I have never seen a live action bl done so well and Tanaka Kei plays our awkward main character to perfection. I love the way he portrays this man suddenly being confessed to by his boss and his best friend. Sure he isn't married and has constantly been rejected by woman, but God (the director) has given him two potential love interests. It's a hilarious comedy and you will find yourself cringing at all the right times. The ending will leave you smitten and happy you watched it. I also find his honesty as a straight male Japanese man, finding out that too men like him refreshing because he's speaking out what society has made him believe male on male relationships are like. So it is even more refreshing when we see his perspective change and truly look at these men who are in love him at face value. But overall this is hilarious and a great watch, and if your'e bored and want to spend 48 minutes and 11 seconds of your life, laughing your heart out, watch it in the link below:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x59hsx0
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The setting of the drama is in Kure, a naval city in Hiroshima province. The story told about Suzu's and her new family life during the harsh time of WWII. (it touch a little bit about the Atomic bombing at Hiroshima). It was very interesting to see how the Japanese lived and what they felt during the war. Personally, I was born from a country which was used to be occupied by the Japanese. The textbook only taught about one side view of the war. Being the oppressed or the occupier. It was interesting to see it from the other side of the view and learn that no one wants to go to war and war really does not benefit anybody (the one who starts always is the person from the above not the people).
I'm not very familiar with the casts. But they sure did a wonderful job. The act feels really natural and the story is not being forced at all. I can say very confidently that even if you read the manga, you won't be disappointed or being bored with this drama.
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It's one of writer Lee's great works "she also wrote Sorry I Love You, A Love To Kill, Thank You, Innocent Man..."
The plot for this show was really great and the acting was fabulous...
both Rain and Gong Hyo Jin played their roles perfectly but the big surprise was Lee Dong Gun...he was so great that you won't mind seeing him end up with Sang Doo (the male lead) instead of Eun Hwan...
for short this drama has it all from humor to drama to romance to school...For me it's Just a must watch ^^
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Subversion of Chinese Rom Com tropes with love and feminism
You're not going to understand this drama is you haven't watched Chinese Rom Coms before.The whole drama is a satire of Chinese Rom Coms. So if you're viewing it as a pure Chinese Rom Com, you're going to miss a lot.
It particularly aims at Gu Man and Zhao Qian Qian's Rom Coms, and makes constant references to both. But in holding up the tropes of rom coms, it also aims to subvert them with a lot of love and inject reality into the drama.
Gu Man always has the rumor mill as part of her writing as why the characters get together, but this drama plays heavily with the idea that rumors can get characters together.
And Zhao Qian Qian's dramas always plays with the woman/girl being in humanities, like English/Lit/Chinese, etc and then the guy being in science of some sort. But the drama plays with this trope and inserts a sweeter message about this idea. It particularly takes shots at "Put your Head on My Shoulder", but also some of her other dramas (with a lot of love).
Lu Wan Wan ends up being the person who is the science major. And looks like she'll earn more money. And Ren Chu isn't made dumb at a cost of this. Ren Chu is more smart on the humanities side--mentioning foreign languages, etc.
The basic format is to set up the trope, then subvert the trope (this is second and third act), then insert a sweeter message about the philosophy of love. The setting up of the trope always comes with a bit of second-hand cringe which comes from the inexperience of the characters and I'm always finding myself hiding behind blankets, pillows, etc as it is happening and then going wrong. The subversion is always, always funny, as what you expect to happen never happens and what the characters state should happen never happens in some of the funniest scenes. But the thing that really captures your heart in the end is the ending messages of each of the episodes on various subject matters. Some of the subjects include how to deal with rumors, love contracts, forced and accidental kisses, "trapped mystery room", "Best friend knows best", evil girl, etc. And the ending message is always uplifting about what love is and could be compared to how it is portrayed in dramas.
The top complaints about this drama are probably unfounded based on the fact many of the commenters don't seem to understand how subtle of a hand this drama has.
The comments about how long it takes for the characters to get together--the drama justifies this up front with you and tells you this is going to be the case--because that's not the point of the drama. It doesn't sacrifice character development to do this, if anything, it's spending time on each of the "How they get together" tropes to develop the characters and their sense of what love is so you really, really believe the ending of the drama that much more.
The writing's downfall is because it relies so much on tropes, it can make it seem slower than people expect it to be. Sitting through uncomfortable tropes makes it a bit difficult, but it always pulls out of the nose dive and inserts feminism later. And the other weakness of the writing is that the "evil" best friend isn't really fleshed out--but I kinda feel like this was cut out of the drama rather than intentionally ignored/cut down. But the better messages about what love is and is not are worth watching the drama for. (The Second Lead's love story enhances the Lead's love story and is wrth the watch for the character development and message it says).
The acting and directing though--there are some really gorgeous and well-thought out camera work from the director, as the director uses various types of shots to communicate how the characters feel, but doesn't substitute that for the trust in the actors. And the acting exaggerates the character types to the nth degree on purpose, so it reads as overacting in some parts, but doesn't betray the character's write up. This shores up some of the weaknesses in the writing and enhances it, so I did find it stronger than the writing.
The production values are probably around 7 or so. They didn't have the highest budget in the world, BUT they used it well. There are various locations, there are filters naturally applied, the actors are (mostly) not dubbed over without their voices. So if you don't pay attention that closely you won't notice the budget is not really that high. HOWEVER, it doesn't scream to you they had over-the moon budget.
This is slow, steady, slice of life and delivers laughs throughout with the best messages about what love is, if you're willing to take the time with it and not treat it as a fast food drama, but pay attention to some of the details.
Feminism tests:
Mako Mori: Clean pass, but it takes a while for the female character to find what her goal is and that is for herself. But it's done in the sweetest way possible and the drama constantly promises you along the way it'll get there. So when you do, your jaw drops at the feels. (I wasn't crying. No really. And I wasn't pounding my chest. I swear.)
Bechdel Test: Clean pass first episode within a few minutes of the episode, without question. Two named female characters talk about... medical issues related to the class.
Sexy Lamp: Easy pass first episode and keeps passing into the second episode with an even cleaner pass. Lu Wan Wan is not a sexy lamp. She's shown to be smart, able, makes decisions that affect other characters which changes the direction of the plot definitely, definitely more than one time and isn't only a pretty face. This is true throughout the drama where instead of losing agency like in the melting or evaporating woman trope, she gains agency and makes more firm decisions which naturally grow with her character development. (Honestly, this made it a pleasure to watch since the drama promised from the first it would do this, and really delivers on the promise.
Other feminism it does includes, but is not limited to, examining codependent relationships, asking questions about "wanting to change the romantic partner", and gendering of some of the rom com stock characters.
If this were food... I'd rate this Taro Cake. You were expecting sweet, but did you expect the taro to be nutritious and in there? No. But do you enjoy it anyway? Yes.
I tried knitting to this drama, but made a lot of mistakes because it was too good. So I wouldn't craft to this.
Front burner type of drama, not back burner. Pay attention and you get rewarded highly.
If you pay attention well enough, it'll ruin all the rom coms you watch after it. I'm struggling with some rom coms currently where I can't help but think back to this drama and how they showed how love could be done better. Only one other drama has ever done this to me--The King of Dramas (Korean). So that says a lot. (And I watched a TON of dramas, more than listed on my profile.)
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Mind-blowing
First, the cast and the acting are superb. Truly, Gong Yoo is perfect for the role of goblin(Kim Shin). The other characters have also shown their charisma. Moreover, I'm in a love with its OST. The OST will definitely touch your heart. Also, This is not only full of sad romance and emotional feelings, but the comedy used in this drama was also epic. Especially, the plot or storyline of the story is so much interesting and heart-touching. I will give thanks to Kim Eun-Sook for writing this mind-blowing drama. I cried more than thrice while watching this drama. Also, I laughed countless times. I have watched many dramas but still, it is a drama which I can't forget just for a moment. You should obviously watch this drama at least once.Was this review helpful to you?
There is no first love and young romance, childhood friends, even no simple motive of revenge.
This is a political drama with strong characters who carry the entire show.
Motivations of people's acting, a desire of the power, dreams of perfect society and state are portrayed excellent.
The main question of this story is that: does the end justify the means? Is this a true what Machiavelli said that everyone is evil and you must do anything to gain a political power?
Surprisingly, although there are some corruption motives, this drama isn’t about corruption, but rather about what politics do and what it looks like.
Director’s job is splendid! The director (Kwak Jeong Hwan) is also an author of Miss Hammurabi, and if you like Miss Hammurabi, you will like Chief of staff too.
The acting is brilliant, because:
Kim Dong Jun acting is better and better.
Elliya Lee, after her odd and makjang appearance in The Last Empress, has a real character to play here and I like her.
Lee Jung Jae and Shin Min Ah (the leads) are amazing. They present serious relationship involved in job and moral dilemmas.
Kim Gab Soo (the true lead!) is AWESOME. Try this drama to watch his impressive performance! I hope he will receive an award.
We all know that dividing drama into two parts has no sense, but in this case it breaks in a perfect time.
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If you watched the drama you'il probably dislike this but as i said earlier seeing the old tricks worth wasting your time on it.
Yes it could have been better but the effort is granted.
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the best Kdrama
I rarely give any review to a drama but this one is one of the best! I love the push and pull moments where they break up and be back to one another. I love the characters and I am in love with the plot. It was a cliche story but the characters did justice to the plot that is why I really loved the whole drama.I love tragic ending but I rarely cry to it and youth of my had given me another night to remember. The whole scene of myeong hee lying on the ground while hee tae being pulled by the soldier was so heartbreaking yet a satisfying scene to watch. I cried the whole night thinking about how miserable the ending was but nevertheless it was an amazing journey to watch such a indescribable drama.
From myeong hee sacrificing her life for others to hee tae respecting myeong hee's decision. I bow down to their relationship. I learned so many things watching the youth of may. I will miss every minute of it.
I recommend to everyone to watch this. Its so worth it!!
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A beautiful memoir to the Gwangju uprising and a even more beautiful Love Story
I started this because I fell head over heels in love with Lee Do Hyun after watching 18 Again. So I anxiously counted down the days to its release and watched every episode while they were aring, waiting and checking for subs. Staying up late just so I could watch the next episode.AND. LET. ME. TELL. YOU!! THIS DRAMA!! Thiis FREAKING dramma!! Right heere is...everything.
There are so many things i absolutly adored about it. The music was perfectly chosen from the uplifting lighthearted tunes to the heartbreaking balades, it all fit the mood and the charachters so perfectly that it just completly melted into the story. You know the Ost is good when it just feels natrual for it to be there, almost as if its just backround noise.
Plus watchign Lee Do Hyun play the guitair is always a straight way into my heart.
The acting was "Chefs Kiss"
I already knew that Lee Do hyun is a great freaking actor. I stan him for a reason after all but Go Min Si really also positivly suprised me. The intimacy between them felt tangible and real. Every emotional scene, kiss and hug was just wow. Hands down has one of the best Kiss scenes i've seen in K-Dramaland. Not because it was dramatic but because you could really feel the emotions in they'r slow tentative actions. The kisses were always filled with love and you could feel it as a viewer.
This drma was just overflowing with emotions. When they cried you could feel the pain and desperation. And daaamn I just wanted to scream who hurt my babiiies.
Knowing the historic backround of the Gwangju uprising I was expecting angst but daaamn I was not prepared. All I will say is that I bawled my eyes out more than once watching this so be sure to keep tissues near.
I absolutly adoored the characters. All of them, even if they were anyoing at times (yes I mean Lee Soo Ryun) were lovable and human. They all had their own struggles and passions and developed throughout the story. Lee Soo Ryun, even if i wanted to hit her at times, i can also understand her. She had her reason for acting the way she did and you cant fault a girl for being passionate about the things important to her.
Hawn hee Tae was so freaking lovable and adorable and passioante like a puppy. I just want to hug him. And Kim Myung Hee my giirl. Ughh I just want to give them all a hug and keep them away from the big bad world.
One of the things i absolutly loved about this drama was the way the love story progressed. You dont see this kind of passionate but at the same time sweet and pure love often portrayed. Theyr love really felt like those once in a life time kind of loves that are larger than life. I loved that the characters were just head over heals for each other. No pretending not to like each other or acting coy. Oh noo boyy these two love each other deeply and they show it. Of course bad things happen, but the way to love was never a straight line. But through all the desicions they make I never doubted their love for each other. For my Romance loving heart I got everything I wanted in this. The Angst was delicious and I felt butterflies during the fluffy scenes. They had a really good balance between the fluff and angst. The story never gets stuck or stays rooted in a problem for too long. And when a problem gets solved it was always so freaking satisfying. Not to spoil but daaamnn so many good and satisfying scenes that just make the angst and heartache soo worth it!
And last but not least the Gwangju Uprising. I loved how at the start of the Drama its just about normal people living theyr lives. You get to know these characters and love them and then you see what happens with all these characters when tragedy strikes out of nowhere. Pesonaly I didnt know anything about the Gwangju uprising before watching this drama and I was even more schoked after looking it up. How such a thing could happen is beyond me. And my heart really ached when I imagined that this really happend. Real and inoccent people lost they'r lives and loved ones. And maybe this show didnt show everything that happend during the uprising but it did show the sheer violence and brutality used by the military and just how freaking unfair and unjustified it was. As a plus point you actually get a lot of different points of view throughout the story from characters in the military to characters who gave the orders. Even the smallest character got a full story and development. Which Kudos to that. It aint easy with little screentime but they even made me love the small side characters.
So do I need to count down anymore reasons to watch this? I dont think so. If you havent already, give this Beautiful Piece a try.
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The things that I liked about the drama:
-The storyline is unique. Not the one-person's-soul-entering-another-body thing. But the part that came after that.
- The acting is top notch. You can feel every emotion of Song Huun Chul, Hye Jin and Yun Hwa. Their struggle with this new reality that they face, that they never expected is portrayed wonderfully.
- The music is good. Specially the song 'Monochrome'. It fit the settings perfectly.
- The kid actors did a good job too.
- Not to sound like a fangirl or anything, but Kai is wonderfully and deliciously beautiful.
- The drama focused on human behavior. And the mesaage it send is a good one.
The things that I wasn't sure about:
- This was more of a slow paced drama. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But around the middle part, it did seem a bit draggy.
- A lot of moral dilemmas involved in the drama which I wasn't sure how to feel about. While the drama wasn't solely focused on romantic relationships, to the extent that they were present, they were quite...well, complicated. I, as a viewer, wasn't sure if what the male lead was doing could be considered "right". If, there could be a right and wrong in such exaggerated fantasical situation.
Overall, it's a drama that deserves a chance. And it's quite enjoyable. So, go ahead and give it a try.
Happy Watching!!
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I already watch the movie version, so i thought this drama would just be a draggy version of it.
But i was wrong! It got me hooked from the 1st episode.
The siblings fight, funny side kick, unique classmates, and the monologue at the end are the most memorable part for me.
Shi Fen and Shi Miao are the usual quarreling siblings. Meanwhile the Wan brothers are unrealistic dramatic siblings, but they're just refreshing to see.
Even though i dont really like dramas with school setting, this one is an exception. I love how the classmates and teachers weren't just one dimensional characters. They had their own story and good development.
Sun Qian and Joseph Zeng had great chemistry playing as siblings. The side characters did really well too. However Mark Ma, who portrayed Wan Xing stole my attention. It's amazing how well he play the character of a matured 12 years old.
The drama itself is full of hilarious scenes, but i find a lot of unnecessary fillers in it.
I would've give it a 10 if ending were much better. After 29 episodes of adventure, it ended rushed and bland when it could've been more impactful.
The intro song were funny, meanwhile the outro were more mellow which suits the mood
However this is truly my type of drama, no romance just siblings hood and friendship. They keeps the comedy coming and you'll laugh all the way from the beginning to the end. So for me I'd definitely be rewatching it
I recommend it to people who wants a light hearted comedy watch to pass the time
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It was a really tragic story but sometimes I like these type of ending... I loved how Hee Tae remember her and tried to found her alive.....
My mom used to tell me when you can't end up with your lover , there will be a pain inside of you forever ....this pain will give you a pleasure forever how you remember only good things about him .... Now I think my mom is right ... We saw how Hee Tae remembers about Myeong hee after so many years and think about only good things ... There wasn't a moment they hated each other for a second... Whatever today's youngsters should watch this drama to know history, to know they are leading a better life ....
this drama doesn't need so many words .. it's simply awesome and I really love this dramaaaaaa....😍😍🖤
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It started with very strong plot possibilities and excitement, which made me wonder what would be the best possible route
I would like the plot to take. But after a few episodes drama works its magic and you fall into its flow of tone and instead of imagining all the scenarios, you just look forward to the drama.
The acting was the stronger aspect to look for in the drama as Im Joo Hwan totally nailed it. There were times I was frustrated by his character's decisions to continue the revenge and all but well his character is a killer and t would be strange if I understood all his decisions :)) . Even until the ending his character was well expressed.
What catches you most is the editing and drama style with great use of slow-motion and subtle scenes with equally good music in the background. The drama followed this way throughout the episodes and it engages you in the story more emotionally.
As all dramas have some backfall it does have its own. Well, the scriptwriting was done good but I was tired of hearing the same sentences again and again. It would have been great if they had been a little more creative while delivering the same dialogues.
As a drama junkie, I felt the chemistry between leads developed a bit faster than in other dramas. but they wrapped around it well enough because of the continuous plot which slowed down and picked speed but never stopped for fillers.
This drama was satisfying in many ways and made me look forward to the next episode every time. With a well-written ending and the last couple of episodes, it wraps up with a smile on your face and contentment filling your heart.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Wholesome Take on High School Romance!
I highly recommend this show if you are looking for the following:• Wholesome and healthy relationships
• Engaging characters progressions
• Solid chemistry between the cast
• Moderate comedic tone
• Excellent music
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SPOILER BELOW
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What I love:
1. Gun and Tinn's relationship develops steadily and does not go backward. It's a fun and rewarding experience to root for Tinn and Gun because each episode culminates in a milestone in their relationship stages. They have a healthy relationship and resolve any potential conflict through meaningful conversations. Viewers are continuously rewarded in this journey with a simple yet effective ending scene in each episode, such as Gun realizing he may like Tinn in episode 3, the little fingers interaction in episode 4, and Tinn blushing when Gun starts reciprocating his feeling in episode 7.
2. Gun and Tinn have contrasting character progressions, which is refreshing to watch—in contrast to Gun's, Tinn's significant personal development happened prior to the first episode. He had changed from whom Gun called 'NobiTinn', a seemingly less sociable bookworm, into this unyielding, reliable, and ever-supportive individual before we were even introduced to him. As we observe Gun's character growth through many ups and downs, having Tinn in these scenes with Gun assures us that things will be alright. Apart from his eventual relationship with Gun, we can say that Tinn has not changed; he is very much the same person that we knew from the first episode.
3. Despite the different approaches that Tinn's mom and Gun's mom take in nurturing their sons, they love their sons just the same. It's almost natural to like Gun's mom from the start, as she is the more understanding and easygoing mother of the two mother figures. Viewers were challenged with the possibility of Tinn's mom being the villain of this series. But, despite relatively more limited scenes, Tinn's mom has proved us wrong through her masterful performance in the later episodes. Both "I love whoever you love" and "It's okay, I was the reason you were afraid to tell" are equally powerful messages to their sons and the viewers.
4. This series uses humor smartly. The earlier episodes have plenty of slapstick and comedic scenes, effectively showing the innocence of high school students. As Gun matures and has to focus not only on his band but also Tinn, more serious, pivotal, and romantic scenes are added to sustain his character growth while staying true to the comedic nature.
5. Music is an integral part of this series, and the cast performs passionately. Each episode has 1 or 2 covers or original soundtracks effectively integrated into the plot. The singers are excellent, and their emotion flows nicely into the scenes. My recommendation for the original soundtrack is episode 12's ก้อนหินกับดวงดาว (Rock & Star), and the cover is episode 5's ฟัง (Listen). But, honestly, it's hard to pick favorites because all the OSTs are amazing.
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What I wish were different:
1. The overall message about Hot Wave was centered only on winning it. From the early episodes, Hot Wave has been set as the band's endgame. We have observed the bandmates growing musically, academically and becoming a better team until the Hot Wave final result in episode 11. Unfortunately, after losing in the final, the band focused only on the outcome, not the journey. Until the Hot Wave arc's closure in episode 11, Gun apologized for failing to lead the band to victory. This is mainly addressed by the 'Once Upon a Time' song, but I wished there was a scene to remind the band that the Hot Wave result does not and will never invalidate their immense growth.
2. The other bandmates need more backstories and serious scenes before the conflict in episode 11. As viewers are more used to watching them on a lighter note, the sudden tonal shift to a heavy argument scene will come as a surprise.
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Best Episode -- Episode 3!
This episode has a special place in my heart; it reminds me of my relationship in high school, from preparing for mid-term examinations together and sneaking into an empty classroom to slow dance and enjoying the moment while the band was playing music during the school festival. Unfortunately, it didn't work out between us after graduation, and I honestly wasn't settled with the closure that I got.
But this episode helped me remember and process my feelings at that time. And looking at it from the 3rd party point of view through this episode, I understood that regardless of the outcome, those tiny pockets of moments were special. I am grateful!
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Takeaways:
The director (Au Kornprom Niyomsil) and his team are fantastic. 'My School President' now differs significantly from the trailer shown during GMMTV 2022. The amount of effort to research and pivot in such a short time must have been tremendous. Thank you for the great effort and for delivering us this masterpiece.
The main cast is incredibly talented. Fourth and Gemini are perfectly cast as high school students starting their coming-to-age moment. No matter what the scene is about, be it comedic, romantic, or emotional, they manage to do it flawlessly. And they can sing very well! I am sure many people are hooked from the very first note that Fourth sang in episode 1's อยากร้องดังดัง, or their duet in episode 2's ข้างกัน (city).
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I look forward to cheering for them as they grow and get many more meaningful projects to hone and showcase their talents.
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I was very disappointed. So if you have seen the series and watch this, just think of it as a bonus episode and not a movie. If you haven't already watched the series then I suggest you do because it is quite clever and enjoyable.
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