Reviews

One of the best cdrama I've ever watched!

I first saw clips of this drama on TikTok and started watching mainly for the enemies to lovers relationship of the main leads but I quickly discovered that this drama is a whole package. It is the perfect mix of romance, revenge, thrill, comedy, angst, fluff, found family. I found myself always looking forward to the next episode and there was not one part of the show where I was ever bored at all, the pacing of the show was perfect.

The story actually starts in the present and then flashbacks to the past where we see how the main leads got to this point and I think that was a very good attention grabber because it makes you wonder what happened that lead them to this point and keeps you interested. One of the main focus of the drama is computer programming where we often see the leads coding and creating programs and this focus on computer programming was new as I had not seen in this any other drama so it seemed fresh. The characters in the show felt real, where I could understand why they were feeling that type of way, they weren't shown to be extraordinarily tough and strong, they were shown to be sensitive, to holding on to all they had, they were human they had that fighting spirit all of us have during our youth and it felt real and relatable cause we got to see their sensitive and vulnerable sides as well.

Zhu Yun (Zhang Jing Yi) was a character that really had so many layers at first she really did seem like a princess, not having any worries and getting what she wants but then we see how in reality she was controlled by her mom basically being forced to follow the decisions her mom makes for her. She is very passionate when she decides she wants to do something and very caring and understanding of the people she loves. Zhang Jing Yi did a really good job portraying Zhu Yun she felt very natural in that role like she truly was the character of Zhu Yun.


Li Xun (Chen Fei Yu) on the other hand is shown to be a arrogant, cold, rude and selfish male lead who believes that everyone is inferior to him in computer programming. However, that's really not the case he really is just a practical guy who because of his knowledge know's what's better in the field of computer programming. Over the course of the drama we see his character develop and we see him really start to care about the people around him. He starts to show remorse and learned to be apologetic for the things he has done. Though his habit of keeping his feelings to himself never really changes it is something that is relatable to all of us where we tend to keep our feelings to ourselves in order to not burden the people around us. His behaviour towards Zhu Yun was super fun and sweet to watch you can tell that even though he pretended like he didn't like her deep down he always cared about her from day one. Chen Fei Yu did an amazing job as Li Xun where a lot of the acting was done by his eyes and that was really mesmerizing.

Gao Jian Hong (Zhao Zhi Wei) was a character that to be very honest was unlikable from the beginning. He is portrayed to be super competitive and insecure of Li Xun. He always seemed fake and I was always surprised by how he and li xun always made up but I honestly could tell he was not someone to be trusted and as much as my heart loved the idea of the 'eternal trio' it just wouldn't work out. Zhao Zhi Wei did an amazing job playing the role of Gao Jian Hong he really made us hate the character and honestly you have to watch the show to know what im saying.

Honourable mention to Ren Di (Jenny Zhang) she is the friend we all need, she was not a part of the main storyline per say but she was always there for the main leads and Jenny Zhang's acting as Ren di seemed so natural and fantastic

Special Shoutout to the My flying heart gang cause they were so much fun to watch and the way they accepted li xun and Zhu yun and they all slowly became a big family had my heart. All the scenes with the squad always left me in laughter and genuinely enjoyed their presence and friendship

However, the thing that really sold the drama for me was the acting and the chemistry of the leads. From the very first episode it was fun to see their love-hate relationship, their banter and bickering and their subtle care towards each other as they got closer. They were always there to support each other no matter what and their relationship flowed so naturally, it was never awkward and though we do not get to see the beginning of their official relationship, even three years later their bond remained the same their fun banter included. The chemistry seemed so natural that at times you'd think that they are a real couple so the acting from both their parts was incredible!

The music is something that came as a surprise for me, I did not expect it to be so good tbh I don't like a lot of the cdrama ost nor do I pay much attention to them. But in this drama the music was used so well in the right scenes and its so catchy that it had been stuck in my head for days. The cinematography was absolutely beautiful, the settings are so beautiful specially the ones where they got together.

My only complaint from this show is that they cut li xun's hair, I wish it came back he looked so good with his longer hair

Overall a 10/10 drama with the perfect balance of romance, fluff, angst, comedy, revenge, computer programming, found family, friendship.

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This was a very good lakorn Great always delivers and Diana needs to work on her screen presence. She shines when she's with Great or the other experienced actors but she disappears when she's with the other girls and with Masu I struggled to get through their scenes. I love Great but I almost dropped it watching the first two episodes. It had the potential to be a masterpiece but I think Jo was miscast and the first two episode were unnecessary especially cause they had 11 episodes to work with. Masu is a very good actor but he wasn't charming enough to really pull this character off and make him memorable. He had more chemistry with Great than some of his conquests if they had toned it down a bit it would have been more believable. They overdid it to the point that he was just a one-dimensional creep and the expressions he made were disturbing.These were supposed to be rich, beautiful, successful young ladies but the first two episodes I lost braincells at the level of stupidity on display. It was like no guy has ever spoken to them the way they were climbing over each other at a chance with him. They really should have started with the Dee and Jo breaking up as Masu and Diana have zero chemistry and the way they met changed the story completely. The summary also doesn't describe the story I watched as Jo wasn't some unfortunate guy who had to marry someone else to save his family he had no redeeming qualities. The way they met took a lot away from the story as their love is supposed to be the central part of the lakorn but all he did was stalk her and her friends. When they got together he was unfaithful though their whole relationship and OMG the stalking was out of hand. Dee and Gift didn't know this guy from a can of paint in fact when the got married I had whiplash like WTF. The actors did an amazing job, the support cast was amazing the wardrobe department did a fab job but my biggest gripe with this lakorn is they wasted two episodes and ended up squeezing so much in the last episode. We weren't given enough time to really understand Toom it was like no one knew the real Toom not even her mother so how are we supposed to be as emotionally impacted with her passing. These were such complex emotions that they could have made 3 episodes from the material they had but were brushed over which would have made this a serious, mature and realistic lakorn. This was nothing to do with the cast or story but with TVSCENE they did a crap job. This will be remade in the future as it's such a good story hopefully with more episodes. Rewatch value 5/10 for the first 2 ep and 9/10 for the rest.

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This coming of age drama revolved around five friends, three of whose lives were poised on the edge of a knife. Their lives were complicated by poverty, lack of parental guidance and support, and lack of mental health resources. All these kids wanted was to have a better life, to live and to love. Beset by problems, they often made dangerous decisions out of desperation.

The production values of this older Taiwanese drama weren't terribly high yet it felt real and honest. If it had one flaw it's that it confronted too many social issues and was unable to spend enough time on each for the characters and the audience to fully digest their consequences.

Days We Stared at the Sun was gritty, raw, and devastating with glimmers of hope quietly woven through the unlikely friendships.

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Like a warm hug, cozy blanket, and soup for the soul

This drama is one of kind. With a rather simple premise of finding yourself, it manages to be authentic and profound yet gentle and calming. It is not plot driven, but instead a story of characters and so many good conversations. Much like real life, every episode shows the day to day that seems rather insignificant at first, but it is those little moments that make up the whole. Overall, this drama felt like a lesson in mindfulness. Slow the mind and tune into your senses and just be. It was calming and therapeutic, but never boring. I was also very surprised how many times I cried or was deeply touched in this drama, and I do not typically cry easily in my drama watching.

Just a few wonderful parts I loved:
our main leads’ natural chemistry and lovely relationship progression
gorgeous cinematography and natural environment
random cats in the inn courtyard
adorable village children living their best free range life
village elders, especially my hero Granny
OST and sound effects

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heartbreaking, yet beautiful

This has to be one of the most underrated films of 2022.

The director, Tanada Yuki, did a fantastic job portraying the ups and downs of life through gorgeous scenery and profound dialogue. At times, the pacing felt a bit slow, and some of the scenes seemed to drag slightly, but it did an effective job of creating an emotional experience for the viewer. This film touches on issues of mental illness, various forms of familial and relationship abuse, and toxic work culture. Certain scenes contained heart-wrenching and quite graphic depictions of self-harm and abuse, so be forewarned. The slower paced scenes ultimately allowed the viewer to reflect on the serious issues presented in this film. This movie is relatively short, and the plot isn't that complicated, but everything about it is impactful.

What makes this film amazing is the acting. Nagano Mei truly become the character of Shiino Tomoyo. I could feel her anguish, frustration, and helplessness through the screen. Her character felt like an anchor for the viewer to hold onto. Her reactions felt very real, in the face of tremendous heartbreak and anger. All the characters had fantastic line delivery, but Nagano definitely owned this movie.

Even though this film is incredibly sad, there are elements of humor sprinkled throughout. It felt very real, as life is filled with beauty, tragedy, and comedy. I can't emphasize enough how gorgeous this film is. It's definitely an emotional roller coaster, so prepare tissues!

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I appreciate this movie

The film is very similar in theme to another Korean film, Suddenly Last Summer, which is repulsion and attraction. But here, the director of such excellent and award-winning films as Night Flight and No Regret, this theme is upgraded almost to the maximum. Two young men have an intimate relationship during their military service and release their sexual energy. Youn Young has now left the army and is not so sure of his orientation and no longer wants to be in the presence of Gi Tae-ho, who has to stay in the army and is very uneasy about losing Young-a. A psychological drama ensues, the plot of which I will not describe, but I want to highlight above all the good work of both actors, they reached almost to the bottom, not only by being naked, but also by rolling in disgusting mud. Life is often cruel and when we lose someone, how often does it make us act desperate, and for that I appreciate the film.

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An Absolute Mindfuck

Everyone here needs therapy, including me.

Did I just single-handedly binge the one and only drama that managed to score relatively close to my sleep paralysis demon, Mouse (2021), which had a chokehold on me for two years since it’s release?

Possibly.

First things first before I get into the actual review. How the HELL does this drama only have a rating of 7.8/10? Imo, it deserves at least an 8.6 if not greater!

—

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Had some meaningful shots and unique transition scenes as well. The lighting in the drama changed depending on the scene. Overall, it was very fitting and helped to set the mood for the scene extremely well. The shots were also done very professionally and in a very abstract, artistic manner. I was blown away by how impactful doing something as simple as placing a camera and adjusting the lighting so that a character’s eyes had absolutely no light in them was. It really sent shivers up my spine and evoked a lot of complication emotions in me.

ACTING
I have to say, every actor and actress nailed their roles. I’ll especially acknowledge Yamada Rouske for delivering an impeccable performance throughout. After all, he played two roles that were drastically different from one another, but his acting blended seamlessly with each character’s personality. In all, emotions ran high for the drama, and that was mainly due to the fact that everyone in the cast were seasoned actors and actresses. Everyone acted with their eyes, which managed to capture the rawest emotions.

STORYLINE
Holy shit. That’s all I can say to summarize the plot of this drama. To put it more informally, this drama is a complete mindfuck. It’s convoluted.. but somehow MAKES SENSE. Even after all the series of events that unfolded, there were maybe only 2 plots holes left at the end that weren’t filled, but since they’re not vital to the plot as much as some of the other plot aspects, I’ll excuse it. The premise itself is very unique and almost mind-boggling of how good it is. Be warned that it is quite makjang— a Korean term meaning that a drama has an over-exaggerated, "what the fuck is going on?" kind of plot with a series of ridiculous twists and turns at every corner possible. This style of drama may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those with short attention span like me who can’t handle slow burn and thrives off action, this drama will be right up your alley! The pacing of the story wasn’t too fast nor slow, and the flow of the events in the drama blew me away at how good it was. Every event linked to one another, so it really put me in that detective sort of mode when trying to connect them. Spoilers, but the ending couldn’t have been more perfect imo. Relationships between the characters progressed naturally and the screenwriters even sprinkled a generous amount of character development for the characters who needed it most towards the end of the drama. Possibly my only complaint regarding the plot is its predictability. Nonetheless, it really messes with your mind. One moment you’re sure that the person is the culprit, and 5 seconds later you’re questioning the meaning of life. Also, the length of the drama was great. At one point, I did feel like the plot got unnecessarily draggy, but those series of events really managed to unfold into something grand later on. Finally, one of my favorite aspects of the plot is the amount of morally-grey characters we have. It’s safe to say that almost all of the characters were developed, dimensional, and fully-fledged. Towards the end, the drama makes you wonder if justice was really served or not. Did the culprit deserve the punishment they got?


EXPERIENCE
Although there were some aspects of the plot that were relatively predictable, the thrill the drama brought along with it made up for that predictability. For the first time in a while, I truly felt like I removed the experience of watching a good thriller. Every since Mouse (2021), I was getting some serious PTDD (post-traumatic drama disorder) and still haven’t recovered from it, even two years later. However, watching this drama gave me so much thrill and really put me into the mindset of a detectives. It’s just a crazy, convoluted story that seems like there would be many plot holes, but before you even know it, all those plot holes got filled in seamlessly— and that was extremely satisfying to witness! It’s also a very thought-provoking experience. The drama really lives up to its psychological thriller tag. Every now and then I think back on some scenes and feel like my heart aches at how sad it is. Every character is pitiful, there isn’t no "pure villain." This drama really deserves some sort of tragedy tag because my heart simply wasn’t ready for the amount of angst it delivered.

SOUNDTRACK
Although the songs were very good, there was a lack of variety. Additionally, some scenes had improper OST / song placement, but hey, all the songs were fitted to the theme of the drama and were catchy!

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Had So Much Potential

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

For the positive side, the series had some cute moments and can be enjoyable at times. I also like the supportive dynamic of Cher’s friend group. Now for the negative side. The story concept was nothing new which is not a bad thing if it was well executed. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The whole script came across as a ruff first draft that someone forgot to proofread. It also had some very poor/weird director choices. The pacing with the main leads’ relationship was too quick. Everything felt rushed from the very beginning of episode 1. All the storylines were haphazardly introduced and incomplete. Most of them received half-baked resolutions or were completely forgotten. This also had a weird mixture of comedy and drama. The comedy sections fell flat and the drama sections turned very dark at times. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. The actors were good considering what they had to work with. I admit this was hard to gage because of the poorly developed script and bad director choices.

Random Note:

There is a big disconnect between the marketing and the content of this series. The official trailer, description, and opening credits suggests this is a light and fluffy romcom. It’s not uncommon for a comedy to have a little drama, but not the type they introduced. I also think the series poster makes no sense.

It had cute opening credits.

I see a lot of acting potential with Force and Book. They just need better managers to fight for them. Unfortunately, this is the second BL series they were in that had a poorly developed script.

******Potential Spoiler Alert******

There was no lead up to how the main leads formed their relationship which happened in a matter of minutes in episode one.

I appreciated they tried to introduce some important subject matters, but it did not do it tactfully. The subject matters were mostly treated as a story gimmick or after thought.

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Here’s a review for your enjoyment of the drama about poetry and stuff and people who unlike doctors are just normal folk like I don’t know physiotherapists.

I won’t post the poster for the drama because honestly? It’s not memorable. Also, I don’t want.

I will also add a disclaimer: I like Lee Yubi and I also like poetry.I will also add that poetry loses a lot (everything) in translation or maybe I am just uncultured. I don’t know.

But honestly, A Poem a Day had a strong start but oh my god, it was boring.

-_-

That was me as I waited for something to happen. And it did, often, but not the kind of thing that I wanted to see. I mean, initially it was cute? Bo Young was cute even without a personality. She had some personality, I suppose but no opinions, nothing that grabbed me by the collar and demanded I give her my ardent support.

The romance was cute for a while until the second lead became super annoying and I was hardpressed not to throw something at my screen leaving myself without a medium in which to watch things which would have been TRAGIC. I resisted, thank goodness.

The major issue I had with this drama was that it felt contrived. Rather than allowing the story to breathe, it tried too hard to be something without going the proper distance. It tried to be meaningful without actually putting in the effort to be meaningful.

As an example, i give you one of the later episodes in which we are introduced to a doctor who works too hard and has a stroke and finds himself in the same situation his patients were in. Bo Young feels heartbroken for him as is her brand and cries and whatnot. Which is fine. On paper, this sounds like solid stuff to tug at heartstrings. HOWEVER, this doctor is entirely without weight. They introduce him in the same episode that he is a paragon of virtue, has a stroke, and deals with his diminished capabilities.

There is no progression of his character, however slight it is; we don’t see him from the beginning. We don’t see Bo Young’s admiration for him until he is used as an obvious plot device so his struggle, his story feels hollow and without the emotional payoff it would have had had this character been present in whatever quantity from the very beginning.

This is not the only time the author does things heavy-handedly and as a writer, I found her/his/their obvious manipulations to be discordant. The poetry too while beautiful in the language of origin feels extraneous to me. I wish they had used few poems and dedicated more time to a single one, perhaps uniting the themes among the characters.

This drama was among my least favourite but hey, at least I got to see Nam Woo and his alligator. I found his story about poverty and love to be the most compelling. He was the best thing about this drama, to be quite honest. Okay, that and the friendship between the Bo Young, Minho, and Nam Woo. I wish they could have removed the romance entirely and focused on the friendship between these three people. The drama would have been so much stronger for it.

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This has been one of the best movies I have ever watched.

I feel as though I'm biased with my review on this, given that if anything resonates with me or makes me an absolute mess emotionally, I tend to view the media very generously. However, I stand by my thought that this is truly one of the best films I have ever seen. I am someone who has never fallen in love before and with that, never fallen out of love but this film depicted a story of two people so realistically and genuinely that it wonderfully added to its impact. The film took me through a journey that was so wonderfully written and carefully woven together that I felt every scene mattered and I became so invested in the characters as they grew together.

It starts off really easy, I felt that the characters' path together were flowing as easily as water, and I felt the way they were falling in love, I felt how secure and comfortable they were around each other, I felt how much both of them put into their relationship and their bond, and then I felt when it started to fade away too. It's just so good, and so raw and I loved how it was presented in the film. Although so much time passed from the beginning to the end of the film, it was seamless and so natural.

I loved all the hints that were left to show that their relationship was slowly changing and that they were also growing as people, like for example the shoes; when they wore similar pairs, to when they later wear completely different ones.

I am a big fan of the actors in this film, and they absolutely delivered with their acting. The way they presented the characters was just so well done, I just have no words to describe them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film. I cried a lot, even before THE scene because I could just feel where things were heading. The way this film ends left me content. This isn't a film depicting a bad breakup, but one of two people who readily accepted that they were just not meant to be. I loved that so much. I think I will never truly shut up about this movie. It's left an impression on me.

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A LIGHT AND SWEET DRAMA!!! ALSO THE COMEDY IS SUPER.. MUST WATCH !!

I'm not good at writing a review but tried to because this drama deserves a lot more viewers.

First I want to say that I found this accidentally and just randomly watch it since I know both leads.. at first I didn't much have high expectations when I decided to watch it since the other recent dramas didn't catch my attention BUT THEN Gosh I just watch the first 4 episodes and got addicted LOL

What I like the most in this drama is that it didn't have a lot of angst.. bruh I hate crying over a drama .. this one is good!! The friendship of the girls is wholesome.. they will try their best to protect and help each other.. I also like that they show the different traditions of each places..

There are maybe some times that you might disappointed especially in ep 12.. well I suggest to just continue watching it... I like Yuan Ying😘

THE MAIN LEADS CHEMISTRY IS SOO GOOD!!! ALSO THE OTHER COUPLES IS ALSO GOOD.. AND YOU WILL NOT BE BORED WATCHING THEM... I didn't even skipped a scene watching this whole drama lol

Male lead is lowkey at first but being recognize at time goes by. he's also so
handsome, wise and he's small reactions are so cutee.. The female lead is a food lover and not like other fl this one is not annoying. She is very likeable... I hate dumb fl the most bruh.. this one is good!!!

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Though an extremely simple story, it was not well told. The CGI/Special Effects were very good but should enhance the story and not be the star of it. The two humans were simply along for the ride.

Unless one is familiar with the book it's hard to get a handle on how this world works, because they simply did not spend the time needed to build it for us. The leads bonded together faster than Wolverine and Rogue with a similar relationship dynamic. The gruff, world weary, reluctant hero and the abandoned young woman with a power that frightens people.

It felt like the FL's one acting note she was given was to stand there and look pretty and forlorn. Not a lot of depth to the performance. The ML spent most of his time running and jumping which to his credit, he did well.

The CGI was very good and creative. The problem for me was that the story overly-relied on it and over-estimated how interesting it is without an emotional story to propel the characters through the monsters and labyrinths.

It's a shame they didn't spend a few more minutes developing these characters because there is an interesting story behind the wall of CGI.

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When it was great, it was amazing, but it did deserve a slightly better send-off.

Overall, I'd still give this show a solid 9 because it had moments that really made me think that this show was shaping up to be the best BL ever, and it was in many parts. The only reason I won't give it a 9.5 or a 10 is because many of the biggest conflicts that the series built up throughout the episodes were resolved very poorly (like the Wai situation) or not resolved at all (like the family beef, which was supposed to be the central theme of the story but was pretty much swept under the rug in exchange of an unexplicable time jump). Despite the not-so-great development of these two plot points, the show is clearly a step in the right direction when it comes to positive queer representation and it was clear to see the effort of the director and the scriptwriters to avoid some of the most annoying clichés from other BLs. I just wish they wrapped up the story as brilliantly as they handled the strongest episodes (5-8 and 10, in my opinion). Had they done that, I'd easily give this show a 10. It is definitely a show everyone should watch and definitely overall a better piece than your regular BL.

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I've watched all the History parts, and this one really sticks out as terrible. While the very first entry dealt with a girl in a boy's body trope, this one wanted to do some time travel. The plot twists weren't surprising. What was surprising was the 180 degree change in one of the protagonists' behavior. I know a lot of BL series (even some of our favorites like Addicted) feature rape, sexual assault and non-con. But this episode glorifies it, embraces it as its title of "Obsession" and doesn't feature any character growth or realization of bad behavior. As an example, I watched this on Viki. Most of the comments were along the lines of "it's not rape if there's no penetration." If that's what you choose to focus on--how to get the accused off on a technicality rather than the harm done to the victim--then I'm afraid this episode is imparting the wrong message.

The acting was good, but not enough to make me want to rewatch this regrettable entry. I think one of the things I like about History 1/2/3 is how they take different approaches to each story and format. It's just that in this case, the risk did not pay off, at all.

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