Reviews

All I've ever wanted is for a mainstream Thai channel to give us a cute and wholesome GL main couple, and it's finally happened. *throw confetti* Thank you, Ch3. They may have possibly just begun a golden era of Thai GLs.

Story centers around Punpun. She wants to be an idol, but her dad wants her to be a doctor. Her family is super sweet and supportive. They try to hide her competing to be an idol from her dad. And so she's struggling to balance her time between studying for exams to enter med school, competing and having a girlfriend. It's not easy at all.

Punpun and Itim are the cutest ever. Their relationship feels so sweet and natural. I like how they both had their own lives and dreams that they were pursuing while balancing being in each other's life. I feel like what happens with them is very realistic, and the way they handled things was quite healthy and mature given their circumstances.

Itim means "ice cream". So that's why you see that ice cream icon next to her name.

The story itself is about 80 minutes long, so the length of a movie split into two episodes. Tbh I like the split in that it gave me enough time to digest the set up in the first episode in order to fully appreciate what happens in the second. There is enough story in this to have been a series, but we take what we can get. 80 minutes is pretty great, too. I was totally immersed with Punpun's struggles, her cute family and GIRLFRIEND.

The OST totally has me hugging my pillow from the cuteness. It fits the story so well.

"Just the way you are.
Just that.
Just follow your heart.
You'll always have me.
Ready to be by your side."

I'm DYINGGGGGGG.

ENDING

If anyone is confused about the ending, don't be. What Gramma says about her relationship with Gramps is meant to foreshadow Punpun and Itim's relationship.

Read More

Living with Debt or Guilt

Being warned by earlier reviews not to waste my time on Hi Flower/Ugly Girl Hai Ru Hua I still couldn't resist watching this series. I like the actors, both played in Ten Miles Of Peach Blossom, I love romcoms about student life, and I don't mind if the story gets darker as long as I can relate to the characters. Just like watching Moon Lovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo. This k-drama started very light, but before I knew it, I could only watch it with a tissue box at hand. Still I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Synopsis
Hi Flower is a romcom/drama about growing pains at campus and living with debt, or guilt. Female lead Lu Ruhua (Zhu Xudan) suffers from heavy debts of her family and high medical bills due to the heart disease of her twin brother. Eager to earn every penny she can get she's a jack-of-all-trades, selling all kind of services at her university "except for my body". One day she encounters the male lead, wealthy heir Wen Chu (Lai Yi) who immediately clashes with her because of her materialistic attitude. Eventually his hate turns into love. Still their budding relationship is full of misunderstandings and unlucky events. Will they find happiness together, or do they have to live separately, feeling guilty for the rest of their life?

The good
I know there are a lot of complaints about the characters. The female lead is too much of a saint...the male lead is immature, self centered...the girls are either highly naive or mean...the boys are lazy, a bunch of users. Yes, agreed to all that, but isn't this picture quite realistic too? Naturally we like to see kick-ass heroines, relatable boyfriends, understanding parents and such, but my experience is this takes a long haul in real life, with obstacles and unruliness along the way, and the end not yet in sight. I found myself drawn into the story, it had a nice flow as well. Also I loved the chemistry between the actors.

The Bad
This drama contains a lot of clichés like in Boys over Flowers. There's this poor, hard working girl, troubled by the debt of her family, she's loved and admired by several men, and she likes this rich, arrogant boy, against all odds, despite of his antagonistic family. Moreover the light and funny events in the first season change into angsty, tear jerking moments in the second.

Still...if you like a student life romcom blended with melodrama this is for you. The ending isn't all that bad.

Read More

Brucesploitation, sexploitation, this was an abysmal kung fu movie. I can sit through just about any kung fu movie but nearly dropped this 90-minute movie-twice-while watching it.

What drew me to the movie was the cast---Lo Lieh, Nora Miao, Michael Chan, a host of famous kung fu stuntmen, and Bolo even makes a guest appearance! Bruce Le was not playing Bruce Lee, his character's name was Bruce Wong, but he tried to duplicate some of THE Bruce Lee's mannerisms which came across as laughable.

Bruce Wong was trying to find Bruce Lee's secrety secret Kung Fu Finger Book which had been entrusted to his sifu. Lo Lieh, playing the Big Bad Lee Hung, was after it as well. There you go, that's the plot. Bruce Wong's sister and ex-girlfriend were kidnapped three times. Did they get their frequent kidnapping card punched each time? There was gratuitous nudity, one scene had a naked woman being threatened with a snake. Those scenes pandering to fifteen-year-old boys dropped my rating to a 1. I gave it a 1 point bump for Lo Lieh and Bolo.

The fight scenes were actually pretty good, especially the ones Bruce Le wasn't in. Wong's buddy and an Interpol agent spent a great deal of time fighting each other and the baddies as well. The strong bit part players lent to some good fights. The nunchuck work, however, like Le's Bruce Lee mannerisms should have been omitted.

The problem the director and writer had was they didn't know what to do in between fights or how to develop anything that resembled a coherent story. Let's kidnap and threaten the women again! Show some boobs! Let's have a shot of someone walking down the street or down a hallway! How about watching someone drive a car or play cards? How about two people watching television? Should we have them say anything that would be considered plot or character development? What's that?

This might have been a watchable movie if Bruce Le hadn't tried to look like and act like Bruce Lee. All he managed to do was remind me how charismatic the original was. Michael Chan seemed to be channeling his inner Bruce, too. It might have been a watchable movie if the women hadn't been there to be objectified and tormented. They didn't need the women as bait because the "good" guys were always looking for a fight anyway. This movie had a strong kung fu cast, with good fights, and a magic kung fu book, everything a kung fu movie needs. Too bad the filmmakers took the low road into exploitation.

Read More

If you've been watching Korean movies and dramas long enough, you must be familiar with Park Sung-woong, as he is usually cast as villain, gangster (just look at 'New World'), or as a common ahjussi.
I never expected it would be this fascinating to see Park Sung-woong's fresh character. Seriously though, Park Sung-woong in this movie is so precious, maybe we won't be able to see it again in the future.
Alongside Park Sung-woong, there are Jinyoung and Ra Mi-ran.

The Dude in Me has some absurd scene due to being comedy genre and there are too some "dear viewers, please cry!" moments but it doesn't really succeed as I'm not symphatized enough. The emotions feel kind of shallow and the chemistry between the characters seems off (Jinyoung proved me he's a decent actor though but the chemistry is just...). However it's still bearable and I'm here for the comedy anyway so it's forgiven.

In conclusion, The Dude in Me is a good comedy movie, it accomplished its purpose of entertaining the viewers. Maybe you too should give it a try?

Read More

I watched this film immediately after watching the Prequel, and was surprised by how different the vibe was. While I had enjoyed the first film, I feel it lacks the heart that this film has. Not just because the characters have grown up in this film and are experiencing adulthood (and the actors, I believe, have become much more experienced :)), but because the simple scope of this movie is that of an entire community and what it means to be a part of it. The ending of this film was amazing, and I think that it is one I will want to rewatch. It transcended the humor to be about a lot of people, and I think that's what I enjoyed the most. :) I would recommend it, especially if you enjoy Arashi!

Read More

This is one hell of a hilarious movie. As the other reviewer Shaz22 said, this movie teaches you an important lesson. However the way it's done is what distinguishes it. Being a fan of mystery, this movie sets up the story and its mysteries perfectly in such an entertaining and unpredictable way that makes it total fun watch that you don't feel the time. Some hints given you can catch on pretty early while others totally gets you off guard.

The movie tells the story of a number of individuals that get involved with our hero, the king of apology, Ryoro Kurojima, in different timelines through different point of views which makes the whole movie into puzzle pieces that all goes into place by the end of it.

Of course this movie wouldn't have been the same if it wasn't for it's cast. Abe Sadao sure was brilliantly casted but we also have the lovely Inoue Mao in a yet totally different character that we're used to, Takenouchi Yutaka, Takahashi Katsumi, Matsuyuki Yasuko, Okada Masaki as well as others and each one has his own distinct way of being hilarious.

And when you thought it couldn't get any more hilarious, the ending is beats that expectation. It's funny that throughout the movie they give you the hint, you just never catch on until the director decides to let you catch on.

I totally recomment that movie for anyone, but specially for those you appreciate Japanese comedy. As I mentioned earlier, for whats worth, I found the movie also had a nice message to transmit that isn't even done subtly but somehow doesn't feel preachy.

Read More

The first thing i have to say about this drama is awesome. This is definitely one of the best drama i've ever seen. A masterpiece indeed. And it deserved more acknowledgement. That's why i write this review even with my limited english vocabulary and despite my laziness in writing a review.

Hu Xiang Xiang and Hu Xiao Man started as a two spoiled teenager. They're from an ordinary family who live in Changsha. The story is about how they and their family living as a common chinese people in that time. We can see how the family interacted, their conversation as a family, how the situation in that time. That's all felt so real. While watching this, i feel like i've been transported to the time of war with them. By watching this drama, we could understand the feeling of chinese people in that time and symphatize with them. We could understand more about war and the consequences of it. I really like every moment of this. Don't afraid this will bore you, because it won't.

Battle of Changsha has it all; romance, comedy, angst, war, family. Despite in the time of war, this drama could still make me laugh out loud. There's a time this drama also make me cry like a baby too. The chemistry between Xiangxiang and Gu Qing Ming is just perfect. I cherish every moment they're together. This drama has all that romance, comedy, angst, war, and family with just a perfect amount of it.

With my limited eng vocab, i can't say more. In the end, i just really want to recommend you guys to watch this drama. This is definitely a rare gem, one of the best drama that is so hard to find these days.

RECOMMENDED DRAMA

Read More

Pleasantly surprised

As someone who was a fan of the manhwa for quite some time now, I was actually scared when they green lit it for a bl drama but when I saw the cast I was genuinely surprised and excited. Both of the main leads are perfect for their roles and I couldn't see anyone else playing them. They also have really good chemistry which makes it even better. I'm also quite happy that they stayed relatively close to the manhwa and the changes they did make did not take away from the story. Usually I am quite on guard when it comes to Korean bls as I usually find them lackluster but this really changed my mind for the better. I know Park Seoham is going off to the military but I do hope for a season 2 when he does come back.

Read More

This show is your typical Taiwanese idol drama, with lots of funny parts, unrealistic occurrences and super cute moments. Xiao Ni is a very likeable character, and Yun Qing too! In the first few episodes when they just met, Yun Qing was actually made to run in the streets dressed as a girl! It was hilarious!

Xiaogui did a fairly good job. Michelle Chen was really cute, and her acting was convincing, but like I said, she's every idol drama's innocent, simple-minded and sweet female lead. Although still not the best pairing.

The subplot romance was interesting too. I liked the subplot romance, and I was rooting for the guy Qian Yu didn't end up with, but, oh well. I'm sure DJ will buy you over, like he bought me over in the last episode.

I guess if you watched the drama, you can see that they're trying to put focus on the father-daughter relationship. I think the father-daughter scenes were really touching.

Rewatch- well I'm not a person who really enjoys rewatching shows, unless I really like the actors, or the scenes were that good. I would definitely not rewatch this, because the show is too typical, and their sweet moments, although were sweet, not the best moments out of all the dramas I watched.

Not too bad a show though. :)

Read More

I wish to add content warnings on this review, no other spoilers!

First of all, I want to start with listing all the content warnings about this drama that I wish I had seen before starting it. There will be no other major spoilers of the story I swear! I just felt some of the things in this drama could be really triggering for some people, and that there should be some warnings.

CONTENT WARNINGS:
- extreme misogyny all over the plot
- a LOT of sexual harassment
- bullying (about appearance)
- eating disorders, glorifying/normalizing extreme dieting/losing weight
- man acting threateningly/violently towards a woman
- self harm attempt
- physical fights
- older men (6+ years older) chasing after young women

The story of this drama was okay, but I felt very uncomfortable a lot while watching this. I originally thought (because of the drama's plot summary) that it would be a wholesome romcom story about realizing your inner beauty, but in reality it really focuses on everything that's awful about living as a woman. I watch dramas to escape real-life problems a lot, so to see so much of women's struggle on screen made me uncomfortable, especially when I was expecting some fluffy wholesomeness. (Also see content warnings list above to see other reasons this drama made me uncomfortable.)

The cast was okay, the male lead seemed inexperienced in acting and his character was really one note. He had the exact same facial expression for like 85% of this drama. But he seems very young so I'm sure he'll be able to improve in the future if he wants to. The female lead was honestly an idiot for most of the drama, who made stupid decisions with weird excuses. But that's not the actress' fault but the writers'. The side (female) characters were the best characters in this whole drama in my opinion. I absolutely adored Taehee, Yoonbyul and Hyunjung. Kwak Dongyeon (Wooyoung Sunbae) is one of my favourite actors, but his character hanging out mostly with the freshmen main characters was a bit weird because he was so much older than them. Most of the other male characters were either creeps or just rude which wasn't very ideal or comfortable to watch.

However this drama has some very good OST songs, I might even add some of them to my playlist later.

Overall I scored this drama a 6.5 because it was just so uncomfortable for me for most of the time I was watching it. Also some of the characters' actions were really stupid and made 0 sense, which was very frustrating to watch. Not to mention that the only characters I actually really liked were side characters. If you liked this drama a lot, good for you, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Read More

A wonderful experience

To anyone considering this - I would always recommend. So happy to have experienced this. Truly an emotionally engaging show with well fleshed out and loveable characters. This is not happy-go-lucky or simply happy. Every episode takes you through various emotions and quite a few left me sobbing but it was still a worthwhile experience.

Remaining paragraphs allude to things that might be spoilers so stop reading if you haven't watched.

I'm not going to say too much. I watched this as it aired and looking back at it now, the ending should never have been a surprise. It was always obvious but what makes this drama beautiful is the fact that it makes you forget. You watch these memories and you forget about the eventuality and simply enjoy the story. For that it deserves a lot of praise.

The actors did a wonderful job capturing the growth in the personalities of the characters. Their portrayals in the first episode are wildly different from the characters a few episodes later but the change seems natural and organic. Truly a beautiful story of youth that emotionally engages you.

The ending was bittersweet. I cannot comment on whether I liked it or not but it made me sad. Their end was explosive and real and ugly while their love was beautiful and pure. It seemed like such a loss. However, I think that's how things are in life and the writers never wanted us to hope for their happy ending, they wanted us to simply enjoy the characters' experiences. That's what I take away from this.

The rewatch value is low because you can get very emotionally drained by the end. And you might not want to put yourself through it again. I will definitely come back to watch some of the happier parts again - maybe not the whole show.

A well portrayed story of youth with a lot of messages we can take with us in life.

Read More

this show is a korean spin off to this under the same english name
i found all full episodes but without subs, but because my second language is chinese so im fine so here's the link
https://www.olevod.com/?m=vod-play-id-10185-src-1-num-6.html
the casts are all super smart and some are just there for entertainment purpose but they are still of use!
im currently on the 4th storyline, the alien one. so far the creepiest episode will have to be episode 1.. where the dogs and cats are turned into beef and mutton ;-; like thats just fked up and props to the people behind the scenes. the mmost amazing set up would be the school episode, LIKE HOW DID THEY TURN AN ABANDON SCHOOL INTO AN ESCAPE BUILDING like its impossible to built a building just for a variety show so they must have make use of a real abandoned building. so really the crew did alot! did you guys also watch the 大神逃脱？where another group of 6 people went in before the actual cast in order to test the escape room, and i have to say there are alot of changes for the actual cast after it is being tested.

Read More

Just beautiful

I read some reviews before watching this movie and i already knew the direction it was headed.

It has the most unusual plot ever and you will see the most intriguing romance too.
a simple girl falling in love with a debt collector. it is not simple in any way possible. we get to see how they start falling for each other, but this movie is directed in a way for the audience to feel sadness. To feel pain and loss. everything is short-lived and temporary in the end for the female protagonist.
The leads depict beautiful and real chemistry. you will definitely fall for their love

The cinematography was rather average. It's basically set in some poor, rural areas and that's where the leads come from.
One downside to this movie was the soundtrack. It basically had no background music, just natural sounds.

Overall, a really beautiful movie. If you don't mind some tears to shed, be sure to tune in.

Read More

Pleasant surprise - Heart-wrenching

I started on this because I was searching for a filler drama but I was pleasantly surprised to be hooked on it. I completed all 40 episodes in just three nights (I don't watch in the day!) and even found myself weeping tearfully in a few of the episodes.

The story mainly revolved around a single-mom bringing up her child, the hardships she faced, competition among parents, yet how she always manages to turn these adversities into blessings. The drama also showed us different families and how children and parents interacted; in which there are certain storyline which I truly resonated with - a child trying his best to make his parents proud but never getting the recognition he wants.

Not going to deny there may have been some parts of the storyline that went a little over, and some parts where it got predictable like in every c-drama (e.g. terrible mother-daughter-in-law relationship), overall this drama provided a good understanding and perspective to the different upbringing and family relationships there are. Can't call it a 100% reality, but I'm sure enough it reflected a good 90% reality at least.

The love between innocent children and their parents is so beautiful, and we see how they just want to protect each other in this drama.

In conclusion, I never thought I would watch a drama primarily revolving around families, especially children but this was so well put together. By the way, kudos to the team, they definitely cast the right children and parents combination! All the children are A-class actors in this! Wouldn't call this a must-watch drama, but definitely one for when you do have the time, and if you'd like the true innocence and pure love of children :')

Read More