I often tell my friends that if you want to learn more about Japanese culture don't watch anime but watch Japanese movies instead and this film is the very best example of that. Watching this movie will open your eyes about this kind of culture in Japan and on how they cut trees. The act is treated with respect (respect to the forest and forest god) and not just cut a tree then plant after which what I was only aware before watching this movie. The last part of the film is holy freaking moment, a combination of epic and comedy gold.
I watch this film because I am a fan of Shota Sometani and I was not disappointed and though the film's strength is the story it still one of his most important role to date. His performance here is not on par with his performance in Himizu but in this movie he proves he can also do comedic roles, his timing is just great. This film is in my opinion his best film to date and yes even better than Himizu. As for Ito Hideaki, the last film I've seen from him was Lesson of Evil which is such an epic movie. If you love Battle Royale and blood in your movies I highly recommend it. He had a great performance in Lesson of evil but I was more impressed with his performance here, he is such a badass and this movie is not even an action or a Yakuza film, it's a coming of age/slice of life movie lol. The chemistry between them is just great they are the total opposites, one is rugged type dirty guy and the other is like a girl and totally weak but once both of them are on screen there is such a magnetic force between them. You will enjoy Sometani's character development here. Given this film has two great actors and combined it with awesome chemistry makes this movie one hell of a ride.
Overall a great coming of age movie, relaxing to eyes visually and relaxing to ears with its music. A great movie if you want to learn more about Japanese Culture. If you love Departures, The Great Passage, Waterboys, Linda Linda etc. this movie is similar and has a similar vibe.
Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
https://thatjapanesedramaguy.blogspot.com/
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More than a sport, Racket boys is a community
This is a very charming story of underdogs finding their feet A father who lost his self esteem finds that he never actually lost his skill, a family that was separated comes back together and heals broken relationships, a tiny knew rural community makes itself known and grows somewhat together, and each individual character, all ages, shapes, sizes changes over the course of 16 episodes.It touches on a number of difficult issues seen elsewhere - bullying and misuse of influence among others, but these are resolved in ways I found novel.
There are many moments to laugh at, and some nice use of sound effects. There are many deeply touching moments, and yes, tissues.
I really enjoyed this. It is cleverly and kindly written and directed. The observation of people and communities is acute. The acting is as always perfect.
Watch it.
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Joo Ji Hoon will be the initial draw for many. His performance as Yoo Ji Ho is tremendous fun. While the character starts off ridiculously trusting and naive, his development in the second half more than makes up for it. This point is also where Ji Hoon settles into his element. Seemingly improved from Warrior Baek Dong Soo, Ji Chang Wook plays a precariously balanced role with ease. I wanted to hate his Yoo In Ha, but couldn't completely; he was such a pitiable man and, in another life, things might have been different. The three veteran actresses portraying the mothers were also compelling, Chae Si Ra in particular. It must have been difficult pulling off such a complicated character like Young Rang.
Music may be considered another star in Five Fingers. There were many pleasing vocals, including a sad theme by Ji Chang Wook himself: "Fills My Heart." Lim Jeong Hee's "Don't Love Me" seemed to play the most and nearly brought me to tears once or twice. Classical and original instrumentals pepper the rest of the scenes. These work marvelously to amplify their impact and while dynamic, never bring the action over into the cheesy.
Viewers should be aware that Five Fingers deals in themes of domestic abuse and portrays one of the most dysfunctional families ever to grace the screen. The portion before the time skip can be a little hard to watch, and personally my emotions were all over the place.
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This review may contain spoilers
Confusing mess
OK, my reviews of Thai BL series are starting to sound so repetitive, but once again, series like "Top Secret Together" show how small companies really face a lot of issues when creating any type of story, not just BL. Low budgets, inexperienced actors, poor directing, confusing writing/plots, nothing original in the storyline, among other things, caused this series to be well below standards and nearly forgettable.First, let's set the main characters...
Simai, Phob and MaiEak are friends who study together and have to finish an internship at a non-descript company. Phob is in love with MaiEak but he is oblivious to it. Simai meets Lukmo who is his supervisor and immediately likes him and tries to make him open up as Lukmo is super uptight and annoyed with the extroverted Simai.
Nampu and Copy are two university students. Copy is in the engineering faculty and I'm not sure where Nampu studies but he visits Copy at, yes, you guessed it, a copy shop he runs with his father and openly tells him he likes him and starts flirting with him despite Copy resisting all the time worried about what his father might think.
Plawaan plays basketball and wants to attend a competition hoping to be selected. In all this long process he is followed by a high school student named Suea (at least from what I assumed from his school uniform in episode 15) who motivates him and helps him train even if he misses classes (making his mother angry). However, Plawaan runs into Top, a rival, who wants to play a game and whoever loses will actually quit basketball. Plawaan loses and he is depressed but Suea is there to make him feel better.
Both and Newyear act nearly as themselves, both are a real life couple and here take roles as café owners who act like parents to all the younger characters who come to the café and give them advice.
Ok, those are the characters... now the confusing mess that was the plot, especially for the main couple and the MaiEak, Phob, Namo love triangle.
Oh boy, where to start?! I'll separate it according to each couple or it might get even more confusing.
Simai starts falling for Lukmo despite his cold demeanor and constant rejections. Lukmo starts opening up and warming up to Simai. They spend time together at work and also in Simai's house because Simai's mother loves Lukmo. Then, Simai's father arrives as he was working abroad and recognizes Lukmo as Kao, his biological son from a previous marriage (plot mess #1). Simai is mad because now that Lukmo is his half-brother he can't date him (plot mess #2... I will never understand Asian BLs that are obsessed with half-brothers or stepbrothers being in love as we've seen in "History 2: Crossing the Line" and "History 4: Close to You" from Taiwan; "Brothers", "My Bromance", "My Bromance 2: 5 Years Later" and "Love by Chance" from Thailand; and the cancelled "Addicted" from China). Lukmo/Kao is mad at him because Simai's father abandoned him and his mother for Simai's mother, then his mother died later due to cancer so he was all alone (plot mess #3). The father opposes to Simai and Lukmo being together (as usual in some Thai BLs) but then, suddenly, appears in Lukmo's office to tell him that is ok to date Simai because Simai is not his biological son (plot mess #4) so they are not really half-brothers only stepbrothers. Simai always thinks he is Lukmo's half-brother because the father forbids Lukmo from telling Simai the truth as "he is too sensitive to handle it" (plot mess #5). Then, Simai tells Lukmo he is going abroad with the father, leaving Lukmo all alone again for no apparent or valid reason (plot mess #6). They say goodbye in episode 15, Simai tries to kiss Lukmo but he rejects him and then falls asleep in 2 seconds. Then, near the end of the episode, Simai appears in his office but I still can't tell if he is real or if Lukmo is hallucinating (plot mess #7) because Simai has a different hairstyle in episode 14, he leaves as we hear an airplane in episode 15 and suddenly shows up at the office with his old hairstyle in the last part of episode 15 without any indication that some time has passed... we get a hint because Lukmo has a new hairstyle in that scene but in the behind-the-scenes we hear one of the assistants tell Kanok (who plays Simai) that he doesn't even appear on the scene as he is at the door frame so Mix (who plays Lukmo) can focus on something for the camera to shoot, so more plot mess.
The other main characters have Phob deeply in love with MaiEak and MaiEak being an idiot who can't recognize Phob's feelings and only uses Phob to do most his work during the internship and almost everywhere else in reality. In the middle episodes, Phob confesses his feelings for MaiEak only to be rejected which causes a change in Phob who becomes more distant as he is angry at MaiEak. Then, around episode 10 (I think), a younger guy named Namo visits the café and sees Phob and immediately likes him and tries to chat with him. This is when MaiEak gets jealous and begins to change which then becomes yet another storyline/plot mess when he tries to interfere in what is developing as a Phob-Namo relationship. All of a sudden, he confesses his feelings for Phob and tries to stop him from seeing Namo. He even tells Simai that he let Phob do most of the things for him because he wanted to see if he was special to Phob... I mean, what? after he confessed his love, you still make him do things for you? MaiEak has to be one of the most arrogant and selfish characters I've seen in a Thai BL because he calls Namo to brag about the time he spent talking to Phob (Namo later does the same but he really likes Phob from the beginning), he calls Phob all the time and tells him he loves him and calls him "babe", he tells Phob they will eventually end up together but I don't know if he is driven by love, driven by jealousy of seeing Phob being happy with someone else, driven by his desire to have Phob around to help him do everything, or a combination of all of the above. Sorry, but Phob is too good for you MaiEak... luckily, the writers decide the same thing and Phob gives a Namo a chance and end up together while MaiEak reflects by writing a boring letter to himself and hoping he ends up with Phob one day.
The other couples are not as confusing but don't show many interesting things.
Nampu chases Copy like a puppy all around campus, the copy store, the café, everywhere. Copy starts to slowly fall in love with Nampu and has a nice chat with his father who supports him 100% no matter who he decides to like (yay for the usual Thai BL clichés with the parents that either completely approve their son being gay or do the most ridiculous things when they are against it, but there never is any middle ground with parents in Thai BLs). That gives Copy confidence so he becomes Nampu's boyfriend. The story of this couple is dull and boring and they go through all the usual phases of a BL with the flirting, denial, rejection, jealousy, fighting, etc., etc. and Nampu is a bit too annoying with his actions at the beginning when he is almost forcing Copy to like him.
Plawaan and Suea see each other a lot at first with all the basketball practice but then Suea's mother tells him to study and grounds him so they don't spend much time together. In the end, Top tells Plawaan that he wasn't selected in the competition so Plawaan should try because the bet from the earlier episodes was a joke (yet another plot mess). Plawaan meets with Suea in his school and they go together somewhere but nothing else happens.
Both and Newyear are a couple. Both proposes in episode 12-13 while on vacation at the beach and they own a café. That's it... nothing memorable to tell.
The thing that bothered me in this series is that we see the couples, but aside from the moments with Both and Newyear in the café, at Neywear's party and the beach trip, they don't interact with each other. Simai-Phob-MaiEak are friends but I don't know how do they know Plawaan-Suea or Nampu-Copy aside from the friendship they share with Both-Newyear. And the other actors, like the guy who keeps trying to sabotage Lukmo's work and telling the girl in the office to do something or he will lose Lukmo, the 2 older women at the office, the company CEO, the café worker, even Simai's parents, do not provide any depth to the story, they don't bring anything interesting or do much... so I have no clue why were they were included in this series other than to have some airtime to fill.
The acting is a bit of an issue but is not as bad as other series (like Gun Napat in "Golden Blood" for example). Newyear and Aof (who plays Phob) have more experience than the rest with Newyear appearing in "I am your King Season 1" and "What the Duck 2" and Aof appearing in "Make it Right" and "Make it Right 2" while Tiger (who plays Plawaan) had a guest role in "My Engineer" as the annoying guy who flirted and tried to kiss Cooper.
The rest are newbies to acting... Kanok (who plays Simai) and Mix (who plays Lukmo) had good chemistry. There are some behind the scenes at the end of each episode and there is a scene with Kanok crying after discovering that he might be Lukmo's half-brother, when the director yells "cut", he keeps crying and is Mix who comes to console him, which was nice to see. The acting wasn't solid by any means, but they delivered decent moments when they had to. I believe directing and writing is what let them down in this series.
In the end, a series that was longer than what it should have been, that had some major plot issues and that didn't provide a satisfying end to the main couple caused by all those plot issues is what makes "Top Secret Together" another forgettable BL series. Also, anyone knows why there is a scared cat in the series poster? Makes absolutely no sense.
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Her being 31/32 and him being 15- I think that's the youngest age gap I've seen and at this point I'm not even put off by it anymore lol
There are so many movies/ dramas with an older guy and younger girl and never do I ever hear any complaints but switch the roles and everybody is up in arms. The pattern I'm seeing with these kinds of stories is that even though the guy is young, the girl is emotionally stinted; so in that aspect they are both the same age. In one episode Yumeaki tells Wako to stop acting like a child and that line genuinely took me off guard lol The child telling the adult to stop acting like a child even though his character... let's just say he has his issues.
Personally I think there is nothing wrong with a genuine friendship but lets leave the romantic stuff until they are at least adult enough to handle/ understand their emotions a bit.
I would recommend this but only for those who are mature enough to handle it. (netflix)
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Saikou no Jinsei no Owarikata - Ending Planner
29 people found this review helpful
Story 10/10: As odd as the plot sounded, this drama actually has a good amount of everything(except action...unless you count Yamapi running with music playing in the background as action.) The plot is fantastic, but I think the biggest obstacle to it's success was the fact that it deals with death(every single episode), and most people would rather not watch anything that has such a heavy subject in it. Personally, I didn't mind and rather enjoyed that unorthodox aspect of it.
Acting 10/10: Flawless and usual. Every single cast member was perfect. Yamapi, Eikura Nana, the actors who play the family members, and everyone else did an amazing job.
Music 7/10: I think I remember only one song or maybe they just had one song played over and over again. I can't remember. The one song was actually pretty good (Yamapi was the singer), but the lack of their being more memorable variety is what made me give it a 7/10.
Rewatch Value 6/10: I don't usually rewatch dramas but since the success of this drama doesn't really hinge on surprise, I would give this a 6 for rewatch (which is very high for me.)
Overall 10/10: I looked forward to new episodes of this drama every single week and that is rare for me. For people who haven't seen it yet, I would say at least watch the first episode and give it a chance. I'd even go as far as saying it's a masterpiece drama that deserves more fans.
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A unique story that is full of comedy and drama.
At first, I didn’t get the humor of this series, so I put it on my hold list. But strangely enough, I started watching Angel’s Last Mission Love, and I was mesmerized by Shin Hye Sun’s performance as a ballerina. From a ballerina to a man sent back in time as a woman. She is flawless in her performance of both. Finally, I returned to watch Mr. Queen, and I was treated to one of the most entertaining series I’ve ever watched. Please don’t miss this one.If you want a unique love story, this one is hard to top. Playing a woman with the lingering thoughts and mannerisms of a man is not easy. However, Hye Sun pulled it off with the grace of the amazing actress she is. I am not a huge fan of historical dramas with non-stop political infighting, but this one had more than that. The comedy was funny, and the drama was real, plus it had a perfect ending.
The supporting roles were well thought out, and each had its own identity. It is always a treat when you can enjoy the side stories as much as the main. That takes a writing talent which I think showed in this series. The music was also spot on and didn’t override the conversation or the story.
And finally, although I don’t know how many people read this far down, the subtitles were perfect. Good subtitles are critical to someone who doesn’t speak the language and are often taken for granted. I’ve mastered the art of reading and watching at the same time. What makes a subtitle good is when you feel they match the emotion on the screen. Thank you to the great subtitle people at Viki.
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What a story line. A MUST WATCH !
Mr. Queen is so special to my heart. I was hesitant to watch it at first. I thought oh another romcom with a body swap. I was bored with romcoms actually. But the Mr. Queen trailer kept following me everywhere on Instagram, So I decided to give it a go. And I'm fully satisfied with the desicion.The first episode was kind of overdone. The visual effects was kinda bad and the comedy was too simple and easy to predict at the first episode.(but please don't underestimate the drama, you'll miss a lot.) I mean you can imagine the comedy in body swap.But it was enjoyable. I don't lie about that. You can laugh out loud. So I thought the comedy would be the main part of the drama.
And actually the OST "Bong Hwan Aaaa" was really good. That OST was ringing inside my head for weeks when the drama started. Other OSTs of the drama are pretty damn good as well. Specially the OST " Here I am ".
As the drama progressed, the genre started to change. I thought the drama would be pure comedy. But it was not. It had so many other aspects to it. That's when the drama showed it's true colours.The drama has so many plot twists as well. So you'll enjoy it more.
I mean the queen's character development is unbelievable. I felt like Queen is completely different when I started rewatching from the beginning. The romance was great. The politics were great. And her cooking skills were even greater. It felt like comedy version of "Dae Jang Guem" at times.
The chemistry between the actors were great. I mean they deserve the recognition.Everyone really pulled it off. I'm so satisfied with their acting. I really wish they win so many awards for the drama.
And the cinematography is so nice. I mean every shot of the drama is so beautiful. So pleasing to the eye. Nice post production. Loved each and every scene. Drama was so beautiful from the beginning to end. Of course you can see the photos from MDL photos section and admire the beauty.
The Korean remake was miles better than the China original version.The ending of the drama is pretty neutral. At the end you'll think a lot about human nature and who we really are. The drama is so worth watching. What ever happens it will be beautiful.
2020 was a good year for kdrama fans. So many good drama were aired. And I rank Mr. Queen in the top 3.
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1This review may contain spoilers
"Times make the wrong choices, but history does not."
Song of the Bandits was a 1920's historical set on the border of China with a decidedly modern feel. It combined the Joseon independence movement with elements from a Sergio Leone spaghetti Western. Gun slingers and bar fights set to a raucous score led by the talented Kim Nam Gil made for an entertaining drama.Lee Yoon is the freed slave of Lee Kwang Il. Together they joined the Japanese army with Kwang rising in the ranks. Upon receiving a letter with the name and address of a man from Yoon's past he leaves and heads to the border settlements. He is given the gift if not of forgiveness, at least purpose to his life. He puts together a band of talented but misfit bandits. "They wouldn't come here if their brains worked right." An assassin is sent after him and as the days go by and the bandits' missions become more dangerous, the past, a love interest, the assassin, the Japanese, and big badder bandits are all set forth on a collision course that will leave a sea of spurting blood in their wake.
The cinematography and scenery were beautiful. Some of the sets might be familiar to Mr. Sunshine fans and there were also ones that came right out of a wild west town. I enjoyed the variety of music in this drama. The music was engaging, some songs rousing and others more quietly emotional. Spanish guitar was used as well as the whistling from old spaghetti westerns. The fight scenes were creative, blood spurting, and fast-no blurred knives. Much of the action was highly stylized. I particularly liked that the female assassin stayed competent and strong throughout the film with her own code of ethics.
The acting ran the gamut. Kim Nam Gil perfectly fit the conflicted bandit leader. Yoo Jae Myung made for a badass grandpa Legolas with his own checkered past. Lee Ho Jung held her own in scenes with KNG and she made Eon a compelling character. The bandits were archetypes-an axe wielding nimble ex-clown with sticky fingers, a drug addicted sharpshooter, and a mountain of a man. Each actor made their role their own. The relationship between Yoon and his ex-master Kwang felt ill-developed as if the writers couldn't decide if they truly wanted to cut the ties and make them bitter enemies despite Kwang's reprehensible actions. Seo Hyun was the biggest let down. She was unable to bring any depth or interest to her role as Hee Shin, leaving the character as bland as sand. There was no chemistry with Kim Nam Gil which meant when scenes focused on them or the fledgling romance the story ground to a stop.
I enjoyed this drama that for the most part was fast paced and coherent even if it became repetitive and ran out of steam near the end. The ending was abrupt leaving some questions unanswered despite the historical boundaries. That's not to say the drama wasn't entertaining, it was. The chemistry and camaraderie between the bandits and Yoon and Eon were fun and captivating. The scenery was stunning and the music was emotional and enthusiastic. Song of the Bandits brought to life the struggles and fragility of life while being occupied not only in Joseon but in communities on the border. Even though it would take another 25 years to drive the oppressors out, the drama showed how people long to be free and are willing to risk their lives in the face of insurmountable odds to protect their homeland, family, and friends. Whether you are a Kim Nam Gil fan or of historicals in general, this is one to give a try.
9/22/23
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When I say this drama is crazy it's not an overstatement, Truly undefinable.
As I said above I didn't really expect anything from this drama indeed I did find the beginning a bit slow, the first 10 eps were good but something was missing for me to fully enjoy it, I was still curious about Lu Yuan and Jiang Lai and wanted to continue for them as I loved their interactions and their chemistry and found them so intriguing. Also I was very fascinated by the Ost, the colours and the cinematography : the reason why I continued and we can clearly see it's a high budget drama and they did so much effort which are very noticeable if we pay a close attention to every little detail. And slowly I fell in love with Lu Yuan and I think it's around ep 11 when Lu Yuan ordered a Wellington Steak in a restaurant that I realised I was already under his spell and I then I told myself '' this man has clearly nothing to lose, he is special and he has something that no other male leads have, he is strange, full of tricks, fearless and hilarious'' this instant I knew this drama had an offbeat feel and that it would suit my current mood.
This is a story about a man, Lu Yuan who lost everything in the United States and decides to come back to his motherland with his friend's ashes, he is then his friend's daughter guardian and has the duty to take care of her until she becomes an adult. We will follow each and every of his adventure in China, his reunion with his past friends (mostly his ex girlfriend) and his meeting with one enigmatic and fickle woman, Jiang Lai. It looks simple reading it like that but that's all what transported me for 42 eps.
Undeniably Lu Yuan was the highlight of the show and he was truly the only shining star for me though I loved Jiang Lai and Lau Tai Tai (Da Hai's mother) a lot. Lu Yuan is not a character he is more than that, simply too real and too charismatic to be unreal (in my world), that's how much I love and admire this man, we all need a Lu Yuan in our life to illuminate our days.
Of course I need to mention the gorgeous Jian Shu Ying, who completely stole my heart here with her beautiful smile, her mannerisms, capricious and lovely personality, simply I fell in love with her charisma, I think she has a peculiar beauty but all those traits make her so elegant and lovely. She made a great pair with our main actor Sun HongLei and I love every one of their scene together. Da Hai's mother was the sweetest and loveliest character in the drama, so caring, she's also the only one who made me cry here, some of her scenes are too powerful. Of course I loved the little cutie Xiao Cai who truly loves and admires Lu Yuan for who he is, never judging him and accepting him the way he is, without conditions. They both made me smile so much. I did like the other characters, Jia He could be very adorable and understanding but I didn't like how she always wanted to control Lu Yuan's life, she could easily become irritating at times. Don't have much to say about Jiang Haokun and Gan Jing, they clearly don't inspire me!
There are 42 eps but I can tell you that when I was already at the end I wish there were more waiting for me. ><
Now the Ost, I immediately fell in love with this music, I mean the first thing that attracted me in this drama is the opening so enchanting and beautiful, both musically and visually and it's the best I ever heard/seen. The songs and pieces of music here fitted perfectly with the atmosphere of the drama and were well chosen for certain scenes. I love the ending song "Lu Yuan" so so so much, aww.
I think this drama is definitely not for everyone, though it's very special to me and it means a lot as it brought me so many laughter and enjoyment. I'd recommend it more to people who are looking for mature, delirious, not typical and realistic stories though it has a bit of fantasy* (EDIT: eventhough* it felt weird and inappropriate at times it didn't bother me too much hence I change my 9.5 into a 10).
THIS DRAMA IS TERRIBLY UNDERRATED, hope it eventually gets the attention it deserves.
Last but not least I love this quote : "True love is actually very simple and plain, whenever I sit next to him just by the look in his eyes, the tone in his voice I feel strongly that we could both read each other's minds. Some people might never come across such a feeling." Lu Yuan truly deserves to be loved.
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There is RAPE – very GRAPHIC. This is not a spoiler, this is a warning. If you cannot stomach that, then don't watch it. I found it as unexpected as I did in A Round Trip to Love – very GRAPHIC and Together With Me.
This is an manga based movie. Of all the mangas, yaoi mangas, they could have picked from to turn into a film they chose this one boggles the mind. I went to read the manga* after this travesty to see if I could rationalize this travesty, however two things seemed to happen:
Questions:
1) did the scriptwriters feel they had to remain faithful to the manga?! 2Moons scriptwriters felt the same to their doom.
2) why choose such a poorly conceptualized story? - was it b/c of the popularity of Nodame Cantabile?
I didn’t have a clue for no.1 b/c really that leaves the characters utterly one dimensional and useless. As for no.2, It covers 2 points. The massive craze over BL that has taken over East Asian girls and international girls and men across the board. fujoshi fandom love. In addition, you get to tap into the Nodame Cantabile craze. Mentally it's a win-win. Problem is everything else.
This is a horribly conceptualized story about obsessive love, control, rape, cognitive dissonance, and abuse. We have an individual who will leave everything in his world behind, everything he has owned and search to the ends of the Earth to find this fig mental "thing" he has deemed his love. Then he will take what he "loves" and FORCE it to "love" him back. DEMAND it. The absurdity of it all is that everyone around the victim seems to believe the victim was blessed to be loved in such a way. The victim sees the absurdity of the situation but then falls prey to this thinking and believes the lie of those around him.
** You don't need to read the manga to understand film. I never read before the film. I just read it to see if I could rationalize something. However, it was a direct copy. It did help me in thinking through some of the ideas a bit. Not much.
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I binged the whole series and didn't regret it. The acting is great, lots of laughs all the way through, the romance is swoon-worthy (ugh the main guy's devotion to her is unreal ~jealous~), and even the more emotional parts of the drama are well done. No, this is not a masterpiece but definitely worth watching.
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Where Something in the Rain tried and failed, One Spring Night tries and scores a home run.
He is "flawed", he is a single dad of a son. She's got a boyfriend at the start and are starting to talk about Marriage, but she's not on the same page and frustrated with the relationship. This sets up the tone for a story with lots of factors working against the couple, whether it's the notion that she might be considered to have "cheated" on her boyfriend, or whether others will accept that she wants to get involved with a single dad and all the "baggage" that brings. Parents on both sides bring challenges but they're different, the ML's parents are over protective about things that might bring him the kind of sadness that left him a single dad and the FL's parents are traditional and "difficult".
I was absolutely delighted with the FL's mother in this, you can see her growing and evolving around the changing situation around her and reacting in a really great and supportive way - even if it takes her a bit to get there. The same actress played the absolutely nasty mother in Something in the Rain so this was a redemption from my perspective, as odd as that might sound :)
Initially I was confused about why the FL wasn't being more direct about breaking up with her boyfriend, and I must confess that I'm married to my first love (24 years now) so... i'm totally inexperienced in this kind of thing... but as the story progressed I grew to appreciate that it hadn't been a binary switch-off, it made the time that things properly change that much more valuable when it happened, and also meant that her previous relationship wasn't trivialised and thereby her attitude to relationships in general wasn't.
It did also somewhat talk to one of my other general meanderings - if someone cheats, betrays a partner, and goes to someone else... surely the new partner must always have in the back of their mind - that person has already demonstrated that they have the capacity to change, to betray and to move on, what worked in their favour today could happen again but against them. The ML's insecurities about this surface at an important point and it creates some tension but I thought it was dealt with well.
There are other arcs in this as well, I think that the general arc that follows her and her sisters around and the things happening to them is probably just as important as the main love story.
I struggle to find flaw with this, I was just so happy watching it all the way through, other than towards then end when I realised I was going to run out of show and this amazing couple were no longer going to be in my life, but, i'll probably get over that when I start my next drama :-P
Highly recommended, and as the flow is not really ruined by knowing what happens, it makes it all the more easy to re-watch again if you want 16 episodes of lovely warmth to keep you company on a cold weekend.
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The perfect comedy to cure your drama hangover/withdrawal
What an unexpected delight! This show is loaded with laughs and parodies of common costume drama tropes. It's so silly yet funny that you will pay no attention to its less than stellar plot.This is the perfect change-up to cure your drama withdrawal as its silliness and hilarity is sure to break the trance. Best of all, there should be no concerns about whether the plot will suck, angst, unsatisfactory ending, and all that nonsense. Just laugh along for the ride and get off investment free if the funny stops.
Also kudos to the FL for not afraid to look ugly occasionally for the lols.
7.5 (+1.0 MDL inflation)
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Season 1 was fun and engaging, this one is just a snoozefest - i cant remember how many times i dozed off while watching the entire season. This whole season is a continuation of season 1 which could have been done in 1 or 2 episodes. Scenes in each episodes are stretched far too long, just boys trying to be cute, with zero sense to what they were saying and doing.
There were so many things to hate:
1) almost all students in this boys school are gay with very few straight characters who dont even matter;
2) gay teacher who engages in online chat with student;
3) forced coupling (lukmo and yok);
4) oversexed high school student (book and frame);
5) i thought the jean issue would never end;
6) inconsistent characters (Nine, Rodtang, Fing)
7) absent parents who allow high school kids to live on their own with almost no supervision, parents who let other people care for their kid in the hospital, and those parents who are present but were mostly annoyance;
8) did i say the whole season was stretched far too long, the pacing was so slow, there were so many filler moments and just boys staring and sweettalking to each other that doest add to the whole story. By the end of this series, im also almost annoyed with the 2 main leads.
Just run away, skip this series. Just read the plot summary and be done with it, no need to torture yourself by watching this.
Im only giving this an overall 5.5 just because Ohm and Boom are so cute.
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