Reviews

A complex political thriller with family drama and personal growth

While the show is dark and serious, it's really engaging. There are numerous plot threads weaving through this series, centering around three sisters characters. The eldest sister who is an outcast at her company because she's poor, lacks a higher education, is divorced, and is also attractive. She forms a unique friendship with another outcast who hides her luxurious alter ego. This relationship leads to our eldest sister gaining possession of a significant sum of money, tainted by corruption. The middle sister is a passionate reporter investigating the background and family connections of a politician running for Seoul's mayor. However, she struggles with alcoholism and often becomes emotional on camera. The youngest sister is an exceptionally talented artist who won a scholarship to a prestigious art school in South Korea. She forms a close friendship with a wealthy girl from the school, essentially becoming part of the rich family. This doesn't sit well with her elder sisters, who suspect that the rich family has ulterior motives. Furthermore, the rich family connected to the youngest sister is the very same family that our second sister, the reporter, is investigating. The connections become increasingly messy as the story unfolds.

Now, this show has an exceptional cast. They delivered outstanding performances, with the eldest sister standing out due to her character's development and screen time. The cinematography is a masterpiece, the set design and overall color grading are meticulously crafted, with subtle clues woven into the details. Also the music is as beautiful as the visuals.

What I don't like are the characters and the story all throughout. The sisters seem so unlikeable and dim, they keep making choices that put them in jeopardy. It was painful to watch them being played over and over again by people around them, it feels that the plot just keep happening around them just for performances. While plot twist after plot twist keep happening, the last 4 episodes do not round the story very well.

-Oct 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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Unbelievably patriotic historical setting

Extremely good screenplay that covers the whole background story of the political situation within sports, plot is rich enough to highlight the hardships of getting into the marathon competition itself, pacing is smooth throughout the movie and the details are so precise that you could really feel the significant amount of pressure along with the journey of the team, more so for its patriotic reason. The buildup for the marathon race has amazing suspense with soundtrack that's thumpingly brilliant, and I've cried so many times watching it. The production value is simply too high for this movie.

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This is a hard series to review. The storyline has potential but the way they weave the king game into the story and the various plot twist and who likes whom made this series albeit confusing to watch. I think better character development, a more streamlined storyline and even a second couple would help a lot. I just don’t think it’s too believable that the King game would dictate so much of the characters actions. In the first series the King game wasn’t the driving force, So it didn’t dominate the series. Yes it was the catalyst to what happened and I think they could have played off like that and would have created a better series.

The acting is not bad. Ryu Jessadakorn does an especially good job as Pun the central hub of the series. His facial expression, whether it be happy, mad, glad, or confused, are really good! As the lead role in the series he did an effective job carrying the series through its random twists and turns. I hope gets cast in a more series down the road.

Overall, it’s not a bad way series to burn time on. It is confusing and could be better developed but the acting saves it a bit.

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.....?

I agree that anything is possible and acceptable in drama and delulu world, but what in the ultra pro max delusional plot is this? Many things made no sense and the bare minimum rating which I am giving rn is just for the leads especially seo bin. He is nice. Rest, many things are just for the namesake. I didn't like the series from the beginning but kept watching it in a hope to have a happy ending. But the drama said not today. They could have atleast made it a happier end. TBH TO BE REALLY HONEST, the ending is the only sensible thing in the series. So yeah, it's okay to not have a happy ending afterall, I guess.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this drama! It had me laughing out loud, I loved every character, and found so many aspects very relatable. I loved the Victoria Song & Song Weilong pairing and there's a great balance of other storylines aside from their romance. Although, I did find the ending rushed and would've loved more depth from certain characters.

Yes, He Fanxing (Victoria Song) is naive and sometimes quite silly, and you will shake your head at some of her actions. But not everyone has the same experiences at the same age, and she does learn from her mistakes. Plus, her silliness is exactly what Yuan Song (Song Weilong) likes about her... Yuan Song approaches the relationship with the passion of youth; I love his fearless pursuit of Fanxing even though I knew he couldn't truly understand the societal and familial pressure she feels. I thought him being an intern at the company she works at would have probably been a bigger issue...

I loved Fanxing's relationship with her family - I was quite surprised to see Zhang Yujian play her twin brother, He Canyang, but I loved it! Their dynamic was hilarious and heartwarming. Zhang Yujian's deadpan delivery and side-eye glances were on point. The one storyline I could not believe though was his romance storyline. It just seemed to come out of nowhere and felt out-of-character. I also loved Fanxing's two best friends, Song Xue and Xiao Yu. They each had such different lives and priorities, and maintained such supportive friendships. I was glad that both friends had their own storylines. Then there's also Fanxing's work friends! I loved all the office scenes, especially Cong Xiao and Chang Huan. Cong Xiao was a great contrast to Fanxing, and I loved her insights and advice.

I liked the second male lead Ye Lu Ming (David Wang) much more than I would have expected. His character is so funny, slightly over the top and somewhat strange, but he's also driven and smart. If he had met Fanxing before she fell for Yuan Song, I honestly think he would've had a chance. I didn't like some of his actions (like deliberately meeting her parents) but mostly he was a guy who went in 100% for what he wanted. Also, his cousin/assistant was really funny and I loved her.

As for Yuan Song's friends, Cai Minmin was such an over-the-top spoiled and childish character, but at the same time, I would totally believe someone like her exists... I was glad to see her experience some growth throughout the series. Her friend Zhanni was so down-to-earth and loyal.

I do admit, it's ridiculous what a small world it feels like in this drama. That aspect was 100% unrealistic but SO fun and entertaining. It made this drama a mix of realistic situations and laugh-out-loud coincidences.

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Team Non (even though I shouldn't be....)

Surprisingly, I was more enraptured in part 2 than part 1. I know, I shocked myself too, but I found myself overwhelming excited to move on to the next episode. I won't lie, however, the first few were kind of tedious. We take a spin back into the first season, for no apparent reason, and we're also introduced to a potential new pairing (literally the duplicate of Valen, Kaitoon, and Non, just in smaller font) that felt very half-assed as we don't see very much of them. There are some inconsistencies and a few bits that can be labeled aggravating for sure, but overall, it was a good watch.

Let's Dive In.

Love Area Part 2 is the continuation of the first. Valen and Kaitoon continue their little quarrel until Valen finally grows some balls and confesses to Kaitoon, with a lovely kiss. They go through their own trials and tribulations (most of those being aggravating) and again, Non is like the sad little puppy nobody pays attention to on adoption day. King and Peat's story is just utterly sad and raw. I think they're why I enjoyed the series so much. We're introduced to a new couple, June, Bill (forgive me if it's actually Win, but I forgot names and lowkey faces, so I'm just gonna go with Bill), and Toy. As I said, the literal duplicate of the main leads in which Toy pines for June but June is so oblivious and in love with Bill that Toy just has to roll with the punches. I didn't care for them all too much, on top of the fact that their story was given very little development or attention. All of this combined into one little 8 episode series was a lot, and yet, so much was left unsaid.

Getting into what I like. Ohm. Period. Ohm blew me away in episode (whatever episode Peat cheats with Jeff's character). The emotions in his voice, his face, his posture, urgh, it was amazing. I found myself sitting there and weeping with him when in the beginning of Part 1, I could've cared less for him or Peat. But I was invested for sure. I liked how they portrayed a love so unhealthy, yet there's something so compelling that they believe getting back together would work. And we see their faults. We see the way Peat is with Ice and how secretive he acts. We see King have a hard time differentiating if what he's feeling for Peat is love or lust at this point. For it all to come tumbling down (and Jeff is *chef's kiss* a bad person, but so good at it). That turning point in his dynamic is when we see him stop caring, and we see that in the way his apartment is covered in filth and the way he loses motivation in doing anything. I think they treated this couple with the most realistic outcome. Yes, there were some nit-picky things, but they really outdid themselves this season. I also like how Ice wasn't used as King's rebound and felt more like a really good friend. A big step from season one when they made me highly uncomfortable with how they were portraying his character. Granted, this could all change if we get a part 3, but as long as King and Ice's relationship isn't explicit or rushed and shown to be slow and patient, then I think at some point I could come to terms with it.

Again, I fucking loved Non. He still was treated dirty, but I think (..?) I'm satisfied with where he is right now. I was at least happy that they kind of sort of gave us a little look into what a relationship between them would look like, but of course, when you look at it for what it truly is, you see that Non is the only one in it, and Kaitoon is just hurting. There were some weird pauses and some awkward staring in some parts that threw me off of the KaitoonNon love train. It just made them feel like strangers, and it's obvious the connection between the actors is not as strong as it is between Kaitoon and Valen. I really hoped for something different this season, but, oh well. We got a very sweet kiss, a cute little vacation, and some really nice Non-caring-for-Kaitoon scenes, so I'm okay. Hopefully if there is a part 3, Non can be given his own love interest who's actually interested in him.

All the intimate scenes are down so nicely. I was scared that they'd be weak, chaste, forced, but they're natural, and you can feel in the way they stare at one another right before they kiss that they wanted it really bad. Valen and Kaitoon for sure came to show out. So lovely, so patient, so intimate, and so enjoyable.

Lastly, the music was superb. I didn't pay any attention to their music in part 1, but in this, I feel like I thrived in it. The ballad during their tough moments, or even their romantic ones added so much more to the scenes. Toy's actor apparently sang one of the songs, and he does an excellent job.

Onto what needed fixing: Kaitoon and Valen's relationship was good until it wasn't. Again, miscommunication and stubborn characters led to the ever-so-tiring breakup. With just an ounce of communication, all the misunderstandings could've been solved. But then again, Kaitoon did nothing wrong..? He was sitting there minding his own while Peat and Jeff's character decided to get rowdy, I don't see how that's his fault, or even why Valen would get so upset at him the way he does. It's very annoying, and you just can't stop but get even more annoyed as it continues on and you shout to your scream, "let him talk," at the top of your lungs. He also showcases some pretty possessive behavior at the beginning of their relationship. Red flag! They're left open-ended, and I think I liked this better than a last-minute redemption arc for Valen or their relationship.

They introduce this potential new pairing for them to just really give us nothing. Not much to talk about on them since I sadly didn't care much for them. I feel sad for Toy who seems to be a fucking angel, and I don't feel like repeating that sadness yet again. I think this is my first encounter of a trans character's relationship actually being portrayed as real and not some silly, maybe a bit stalkerish thing. Applaud for this series for taking it seriously.

The inconsistency with Kaitoon's haircut is distracting and highly confusing. I kept thinking we were seeing flashbacks, but they are really just the unfortunate timing of Kaitoon's actor getting a haircut. Something that can't really be fixed after it happens, but god, was it infuriating.


Ratings:

Story: 8 - In love with King's story which gets the bulk of the scoring. Valen and Kaitoon are good until they aren't. However, I do think their beginning story is very nicely done. I'll take two stars off for the inconsistency, the bad communication, and the poor writing.

Acting: 9 - King's actor did amazing. Kaitoon is right behind him. Most of the cast did a good job. I think Non is honestly the weakest, but it's not so distracting that it's unwatchable. I'll take a star off for that.

Music: 9 - The highest I think I've rated music, but I really loved it. the ballad is so breathtaking, I listen to it on repeat for hours. However, music is sadly not the saving grace for a series, and a part of me feels sad because of it.

Rewatch value: 1 - I might come back to watch some of those very skilled intimate scenes, but other than that, not a chance I'll actually rewatch. definitely going to relisten to the OST for sure!

I do recommend this. I don't usually think sequels are good, but this and IPYTM are exceptions. I see that a lot of people didn't like this as much as I did, which is understandable, but the pure fact that King's actor did such a fantastic job, raises the bar so much for me. Let's hope for a part 3, cause so much was left unsaid.

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Youth can be boring this film was not...

And So We Put Goldfish in the Pool is as fun as it's name... While youth in a small town can be boring, I know been there tried that not doing it again... This film was fast paced, fun, interesting and has a whole lot of beautiful shots as well as a bunch of unexpected humour.

When life feels meaningless and boring... there is nothing else to do but do meaningless s***... with your friends.

I love the brutal honesty and how well this portrays the feeling of boredom...

While I understand the artistic value of the shake camera and fast flashes of light with horrible sound, my sensitive ears and eyes (yes I am old) did not really appreciate seeing/hearing them.

I did however love the authentic feel this movie has, with the not so perfect people, and not so perfect voices...

So in short I would say this is more or less a short masterpiece doing one h*** of a job portraying completely average youths who just happened to Put Goldfish in a Pool...


P.s. I personally spent most of my youth in a big city but moved to a small town the a few monthes before I turned 17 and this brought back quite a few memories... But I will admit I never put goldfish in a pool... My grown up self loved it too mostly for this scene... " go out have sex... otherwise you will end up like us... still we are happy enough"

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Since most reviews are from people who loved it, I thought it may be useful to offer a different perspective. I adore the trope of a secret identity, so I was into the premise, even as a comedy. I knew it will be very silly since it contains the actual words "heterosexual amnesia", I was ready for a lot (or so I thought). Unfortunately, it did not quite deliver for me.

The plot itself was decent, though it kind of dragged on. The side characters weren't very deep and didn't change much, or only changed so it would advance the plot (for example ML's brother's family was always greedy and ready to ruin lives to get what they wanted, and then they just gave up, out of nowhere?). But my biggest issues were related to the main couple, despite their cute sweet ending.

You know how many dramas start with a highly dysfunctional couple that eventually learns to be nice to each other and appreciate each other? I just don't think that happens here. For most of the story, FL is actively trying to use ML and he is not aware of it, misreading her gestures as romantic as he continues falling for her. She's into his hormones, abs, and the "chip" he has, but that's about it. She has to lie to cover up her identity, yes, but she is also actively trying to manipulate him and use him for her goal. She only changes her mind near the end, and I think it comes way too late, with not enough regret of how she treated him (there's a lot of self-pitying but not much self-reflecting).

Also: I can't believe more people aren't talking about this, but she SPIKES HIS DRINK. With medical drugs. As in, puts actual drugs in his drink and tries to trick him to consume it, and when that doesn't work, she physically forces him to swallow it??? And he manipulates her into honesty by basically drugging her, too. Is this really intended as a romanic comedy? :/

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I can't tell anymore how many times I've watched Battle Royale. This movie was love at first sight. Once I had bought it for myself I watched it four or five times in two weeks. I got addicted.

To me, the brutality of this movie is the very thing that makes it so good. Normally I'd despise anything like this but for some reason BR is a huge exception.

The soundtrack is pure gold, many characters are really interesting - more or less - and the amount of action is just fine for me. However, only a few actors impressed me. Most of the whole cast left me sort of empty though I wouldn't say any actor in this movie is actually poor. Then again, I guess that's okay since there are so many characters in BR and at least all the main actors are brilliant.

Overall BR would deserve 10 but the lack of impressive actors bugs me just enough to make this 9. Anyway, this is and forever will be one of my favourite movies.

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Much needed film but falls a bit short

I chanced upon this film randomly and decided to spontaneously watch it. I must say I'm glad I watched it, but not completely pleased with how it turned out.

I myself am gay, but BL-style dramas and movies have never been my favourite. Which is why I really loved this film and its premise when I heard about it. It tackles taboo concepts in Japan, not just homosexuality but also surrogacy, societal gender roles, and the concept of raising children, mothers, and families. Surrogacy itself is technically not allowed in Japan, but is somewhat possible. I think this is reflected well and the concept of surrogacy is presented very well in this film; I really liked how the American woman expressed it to the mother (although I thought her appearance was a bit strange).

I also very much enjoyed the fact that they showed misogyny in both families and the work place, and a woman who was okay with and ready to go against what was expected of her. I think it mixed really well with her role as a surrogate mother, and I actually like how in the end she accepted that the child was not hers to raise, although I think it would've been better for her to have a bit more involvement.

What disappointed me though, was the execution of it. I felt that some of the acting was quite stiff, probably more to do with the actors' lines than their own acting skills, and it felt a bit all over the place. It didn't really have a consistent flow and felt more like watching different, vaguely connected scenes. I think it would have been much better if it was longer or possibly had multiple parts, maybe a mini-drama. This would have allowed them to tackle the themes in much more detail and give it an actual resolution (not necessarily a positive one, but a more complete ending). I couldn't really tell if it was supposed to be serious or comedy, I wish they could've been more consistent if they wanted to use both.

All in all, this is something I would recommend. It's short, quite light-hearted, but still addresses very important issues in Japanese society and brings awareness to them. I think it's a good starting point, and I'd really like to watch more films like this one! I don't think I'd put it at the top of my rewatch list but I wouldn't be against it one day.

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Not Good, But Kinda.. Enjoyable?

Amateurishly edited and written, but clearly someone trying their best. Acting is uneven, but mostly good enough. Inexplicable insta-bromance, annoying female assistant, stereotypical characters and tropes. And yet.

At a snappy 12 episodes of 20 min each, this drama is tightly focused on solving the main crime. There is no room for the drag or plot-filler typical of c-dramas. The vibe is intended to be serious and grounded in reality (inasmuch as the supernatural plot permits) rather than fluffy or silly/comical. The story--excusing an occasional gap or medium leaps in logic--generally made sense. Until the ending WENT OFF THE RAILS, so bad I LOL'd. They clearly ran out of money, gave up hope for the hinted second season , and closed out the plot lines the best they could.

Verdict: it's not GOOD but...the ride is surprisingly enjoyable?

If you're a fan of investigation in a historical setting, and have low expectations, it's not the worst way to spend 4 hours.

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It could be better

Well... I have mixed feelings with this serie.

First of all, I like the concept and the idea to introduce us a group of friends and multi-pairings / couples. It was indeed quite interesting and heartwarming.

I'm sorry I won't be able to share my impressions on each stories because I just wanted to share my general view and it left me a bit disappointed and frustrated.

I think it was not well balanced, I'm ok with the flashback and when they tend to choose to show one couple and then another couple however, it was like not that I would expect. Maybe I had high expectations when I first saw the trailer and I'm a bit nitpicky? Who Knows? But I couldn't be that invested in their story (I'm scared to say it's a bit bland) and there's also some immature characters or annoying character that don't help either. Sometimes it didn't even make sense but I let it go.
I don't mind when it has some flaws but here, the feeling of being disappointed is quite strong. It could be better and I could give it a 10 but no, I have to lower my rating. Even the chemistry, the acting and the fact it has a good casting and eye-candy, it didn't save the serie in general.

However I do appreciate their friendship dynamic, it's sometimes relatable and I also think some couple deserved better for the development of their story (as I said earlier). In addition it's like wasting their potential because each couple have their own charm and chemistry. It was still nice and somehow entertaining but honestly, I won't watch it again.

The other positive thing, the OST especially sung by Aye Sarunchana is really beautiful to listen.

p-s: sorry if my thoughts are a bit messy??

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For those on the fence after watching a few episodes

If you've watched a few episodes and are wondering why the ratings for this show are so high, take my advice: Stop now. This isn't the show for you. It will not get better enough to feel worth it. The last three episodes are good, but no matter how many lovely pairings of our leads together you give me, it doesn't make up for the side stories taking over this drama.

If you feel like the slapstick humor was pretty good in the first episode and then quickly soured: Stop now or get used to the sour taste continuing. The potty humor goes swirling round in the toilet episode after episode.

If you feel the thriller aspect of the show is discordant and hope it will be a relatively minor element: It won't be minor nor will it feel worth be jarringly pulled away from the sweet moments of romance.

If you feel like the actors are good but you can't quite find enough redeemable in the characters they're playing (especially the male lead and second male lead): It's going to take those boys a loooong time. There are a few cute moments. I fully support fast forwarding to the Min-hyuk eye smoldering. Just skip to watch just the parts with him and Bong-soon together and call it a day. They're really what we came for anyway, right?

The actors are great at acting and are super attractive. But pretty doesn't make this a good story for me.

Also: Domestic violence is not comedy. A wife beating a husband is no different than a husband beating a wife. The violence should not be minimized or pardoned by the viewer.

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what show is this?

I expected something better because Fluke was acting here.
This series lacked continuity, it seemed like excerpts from added pieces which did not help the plot to be convincing.
The worst sin they could have committed is to completely change the ending of the series.
The angel does not stay with Dr. He returns to heaven, it is the doctor from whom he borrowed the body who stays with him.
The nc scene did not even attract attention, nor move as in Fluke's previous works (Red Wine in the Dark Night) it had more affinity than this.
In short, a series that I would pass by without stopping to watch it a second time.

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