Well, it's the story of two unsuccessful comedians. These two guys met each other at high school and decided to form a comedy duo but after more than 12 years of unpopularity, Koumota one of the comedian decides to start a diary where they can write their thoughts.
AT FIRST YOU MAY THINK THAT IT'S GOING TO BE BORING but you're wrong.
The story is realistic and so heartwarming! Throughout the movie, I find myself completely empathising with these two naive, desperate and in the same time so motivated comedians. All they want is one chance to prove themselves. They try to not get jaleous of their juniors who are now sucessful, they also need to deal with their family situations, their financial problems...
So yes, this movie is all about dreams and friendship. And I think that it's why I liked it so much.
I also have to say that Koide Keisuke and Ito Atsushi who are playing the main roles are just excellent.
This movie is funny, touching and I felt like I learned something very important for my life. I think that if you're looking for a dream or if you're not sure of your dreams this movie is for You! GIVE IT A TRY, YOU'LL NOT REGRET IT!
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This review may contain spoilers
Would Love to See This as a Series!
Promising premise. Nice production value. Confusing story though. So does Dr. Tiln keep dying then, coming back to life? Is he reincarnating everytime? Does he heal from his injuries? Felt like watching a concept trailer that the creators would show to people to try to get their project funded rather than an actual short film. I'm pretty sure that was the purpose of this short film and it did pique my interest to be honest. I would definitely watch the full series. I'm getting tired of the standard university storyline for BL's. It's cool seeing all the high-concept BL's coming in the next few years!On a side note, Sammon, the writer of the novel that this short is based on, also wrote Manner of Death, which MaxTul may be starring in! It's pretty awesome that he can write, draw (he did the artwork for his books) and is a doctor! Wow!
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This review may contain spoilers
It had potential
Based on the mdl summary, i thought the story would center about the sheepskin book. But no, the book appears for like 3 mins and it's suddenly turned into student-teacher romance. Then last minutes to ending they start to talk about the book.Tbh the idea was great, but executed very poorly.
Music that were used just really random. But the song in the ending credits was good.
Overall, it's an okay watch.
I was watching this for Jane, and i didn't get disappointed with her acting. She looks really cute and portray her character nicely.
However I don't like the story. I didn't understand what's going on until the last 30 mins of the movie.
I won't recommend this to anyone actually, unless you're just too bored and had nothing to watch.
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Story
Even if you haven't watched the drama, you've probably heard some of the controversy - they essentially only took about 3/4 (maybe not even...more like a little more than a half) of the original story for the drama. Which just screams, "What in the world were they thinking?" How can anyone have greenlighted this project and said, "Hey, you know what, we're just going to end the drama on a total cliffhanger without a guarantee at all there will be a second season. Better yet, let's include a bunch of useless filler storylines to drag out the middle part of the story even more since we're not telling the whole story anyways." ??? Rule number one for drama production teams - never do multiple seasons for dramas if you have a popular cast that you haven't already bound by contract to bring back (props to the team behind Ode to Joy for realizing this, btw) . Rule number two - if you can tell the whole story in one season, don't drag it out because it just hurts the quality.
The first half of the drama was pretty good - it features an awesome female lead who is multi-dimensional and is willing to claw her way to survive. She's not a Mary Sue - she can have moments where she seems heartless and cold, but she's also had a terrible life and thus has a different world view than most girls her age. The tone of the drama is darker than most because of the heavy material in the story, and I did enjoy that aspect. I have no idea why they added so much nonsense in the second half - for a drama that should have been moving along super fast considering how much plot it needed to cover, the pacing was ridiculously slow.
I was fascinated by the premise of the story and hated how the drama handled it, so I actually went back and read the novel, which I never do, because reading full length novels in Chinese is a bit of a chore for me. I'm glad I did though, because it filled the gaps nicely and at least I can picture in my head how this should have ended. But it also lended a different perspective to the love triangle - I'm not a fan of how the drama skewed it. If you read the novel, this should have been a tale of two loves for our lead, Chu Qiao - the first would be Yan Xun, and the second would be Yuwen Yue. However, the drama pretty much portrayed it so you would be rooting for Yuwen Yue all the way through, which I think does Chu Qiao a disservice. Part of the whole point of the story is her understanding of what love is and how it evolves over time - so that was disappointing. I'm particularly sad we didn't get to see all the cute, truly squee-worthy moments between her and Yuwen Yue becasue I think I pretty much grinned my way through the end of the novel.
But nitpicking over the depiction of the love triangle would be a moot point since the story was incomplete to begin with. Again, I have no idea who thought that would be a great idea. I don't even know if they would have enough material to cover a season 2, to be honest, without dragging things out significantly. If you enjoyed the premise of the story and can read Chinese (or find a translation), go read the novel and get yourself some closure.
Cast
What a waste of a great (young) cast - obviously this isn't one of those dramas with a stellar veteran crew, but the young(ish) leads all have some decent acting chops.
It's amazing how far Zhao Li Ying has come in just a short number of years - she's one of a handful of actresses who stars in exclusively heroine-centric dramas (Princess Agents, Rookie Agent Rouge, Journey of Flower, the upcoming Glamorous Times and The Story of Minglan - all are stories that are centered around the female lead character and her journey). One of the biggest reasons for her success has been her versatility (despite her pixie stature and face) and the fact that she is one of the better actresses for her age group. Chu Qiao was a great role for her as it let her channel her inner female general - but again we go back to the writing - it would have been so much better if she was given the whole story to work with.
Lin Geng Xin was decent as Yuwen Yue - the stoic characters are pretty much a staple of dramaland and I don't think anyone ever does badly in this type of role - but I would like to see him take a meatier role at some point (and I do think he's capable - there's a reason why his career took off after his stint as the 14th prince in Bu Bu Jing Xin). I also think he didn't have the greatest chemistry with Zhao Li Ying, but that could have been the writing more than anything else - a lot of their interactions were way too forced, and not built in an organic manner at all.
But the standout, for sure, was Shawn Dou, who gave an incredibly memorable performance as the complicated Yan Xun. He was able to express every aspect of his character beautifully, and even in the end, after everything he's done, it's almost impossible to hate him because you still feel like he's a product of circumstance. In a world where C-dramaland is dominated by tall, attractive actors in their mid to late twenties who are, for the most part, rather acting-challenged or limited in range, it baffles me how Shawn has not taken off yet. I know he's got a couple of dramas lined up as the main lead, but they're all the typical romance/makjang fare, and I would love to see him in something of substance because he is so talented (I would love to see him work with the Daylight Entertainment team one day a la Zhang Bo).
Shoutout to Li Qin as well who was great in her role - as hard as it was to watch sometimes, she portrayed all the trials and tribulations of her spoiled princess character perfectly. Deng Lun is still really, really green to me - I don't know what it is but he always just comes off a bit awkward in his roles.
Overall
If they had just stuck to the novel material, this would have probably been one of my favorite dramas - but the decision to not film a complete drama is just absolutely baffling. If they do end up making a season 2 (and there isn't any indication that is the case yet - all three of the main leads have projects lined up for the next couple of years - not to mention the fact that some of the rising stars, like Deng Lun, have a heavily packed schedule now too), maybe some of the fury will subside from fans, but for the time being, this is an incomplete production.
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BEST SERIES EVER
Out of all the series that I have watched, I Told Sunset About You is probably the best one that I ever watched to date...?? Every element and aspect of it has everything and prolly could be called as a "Masterpiece" and P E R F E C T. ?? I've never been so crazy who cries, laughs and felt every emotion that I could feel like im in a roller coaster ride. ??The series itself thought a lot of lessons in life and focuses not just the love that are seen on two persons, but it gives significance to to the problems and struggles that an individual might face whether in one's identity, family, friends and community. ?The issues about LGBTQIA++ is really addressed and was delivered in a realistic manner where everyone can relate and reflect... ??The cast, musical scoring, cinematography, director, crew/staffs and each person that made this series possible are superb and truly one of a kind. The symbolism and details that it has are truly impeccable. The remarkable bra scene which was improvised just blew the minds of the viewers with the message that it portrays to each one of us. The crying scenes are one of a kind and it really made me cry a lot. (RIP to the large amount of tissues that i consumed?). Kudos and big round of applause for this wholesome and one of a kind series that Nadao Bangkok gave to us. ITSAY would really have a special place in my heart forever. This is not just the best BL series, but it is the best series for me in totality..??Was this review helpful to you?
I wanted to like this one, I really did
However, after reading all the good reviews, maybe it's just me, but this show really fell short. The script was all over the place and nothing was delved in too deeply. Even considering that, I still fast-forwarded through a lot. Multiple cases in a law drama can work very well, but here they didn't. I didn't find the cases interesting enough to begin with and the stories felt like they were just to get us to the next episode.I didn't care for the main characters. Lee Seung Gi - I don't believe I've seen him in anything else and I'm going to find something else to watch him in, but here I didn't find him attractive at all, especially in all of the unfortunate "squid games" track suits. His character wasn't especially likeable throughout the first part of the show. I love the idea of having liked someone for years, but you couldn't really tell, he was terrible to her.
Lee Se Young's character yelled and screamed a lot. I found that very off-putting. I did like how they tried to show her growing through the cases she took on, but she continued to be the "damsel in distress". Then there was the "sex contract". Give me a break!
Jo Han Chul, who I LOVE as an actor, WAY overplayed his part. Was he supposed to be crazy, funny, farcical, sociopathic? I don't know, but I couldn't stand to watch him.
Top all that off with the fact that I didn't feel chemistry between the leads. Now I feel like I need to re-watch something I've already loved to cleanse my K-drama palate!
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Lighthearted drama
Low Angst drama: cuteness and sweetness all along.I was totally in love with this adorable couple full of chemistry. This is a very short drama to relax and enter in this loving atmosphere., with only seven episodes.
The plot is simple, about a couple getting married the day they have met each other. Nothing new in the story, but after watching this you will probably sweat honey, as I did. Nothing very troublesome happens but it deals with daily couple difficulties, as small misunderstandings, jealousy and the discovery of love.
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I give the story a 10/10. The story was well-made, full of twists, it constantly gives off the feeling that you have a clue of what’s going on, but then you realise it’s more complicated than what you thought or even exactly the opposite. There are a few slower paced episodes, around the episodes 3-4-5, when you kinda think “I already figured everything that’s going on, so what are you going to fill the next 5-6-7 episodes with?!” Or at least that’s what I thought, but my advice is don’t drop it, they’re just tricking you, after episode 5 the plot pretty much goes “boom”.
The take on the “family” subject is very Japanese-like. I see that many people find the mother character a bit pushover. It certainly is so for us, but unfortunately, that’s the Japanese society for you. And I think this type of dramas are trying to do exactly that: raise awareness of the public. Yes, in Japan the education of the kids is left almost entirely to the mother, and yes, if anything goes wrong with the kids, she is to blame. And yes, she is supposed to handle all the family affairs by herself, because the husband is the one providing for the family, and he thinks he’s entitled to doing nothing else but that, going to work and providing. You will become really frustrated with the relationship husband-wife throughout the series, and you will be surprised how much the wife can actually take without saying a single word. You would probably make your husband sleep on the doormat if he treated you that way, but for the Japanese, it’s totally understandable and acceptable. The wife is to sacrifice herself for the well-being of her kids and home. So instead of thinking how push-over the character of the mother is, take it as a cultural lesson. Personally I’ve become greatful I was born in a different part of the planet ? and also really sad while watching the drama that there are still places in this world where women are being forced by society to go through so much. I do love Japan, but I don’t think I could live in their society. By the end of the drama the Japanese are all like “Yes, you can see some developpment in her character” and you’re like “No, Japan...you don’t get it..she shouldn’t have waited 10 whole episodes to finally open her mouth...She should have punched everyone who deserved it in the face from the very first episode!”
The music was great. I give that a 10/10. They have creepy music, emotional music, suspence music. I still listen to the soundtrack even after I finished the drama, it sticks to you. The music is really fitting every scene and it sets up the mood perfectly. You know something bad is about to happen when the creepy tune kicks in :)
Rewatch value...I would give it a 8/10. I’m not really a rewatcher, I would need at least 5 years to pass before I can rewatch something, but I would definetely rewatch this drama after 5 years, haha. It’s on the rewatchable side.
I started watching this drama because of Kanno Miho-san, I really like her as an actor. I think she did a great job in portraying the mother. The fact that her character gets you, frustrates you, angers you sometimes, is proof that she actually did justice to her character. I don’t know most of the other actors but they did a good job as well. Not amazing, but good. So I would give the acting an overall 8/10.
All in all, I give this drama a 9 because it really got me. I finished it in two days. It was getting so emotional and heavy with each episode but it had me clicking the Next Episode button every time, hoping to eventually get to that one typically Japanese scene, when after the darkest dark, the characters can finally see the sky clearing and the nice emotional music starts playing in the background. Not a clear blue sky though, just a glimpse of sunshine coming through the clouds, to keep it realistic.
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There was just one small thing that bugged me-----their sound effects like i.e a punch being thrown, is just horrible. It sounds like something out of a video game. [Actually, I thought it was cool...but it'd be nicer if it was more realistic.]
This drama can start off as being pretty plain, but once you sit back and watch...the magic will unravel---you'll be completely captivated by this tear-jerking drama.
The story is developed in a way that can be easily understood. It was very simple. Drama happens one after another. Many can sympathize with the lead because we've all fell in love at least once and realized how beautiful the world is.
And then that "I don't ever want to be in love, again" stage.
The cast were great! I absolutely loved Mika and Tatsuya. They kind of went a bit far with Hiro's "bamf" look. But it gradually grew on me.
I really loved that Hiro did not pay much mind to gender. If he had to hit a woman, he'd do it. Koji's (Hiro) eyes had fluttered at the perfect time.
I haven't got much to say about this drama...but I definitely recommend watching it to those who can spare some time, and to those who are patient.
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It's funny, lighthearted and everything you'd expect from a Drama version of the beloved series. I felt like I was watching the Anime/Manga characters come to life. They could not have picked anyone better to play the main cast.
My only complaint is how short it is; it /does/ follow the Anime storyline, but I was hoping to see more episodes from this Drama.
Nevertheless, the series is perfect in every other way. I'd highly recommend it to EVERYONE.
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This review may contain spoilers
Basically a huge advertisement for HKIA
You know… I knew this would be somewhat of a program informing viewers of how Hong Kong International Airport functions, but I was not prepared for episode 1. We get introduced to the main characters and how they worked together, but suddenly, out of the blue, JW’s Wish started to play. This was the love theme for Kenneth Ma and Natalie Tong in Big White Duel, which represented their connection despite being divorced, so why was it playing here? Because Kenneth Ma here is divorced from Sisley Choi. I found that so lazy, like the only thing that could make it lazier would be Sisley Choi divorcing him because of a miscarriage that was her fault and Kenneth not knowing about it. In any case, episode 1 ends in a spectacularly cheesy way with the main cast all staring off into the sun in the distance. Was it meant to be inspirational? Dude, it’s just an airport!Episode 2 introduces some other supporting cast members and more BAU airport activities, but what I noticed that was not normal was how everybody - and I mean EVERYBODY - brought up Kenneth and Sisley’s divorce so casually as if it was a minor thing and even tries to get them back together. I don’t know if the writers have been around real divorced people who work together but nobody brings it up out of respect as it would make for some real awkward moments if done so. Even if they do it would be every now and then as required, here it is constant “I’m a divorcee” or “hey sis-in-law opps lol not really”… just no.
Do you know what I found really wrong? Some of the depictions of the staff and commuters at the airport. Man, the staff at the check-in desk were really patient and talked to this old gentleman as he couldn’t find his passport, and after some time he found it made some small talk with the check-in staff. Do you know what would happen in real life? He would be asked to stand aside to allow other passengers to check-in while he looked for it as the other passengers in the queue all start asking, “Yo, what’s the hold up?”
And man, the theme song sucks. It is so forgettable it is like why even bother. They could have saved the money and just do an ICAC musical thing and boom done it would have made no difference.
As this is just 10 episodes long in total, there are not many more episodes to see if things improve, but I am not holding my breath. A completely quick cash grab HKIA sponsored load of nonsense so far.
Episode 3: BAU, but Sisley Choi is really annoying in this episode as we see her and Kenneth dancing awkwardly around the fact they are divorced but still have to work together. You can tell Kenneth wants to get back with her but she’s all evasive.
Episode 4: man this episode… like what were the cameramen thinking. Rosita Kwok was wearing a really short skirt to show off her legs, but in one scene the camera was almost an upskirt shot. That had me thinking “what the he…” What made it worse was how unflattering the shot was as you could see all sorts of blemishes on her legs.
Episode 5: this episode had more things that had me call BS. As the episode starts, the airport staff started looking for somebody because they were going to miss their flight and going out of their way to look for them. It turned out the passenger was just shopping and even asked for a few more minutes when they find her. In real-life you know that airport personnel would just let her keep shopping as it isn’t their problem if she missed her flight. I also found Rosita extra annoying this episode as she had dropped her ID card and it was found by Ricco. Ricco tries to return it but she is unbelievably rude to him, even later snatching the card from his hand at lost and found. No normal person would act like this in a professional setting especially to someone they just met when Ricco did not even do anything inappropriate.
Episode 6: not bad.
Episode 7: finally something somewhat juicy is happening with Tiffany and Sisley meeting for the first time, the ex-girlfriend and ex-wife of our charismatic main Kenneth, and only Tiffany knows their status. See this is what I am talking about, but this is introduced too late so I know it is not going to escalate much.
Episode 8: another run-of-the-mill episode. Man, it ends with Rosita in a flight simulator and she’s all wide-eyed and full of wonder. The machine isn’t flying anywhere nor did it have any actuators to simulate movement. It is a stationary cockpit with computer generated imagery. This is like being amazed that the popcorn button of your microwave burns your popcorn.
Episode 9: okay this episode really annoyed me. We finally get the scene where Kenneth and Sisley discuss their divorce and I thought we would get some startling revelation about why they were divorced because they were clearly still in love. And the reason? Sisley: I forgot the reason. Kenneth: same here, must have been trivial. Like wtf, you cannot remember why you guys got divorced? You separated, you signed the papers, and you cannot remember why? I thought maybe it was something traumatic they didn’t wanna discuss and TVB would give us a flashback but no, no flashback no nothing. This show treats marriage and divorce like minor things, and us the audience as idiots if they think we would just roll with that. As this is episode 9 it is clear this will be the only time the subject is approached and the next and final episode they will get back together. Man….
Episode 10: the last episode wraps up the show and pretty much tries to wrap up all loose ends. However, Kenneth and Sisley’s getting back together really annoyed me. Kenneth finally remembered why they got divorced, but Sisley says he doesn’t have to remind her as they shouldn’t dwell of the past and only on the future. So basically we never find out why they were divorced and Sisley really doesn’t want to discuss where they went wrong in the past to improve their relationship going forward. What lesson was this trying to teach its viewers? What was that nonsense?
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Beautiful Star Crossed Love Story
Guys, this show absolutely, completely, and totally wrecked me. WRECKED ME. It is sure to satisfy the most die hard romantic with dynamic leads, stunning cinematography, and angsty romance. Let me count all the ways this show had me falling in love.❤ I wasn’t 100% invested in the romance between charming Lee Gon and pragmatic Jeong Tae Eul initially. Their chemistry increased the more time they spent together, each of their moments one more step toward building an epic romance. I felt their ending fit with the overall narrative of the story.
❤ I loved Lee Gon so much. He was smart, charming, and incredibly nerdy. It never felt like he looked down on anyone despite him being pretty much the smartest person in the room.
❤ The visuals and cinematography are breathtaking. The production set a romantic and intriguing tone with beautiful twinkling lights, seductive fog, an endlessly array of cozy sweaters. Like, seriously, I just need the catalog they used to buy all those sweaters. The CGI wasn’t always great, but it was probably the best I’ve seen in a long time.
❤ The supporting cast gave me all the feels. I could not be happier with the secondary characters in this series, particularly Kang Shin Jae and Jo Yeong. Honestly, Jo Yeon was MVP for this series. While all of the actors did some sort of double duty as characters existing in multiple universes, Woo Do-hwan’s performance was phenomenal no matter his character.
❤ I couldn’t resist the story. Typically, I hate time travel and parallel universe stories. Trying to keep track of all the threads over multiple universes and time lines can be a bit exhausting. I found this story to be utterly fascinating as it threaded together elements of mystery, science fiction, and romance.
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smartly written with excellent performances
The trailer looked smart & interesting so I gave this drama a try, and wow, what a surprisingly good show it turned out to be. It's funny, poignant, and carefully examines human relationships with a sensitivity rarely reached by any show these days.Shuo Bing & Tang Chen are both workaholics in competing high profile public relations firms in Hangzhou. They're also a couple engaged to each other, until they ask the impossible of each other when it comes time to consider marriage. Then comes a stunning betrayal.
Tang Chen is a 40 year old CEO of a PR firm he built from scratch, and one who desperately wants his world to be perfectly tuned to his own drum beat. His workaholism drives him to neglect his fiancee's needs to his detriment, forcing her to choose between marriage and career. Shuo Bing, in her 30's, is a mid level manager who makes the difficult choice between being ruthless enough to ruin a competing business (ie Tang Chen's) for a massive promotion, or settling for a domestic life she can't support. Later it's revealed that Shuo Bing's calm & cold demeanor hides a crushing & turbulent storm underneath, to which Tang Chen is completely oblivious.
The ensuing aftermath of that decision only serves to showcase Tang Chen's mastery of psychological manipulation in PR as he rebuilds his career. It's a fascinating look at his method: taking the time to find out about a person, where they have been in their lives and thus guiding their trajectory toward the success they seek. And not only does he bring out the best in his clients, he applies the same sensitivity & skills in bringing out the best in each member of his new team. References to Journey to the West are frequent and such that even the founding members of this team are named Tang, Sha, & Zhu, supporting each other and persevering "in spite of the strong wind" bringing more & more powerful demons against them.
Imbedded within this cut-throat competition of the PR world are case studies of 3 couples deeply in conflict. Tang Chen uses his empathic skill to guide his core team members through their personal issues, while taking lessons from his own parents in realizing what success & relationships truly mean to him, & that all of his skills are for naught if he didn't apply them to his own fiancee. The road of examination leaves almost no stone unturned as everyone eventually finds an endpoint they can be satified with.
What a difference mature, experienced, & talented actors make. Jin Dong and Song Jia play their characters with such a deep understanding of two people walking a razor thin line, navigating horrendous forces that turned them into professional rivals, while trying to find a way to hold each other in their hearts. The ensemble cast is excellent. Wang Yu Wen has been in modern lead roles, but here I feel she is in a more suitable role which actually shows her talent better. Oddly, Zhou MaiJie is not credited on MDL for his role, Hou Zhi, a major character. He's credited on IMDB, but there's no info on ZMJ at all.
At any rate, this is a gem of a show: well acted, smartly written, funny, poignant, and which I'm glad to have come across.
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Interesting concept, but gets draggy and cliche.
It has my girl Eleanor in it playing a badass master thief. I liked how the FL solved various gadgets and contraptions using her background as a thief. I needed more of it to be honest. This couple was pretty cute together. The theme song was also cute and the music in general was good.However, I found myself "forcing" my way through it and having to watch it at 2x playback speed. It got super political and draggy toward the middle. It wasn't even interesting politics. It was the typical cliche stuff and it brought this drama really down. They waited until the last 2 episodes to clear things up. There were many missed opportunities on pacing through spaced out revelations. Also, I'm kind of petty about the ending of some of the characters, but since this is adapted from a novel, it's understandable.
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