getting yourself into.
I recommend this drama for those:
- Are familiar AND like Japanese weird humor and over-the-top acting
- Want a dose of sugary cuteness with a side of cotton-candy fluffiness
- Simple but FAST-paced romance plot
Since this is a pretty short drama - 9 episodes at about 24 minutes each - there will be no dragging in the middle of the drama.
A few notes:
1. Great leads chemistry with pretty decent kissing and PDAs
2. Hilarious ways of portraying the deed in typical weird Japanese humor
3. Cute and innocent romance with a very healthy dose of HONEST communication (Hooray!)
4. Fast paced romance from meeting to getting married - no misunderstanding or love triangle.
5. Weird scent fetish that took me a couple episodes to get used to
6. Weird sweating that I still find weird throughout the whole drama
7. No annoying characters - quite lovable side characters/colleagues
8. Though female lead is shy and introverted, she is not a pushover
9. Can't help but keep staring at FL's bosom. :)
10. Getting relationship advice while sitting on the toilet is a thing, apparently.
Rest your brain with this sweet and cute romance. Don’t think too much and enjoy the ride!
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Synopsis is not accurate
Firstly, I would like to address that the synopsis is not accurate at all. The central line of the story is a straightforward, hard working, 35 year old woman with strong convictions who goes up against a staunchly patriarchal society where she’s underestimated and under minded at work in order to follow her passion. The romance(s) are more or less something that happens along the way from her perspective. Also, there really isn’t a strong love triangle as such, more like a rivalry between the two guys which is superfluous since she (at the time) doesn’t seem interested in either of them.That being said….
This drama was so unexpectedly good! The actors were believable and the writing was consistent with character portrayal. It had none of the tropes I abhorred about Find Yourself where the FL is immature, unsure, and doesn’t have a clue about what she actually wants- ending up with her flip flopping all over the place between two men and making both of them unsure of her.
I was also pleasantly impressed that despite the age gap, the actors had really good chemistry and were well rounded and developed characters.
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A good story ruined by poor execution!
I am sure I heard this was a big hit in its country of origin. So, I got curious and had quite a bit of an expectation. After completing the drama, I am just utterly disappointed. I almost dropped this because of the poor casting choices. They could have chosen better actors in the leading role. I guess they went after who is popular at the moment. The actor playing the King is so wooden and uninspiring. I can't believe they got him to play the famous Qin Shi Huang. He was supposed to be an authoritarian tyrant. He exuded so much power and vitality in him but I couldn't feel it with this actor. He had almost the same expressions all throughout the entire drama. He looked and acted weak. Gongsun Li's character was supposed to be vibrant, smart and outstanding. Again, I couldn't feel it with this actress. She was bland. I like the actors playing Jing Ke and Madam Chu. I like her little facial expressions and the way she talks. She had this irritating persona and therefore, was a really effective character. I prefer Han Shen over everyone on this drama. You could feel his suppressed emotions. He portrayed the character of a man in love with a woman he could never have well. As for the visual effects, they looked like it was done by amateurs. Lastly, there were so many plot holes and inconsistencies with the characters. I really wanted to like The King's Woman but I just can't. It is a good story but ruined by poor execution.Was this review helpful to you?
Not for the culturally feint hearted, the complex plot and obscure cultural touchstones make this wonderful little film a genuine effort as I have previously stated, but if you have the time and a willing heart, you won't be disappointed.
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This review may contain spoilers
Bound by Sin... Can you say sexy
This could have been a perfect 10, had the writer completed the story. The plot was a surprise that I did not know I needed. They pack what started off as a hot story into just 20 episodes that had me wanting to know what was going to happen next until the end. The (FL) was alluring, sexy, wealthy, smart, shrewd, and dominating. BUT, I personally, the ML my favorite, he was sexy and definitely eye candy, I kept thinking oh my he is gorgeous. Can you say GQ, meets sexy villain.The costumes were great and looked like something that would have come from that era, but they lacked imagination to complete the story. ( I know I said this more than once) They gave us character growth, and undeniable chemistry but what they could have done better was the ending. The story was not original, we have all seen this format before, but what they did do right is choose leads who really fit the roles. I did not like the open ending, considering you gave me almost everything I needed and then just snatched it away.
Did the writers get bored or just really did not know what to do to make what could have been a epic story complete. I still want to know what is next, did they get all they hoped for or was there yet again another challenge. If you are not going to offer me a part 2 at least complete the story so I can walk away satisfied completely ( pun intended). Overall, I enjoyed the show and would say its worth the watch, Just be open to the fact the ending is what you make of it.
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I thought the actors did a good job. Especially Ou Hao, who played Zhang Yang. I am going to look up more of his roles. He was good at showing the character development.
Its a bittersweet story and you should give it a try.
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What the helll
Man, this show is a wild ride. The translation I watched was absolute trash, but hey, it’s got La Pasion, so who cares? The Emperor?? Doesn’t even feel like an emperor. And that concubine, Jiang Ziyan is so dumb—how did he even manage to fool her in the first life? But listen, the ML’s La Pasion moments?? That’s the real reason to watch this fever dream of a reverse harem. Him acting all frail and desperate for her attention had me kicking my legs like a schoolgirl.Was this review helpful to you?
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2PK_v3m5m-LbkdySEUxZW5Cc00
-please let me know if there is anything wrong with the link or the uploads themselves and i'll correct it.
I love this series so much. It was much more than a BL series in all honesty. I mean sure, most people came only for Alex and Benny and they are both my favorites don't get me wrong but the story line revolved around much more than just the lives of two guys whom themselves had a pretty heart wrenching story line. It's about friendship and being there for one another, it's about having the courage to stick up to your parents for you individuality and happiness while maintaining that bond. It's also about not always needing a lover to make you happy or doing something that you feel you should do just when you know that you don't want to.
The actors were amazing, the scenes portrayed a mundane feel. It's a great balance of serious, casual and comical. I would recommend this to a lot of people and i would love for it to have a season 2 if they decided on one.
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