2The correct title: Heesu In the Background Of Class 2.
I loved Hee Su and Seung Won, but if we actually gathered all their scenes it would be the length of a fan made youtube video. They were both sidelined getting supporting characters treatment in their own story.And no, I do not only mean romance wise. Which characters got more elaborated individual stories presenting them outside of their love lines? Chan Yeong with his Tennis arc and Ji Yu with her music. What about Hee Su and Seung Won? Nothing. I’m sorry, but if you describe the plot of the drama to someone, Hee Su perfectly matches the typical second male lead - in love with the male lead, trying to win him over just to give up when the female lead shows up. Ending up with the female lead’s best friend.
No amount of pretty poetic narration done by Hee Su will convince me he got the proper treatment as the main lead of the story. For me, these lines sounded great, like out of context motivational quotes since the episodes often did not focus on his perspective enough to validate their existence. I mean… even the last episode could not have been all about the mains, we also needed a montage of the love story of the second leads.
If I was to rate just Hee Su and Seung Won, it would be a good 8. They were sweet and fun to watch. The misunderstandings actually seemed realistic for their age. The low key pinning was great. Seung Won was just calm perfection - so many of his simple few words amazed me - the simplicity with the greater message behind them was just right.
But then we have Chan Yeong and Ji Yu. I would not even be that mad if they were not just so painfully boring both as a couple and as individual characters. But to take away from the gay couple, to focus on this mediocrity is just a crime.
Maybe because their characters did not have much to offer, the acting also felt mid. Ahn Ji Ho though - amazing. The hesitation around his crush, the glances he kept stealing, the anger and the frustration when certain things came out to light.
The production value was obviously a lot better than many other k-bls - the bigger budget was clear. Can better production quality save uneven writing? Probably not.
Overall, disappointment. I was one of the people who was not initially angry about the straight couple, but I was still naive thinking they will stay in the sidelines complimenting Hee Su’s and Seung Won’s story. I did not expect them to come to the forefront and stay there till the end.
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This review may contain spoilers
The ending truly ruined it all
This review will contain heavy spoilers for the ending.Revenge of Others was a fun ride, until the last two episodes that is. It's pretty rare for me to have the ending of a show completely change how I feel about it. There are good endings, meh endings and bad ones... but I've seldom felt that disappointed. Maybe I had too high expectations, maybe it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Revenge of Others' ending is cliché, lazy and basically just a middle finger both to the audience and the rest of the show. Early episodes were good, with flaws, yes, yet it was still solid. But nowadays, most kdramas are great at what they do, so you need the entirety of your work to be good, not just the beginning, not just the middle. It feels like Revenge of Others was half-assed, and any good this show had is overshadowed by the ending.
The most interesting thing about a TV show, as opposed to movies, is that you have time to grow attached to the characters. You become familiar with them and grow curious. You could say you actually care about them (especially if you're watching while the show is airing). That is the exact reason why you can't just dump a few lines on the viewers and call it a day. That's not only bad writing: it's like spitting in the face of said viewers.
So what was so wrong with that ending? To put it simply, the creators of the show tried SO HARD to give it a happy ending, despite it not matching the tone of the series, that they ended up... basically not giving it an ending at all. How did they do that? By not telling you anything and letting you decide what comforts you. Okay, let's be fair. They do tell you a few things, but not about what is important.
> Soo Heon has a brain tumor? Okay, he drops out to do his own shit for a while and you're free to imagine whatever pleases you after that. Did he die? Did his condition stabilize? That's up to you (who even cares, brain tumors are not that serious now, are they? It's not like he got his head banged way too many times. If the doctor is as qualified as his wife, he probably misdiagnosed him anyway). With it being such a central plot point, you'd hope for something a bit more conclusive than a "for now he's lucky". Truthfully, the tumor is just a plot device to make you doubt he is the killer because of the induced violent behaviors. So in the end, I just wonder what was even the point of us worrying about him?
God forbid they'd actually use his condition to truly talk about the hardships that come from it all. Not saying the show should've solely focused on that, that's obviously not the plot, but it would've been nice if it had been treated more seriously.
> Is Jae Beom in prison or not? You choose. Was there even any proof that he was manipulated by Gi O Sung? Did he completely take the blame? Does it matter? Should we care? Apparently not, since the show decided to completely erase his existence the moment he stepped in that police car. If he is lucky, the car was actually an interdimensional rift that took him far away from the land of trash ending kdramas.
Don't get me wrong, open endings are fine. I actually love them to death and dislike when everything is spelled out for you. However, this is not an open ending (and if it genuinely tried to be one, it's appalling). This is just a rushed, awful, uncreative and lazy ending that has (unfortunately) been seen again and again, either because the writers didn't know how to write a proper one, either because they were scared of negative reactions from the audience. Both options are bad.
This is an ending that screams that the writers had so little faith in their show, their characters and universe, that they believed viewers would lose interest the minute the mystery was finally solved, that they wouldn't be willing to give one more hour to properly say goodbye to the characters and learn what happened to them. And well, that's truly a shame since an entire episode dealing with the aftermath would've been a perfect way to wrap this up, because surprisingly the characters ARE interesting. As a viewer, I want to know what happens to these people, I don't want three fucking sentences from a narrator telling me: "this happened, oh and this too, everything was solved and we're living happily ever after, nothing is wrong in the universe!!!!"... For Christ's sake, either show me or actually write a proper open ending!
Those few sentences don't even cover everything that needs answers. I mentioned it earlier, but Jae Beom's story seems to end the moment he's taken away by the police, as if he wasn't a main character too. At this point I feel like they forgot to include him in the ending. Chan Mi vaguely mentions to Soo Heon that he confessed, but that is the last time we hear of him. Can you believe that we don't even know WHAT he confessed to? Did he confess to killing Park Won Seok only? Did he confess to the car shop murder too? What, you actually wanted to know that? Cope.
I don't understand how you can put so much care into developing an interesting storyline and characters, just to give up on giving it proper closure.
Seriously, I can't believe this. As far as I'm concerned, Gi O Sung is dead and Jae Joon supposedly disappeared forever, because that's definitely how DID works. That means Jae Beom literally has no choice but to take full responsibility, despite being taken advantage of and manipulated by the very person who tried to kill him. Because let's think about this for a second:
-He would first have to prove that he was pushed from the roof by O Sung. O Sung is dead, there's no way to prove it;
-He would then have to prove that he did indeed have a split personality, but since Jae Joon is gone forever after a few words from Chan Mi, good luck with that;
-Even if he managed to do that, he would have to prove that O Sung had gaslighted Jae Joon into believing Won Seok had pushed him, which led to his revenge, and that he, Jae Beom, wasn't aware of any of it. But guess what? O Sung is dead, Jae Joon is no more, so yeah, no doing that. They might have a few people testify, but I highly doubt that would lead to anything.
Not to mention, when talking about the car shop murder to Chan Mi, Jae Joon mentioned that Jae Beom would've covered for Soo Heon. Just because they are friends. Just because he is a good person. Which leads me to believe that after getting his memory back, he would be so guilt-ridden that he wouldn't even try to defend himself anyway. He seems like he would believe he deserves the worst punishment. At this point, the only thing that could save him is his parents' money, which I doubt he would agree to use to get himself out of this.
So while Gi O Sung got the easy way out, Jae Beom will be the only one to suffer because of his deeds. In a way, O Sung killed him twice: the moment he pushed him from that roof, and the moment he himself fell to his death. While I do believe Jae Beom should face consequences for what happened, I don't believe jail time is the right thing. He should be admitted to a mental health facility. Ultimately, I would've been more satisfied if he had managed to kill himself. That would've been easier for him. Honestly, I cannot understand for the life of me why kdrama writers always think that death is proper comeuppance for plain evil characters. Dying is easy, life in prison is hell. O Sung should have to live through that. He should have to deal with everyone hating his guts and have his freedom stripped away. Had the show not been going for a happy ending, maybe that not happening would've been fine, but since it's not the case it just doesn't sit well with me that one of the kindest characters is getting this treatment, while the worst one just... died.
Aside from that, there are other elements that don't really make sense to me. For example, it's never really made clear how Jae Beom and O Sung's fight at the stables ended. Jae Beom seemed like he was ready to murder or at least severely beat up O Sung for what he did to him, while the latter would do anything to cover his own ass. Yet, the following day O Sung is unscathed and Jae Beom is chilling on a boat. How did that happen?
And whose boat was that? I'm guessing it belongs to Jae Beom's family but then when he was reported missing... isn't it one of the first places that should've been checked? I know the police are all sharing one unique brain cell but that's like the ABC of investigating a disappearance. The show runners wanted us to believe O Sung had killed/abducted Jae Beom, but come on... They try so hard to confuse the viewers and play the reverse psychology card, yet most people could guess who had done what and why ages before the end anyway.
Then we have this scene where every single student learns EVERYTHING through various text messages and immediately believes it, then proceeds to suddenly realize that "oh yeah, gi o sung did this and that!!!!", as if they all used to be aware of that fact, but collectively forgot, because no one seemed to have beef with him before that. I guess they could only remember him being super manipulative after reading those texts. Sure. Then they all lie to the police because of course, there's not a single outcast out of the loop, or someone that's scared to lie. It's a TV show, yadda yadda, but how can I not laugh at that? They didn't even HAVE to lie! Gi O Sung's fall was not only an accident but also self-defense, he was literally threatening a student with a box cutter after having abducted another??? I get they reaaaaally wanted to go for that tacky “If everyone decides to corroborate a lie, then it becomes the truth”, but that was so bad.
I want to gloss over a few other things too:
-Ok Chan Mi started out as a good character but got dumber and dumber as things moved on;
-Shin Ye Eun's acting (and a few others) seemed awkward at times. I'm not sure whether that was the script or not, but I've seen her in other shows and I remember her being fine;
-I get Jae Beom was her friend for a long time and overall a good person, but would Chan Mi realistically get over "him" killing her brother that fast?;
-When she was on that call with her brother, how could Chan Mi not hear Jae Beom's voice as he talked to Won Seok?;
-O Sung wanting to kill Won Seok was stupid considering they both had dirt on each other. They could've just left it at that and no one would have talked. But I guess since Jae Beom is technically the one that killed him, O Sung just didn't care;
-Everyone always seems to fall for O Sung's lies for some reason, even after it was established he could not be trusted;
-Jae Beom's timeline at the time of Won Seok's death wasn't clear and it was annoying. Was he back to school full time? Won Seok was surprised to see him again, so was he not discharged from the hospital yet? Then how did he leave without being noticed?;
-Did Jae Beom actually have a twin or was it split personality right from the beginning? This doesn't necessarily need an answer but I would've liked to know for sure;
-Jae Beom's parents knew about his DID but never tried to do anything about it. Maybe because it would give them a bad reputation (who knows, they don't explain why), but wouldn't you try to at least discreetly talk to a doctor about it? I don't think it's that hard when you have this much money;
-No one else ever noticed it except for O Sung? How did he even know? That would've been nice to learn about. It's like they're trying to give as less details as possible about the manipulation part, as if it wasn't a major plot point that the viewers would like to know about;
-The evil alter ego plot twist trope needs to stop. There are ways this could be interesting, but apparently never in kdramas. The way DID is constantly misrepresented in these shows is so tiring. I haven't even researched the topic that much but even I know this is not how it works. It was so badly presented in the 12th episode that I wasn't even sure if they were actually going for that or for some weird ghost possession bullshit. At this point I'm not even certain what I'd prefer;
-I'm not an expert but I'm positive we now have means to determine whether someone jumped, fell or was pushed from a building.
A few positive things:
-The dynamic and chemistry between the characters was quite good, and their friendship was really compelling;
-Most characters were interesting, there wasn't anyone I was particularly annoyed with;
-As I've said, I haven't researched DID that extensively (I have given up on a decent portrayal anyway), but I thought the way Jae Beom and Jae Joon were differentiated was a nice touch. I found the scene with Jae Beom signing using the wrong hand + name smart. The moment he switched the gun to his other hand as he tried to kill himself was heartbreaking;
-The show is entertaining and gets you hooked easily, it's mostly the end that acts as a wake-up call, making you realize that overall, the writing wasn't that good.
In conclusion, this is another example of a show that could have been a good one if not for its ending. In my opinion, the ending of a show is one of, if not the, most important part of it. If you mess that up, then you leave people with a bitter aftertaste, no matter how good everything that came before was. On the contrary, a particularly good ending can completely blow your mind and turn around your perspective of a show/movie. So you can't and shouldn't ignore a bad ending just because the rest was okay.
I feel like many interesting questions could've been brought up too. The writers could've addressed the topic of the Korean juvenile justice system (which is apparently known to be particularly awful), with how easily characters seemed to get away with the crazy things they pulled. Or if a murder is caused by the manipulation of a vulnerable person, then who's to blame? What punishment should be given? Are mental health issues like these even taken into consideration by the court?
I don't know, this was such a waste. I really wish they hadn't rushed the ending like that, my rating would've been much higher otherwise. It could also be a bit lower, but I tried to keep in mind the qualities from the earlier episodes too (consider that 6/10 is only 1 point above average/mediocre).
Well, what is done is done. I don't think I would recommend anyone to watch this unless they are prepared to face the disappointment.
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Because trust me you not going to regret it!
Okay let me start with the most important thing. Plot/Writing. Which seems like a lot of people complain about. Now I'm not saying it was 10/10 however I was not bored for even one second or had any problems with how the story was layed out. We start off the whole drama with a lot of questions which I personally liked as it made it much more interesting. The action and the misery parts were truly amazing. It is a rom-com kdrama so I wasn't really expecting much of a twists and exitment but I gotta say that I've never seen such a well balanced kdrama. We got the right amount of romance, comedy, action and fantasy. Masterpiece.
Acting:
I gotta say that this was the first time watching a kdrama with An Hyo Seop and Park Bo Young ( because yes I did not watch Strong Girl Bong soon) and Oh my God. I am a fan. Totally. Without a doubt. I loved her acting as I feel like she was able to deliver emotion in a really professional way. She was truly impressing. As for Hyo Seop I kinda felt like he was a pretty face rookie actor and in the beginning I thought that would ruin his character however I felt like it suited his cute, clusmy and a little bit dumb character. A lot of people criticized Cha Min's character and I might have to agree with that a little bit as I think they could've give more to Cha Min. More charisma maybe more seriousness however I think it wasn't a big problem as his cute silliness suited the drama
Music:
I have nothing much to say about this. It was just truly amazing and I am usually really picky with ost as I get bored of listening to the same songs through 16 episode.
Ending:
Another element of the drama that I read a lot of hate comments about. And I seriously thought for a good 10 minutes that I'm gonna hate the ending. But obviously I didn't. To be honest it wasn't anything special we seen it before but sometimes extravaganza endings can ruin a drama. I'm gonna be honest this was the ending I needed. Sweet and chill. And nice refreshing ending after all the excitement.
Overall:
I seriously don't get why this drama is getting a lot of hate. If you are unsure of watching it, Trust me! It's a worth watch. Perfect plotwist. And it is just so entertaining!!!
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The first thing you should know about this show is that it's a sitcom. It's basis is humor. Different types of humor don't apply to everyone so its really a hit-or-miss with each individual. I myself wasn't sure about it in the first couple of episodes. However, as I continued to watch, I found myself liking it more and more as the characters and plots developed. The story follows the paths of many characters who all intersect with each other dealing with a variety of things like school, work, family, and romance. I thought it was great it all aspects including the music, acting, and story line. Though I love it to pieces, I gave it a five for rewatch value. Not to say it isn't good though. I gave it a five because of the amount of episodes. I wouldn't sit down and rewatch all 123 episodes, but I would catch an episode or two if it came on. That's the great thing about sitcoms, if you're familiar with the characters and story line, you can technically pick up anywhere to rewatch!
I haven't seen "Unstoppable High Kick" or "High Kick Through the Roof!" yet so I'm not sure how it compares to them. However, if you're a fan of comedies/sitcoms, I'd definitely recommend giving this show a go. :D
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While the original Gokusen had popular names such as Matsumoto Jun and Oguri Shun, Gokusen 2 has Kamenashi Kazuya, Akanishi Jin, Hayami Mokomichi, and Koike Teppei. For those who've seen the first Gokusen you'll find familiar faces also among the cast - and a return of Kuma! One of my favorites from the first season, I was happy to see him return in Gokusen 2!
The acting was great, I loved the entire cast!
The music wasn't anything special - the theme song changed from "Feel Your Breeze" to "No More Cry" at the end which wasn't a bad song. I loved Kamenashi Kazuya's "Kizuna" that was played during the drama, though (:
I can see myself rewatching this drama sometime, but probably not for a long time.
Overall - I enjoyed it just as much as the first season. For those of you who have seen the first season - you won't be disappointed with this one. For those who haven't seen any of the seasons yet but are curious because you like the cast - watch it! (:
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But for the drama I can say that the actors were really well picked. Itoh Atsushi was definitely my favorite character and he really portrayed it well, the normal otaku one would imagine. But what I liked the most about Yamada was the way he felt towards Hermes and how he expressed it. From the first time they met and especially when he had to reveal his true self. I just found it so cute.
Itoh Misaki was also great. At first I thought she was a bit stiff, but I guess that’s how the character is supposed to be and she kind of started to grew on me, since they actually made a really cute couple.
And, of course, all the user of the internet thread made the story a lot more interesting, I just loved their conversations, their unique ways to react and their sometimes laughable sometimes useful advice that went accordingly to their internet characters. There were times when I couldn’t stop laughing.
Definitely a must watch. : D
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Now, on to the review.
Firstly, I wanted to write a review because i saw that there are not many reviews and more importantly I think this drama was a little overlooked. Maybe because of the subs that came out so late and are still not so "good".
Story: It's a complex story, that many drama fans may have seen. A scary case that happened a long time ago, a new case that triggered the memories of the old one nowadays, and people who start to investigate it. However this drama is not so simple. Why? Because the story can't go on without characters that start to build it. That is why I want to talk about characters here. Out female lead is a strong policewoman. She is tomboyish and lives happily with her father, but we start the drama already knowing her past. I will not talk about the past but it's super creepy and scary. What is important here is that she can see people's death. well actually not only. She has a fortune telling power from her grandmother. On the other hand we have chic elite detective. His favorite phrase is "do you like science?". As you can guess from it he is someone who believes in science, is great in deduction and may other stuff. So these two get together and try to solve scary mysteries. As the detective says as a joke, she shoots a fantasy and he shoots a scientific crime drama. But together it become super great!Here I want to say a bit about Black it may sound similar. However it is not similar at all. I didn't think about Black even a single moment while watching this drama. Black had a very complex story and even the people who made it messed up in the end because of it. The girl was crying till the end. And the story lost it's logical thread, but had a promising start. Here, everything is different. The female officer is strong. she doesn't cry all the time. If something tragic happens she overcomes it and fight bravely. she is also physically strong and can beat many men. The male lead is also strong physically. (capable police :D) And she doesn't think she is cursed. She accepted her power. She is sad, that she can't save some, but she still tries. She is also smart! And as I said the male lead is somewhat a genius. And more importantly the story is logical till the end. Her powers only grow, and she uses them well. Male Lead also Uses his brain very well, and the story comes to a logical conclusion. So If you didn't like black, Doesn't mean you will not like this one. And visa versa. I can't leave out the second lead who played prosecutor. As he said himself you can't figure out he is good or bad, which makes you curious to see more of him. A man who strong and soft at the same time. You can't really tell what is he. But of course later you start to see other sides of him. The villain character where also interesting. Especially the "small" villains that go used by others. The story starts of as really creepy (like Save me) it gets creepier as the main leads visit a strange island. Later you get used to it and the entangled information slowly reveals itself more and more. Also the little homeless squad :D Honestly I totally loved them!! they played some big roles in this story and they were also a nice breath of fresh air.
Acting: The acting was great! I was seeing the female lead for the first time but she was great!! I was so tired of this super cute, weak ladies who always get in the way and cry. She played very well and her voice was great especially when she was telling the prophesies. The actor of male lead also pulled of smart, cheeky, genius, scientific, sad, angry, serious, stupid character lol. he was annoying at first, for me, but he was great later. The prosecutor (second lead). I saw this actor for the first time in Rebel and I loved him! Here I loved him even more. He pulled off all those complex emotions the character was having - guilt, heart scars from tragic childhood, fear, loyalty, willpower, desire to live, anger, love and more. The villains were good as expected, the veteran actors always end up getting all the hate XD
the "small" villains also did great. They had to show many other emotions and pulled it off fantastically. The homeless squad and other policemen also acted well.
Music: Creepy stuff owes it's creepiness mostly to music. XD well there is also camerawork. But you know those sounds that are usually in scary movies. they help to build the atmosphere here. But thank God it's not much. so It's ok. If you don't like scary stuff like me, don't worry it's not scary (it's like Save me).
This drama has adult cast. These actors are not young. But actually that is a plus for this drama. All the actors were great in it. And the plot actually captured me from the first scenes, because of it's creepiness. xDD
The cons, I think, are the subs!
This drama wasn't subbed when it was airing, maybe this is the reason it was overlooked at that time. Now it is subbed, but at the time a I am writing this the subs are a mess. I mean on the website where I watched it, the subs finally appeared, but they are very very bad. So I guess many people tried to watch it, but the subs were so out of the context that are very difficult to understand. I understand a little bit Korean, but there were parts I couldn't understand and the subs weren't of help. The genders are mixed, women are men and visa versa. From one point all the names started to appear in Chinese. Later that female lead's name Kim Dan was appearing as "altar" "small altar" or "gold altar" lol and there were part were the subs just told whatever. especially on the last episode. in all the important scenes there was written a nonsense. xD
What I was trying to say is don't give up on this drama because of the subs. :)
Overall it was a good drama, worth watching. I don't regret one bit. If you are wonder to watch it or no, I suggest giving it a try. The actual story begins two years from the events happening on the first two episodes. So try to keep on at least until that. Around 3rd or 4th ep. :)
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I started watching it by accident, because I noticed Park Jung Min's name in the cast list. Since I'm an SS501 fan and I have a particular attachment to Jung Min... I started watching it JUST for him, but it wasn't long until I got hooked on the actual drama. Beware though, for the first few episodes you will have to put up with an overload of sweetness and some pretty bad acting from Jung Min. Since he was the only reason for watching at first, I didn't have high expectations at all and just wanted to see him, so of course I kept watching. But if you're not a crazy Jung Min fan and are easily turned off by overly sweet moments, don't drop the drama after the first few episodes! You won't know what you're missing! Jung Min's acting improves considerably over the next few episodes and they gradually lessen the sugar a little bit :P but you will probably get used to it anyway.
To sum it up in a few words, this show has a very sweet and comical kind of romance accentuated by the playful character of Jung Min, good chemistry between the leads, some amusing bits and even some controlled drama. With emphasis on CONTROLLED. It's truly controlled in this one. They don't go overboard with it. It's just enough to keep the story going. I admit I cried at one point during the show (exactly halfway through) but that was the most emotional bit of the entire drama. Nothing exceeds that intensity afterwards. What I particularly like about this one is that there's no evil witch interfering with the main leads! She's actually interfering in the wrong couple, the other side of the love triangle, which only pushes Mi En more towards Xi Huan (Jung Min), so in other words the evil witch in this show actually... somehow... helps the leads to get closer. Which would've been beyond my wildest dreams for Asian dramas *-*
I just can't keep it short, I'm sorry. I'm trying though... There's something else I need to add about it: it's a very soothing drama. I think that's the word that fits it best. More than it is romantic and more than it is humorous, it is soothing. I enjoyed every second of it. I was always eager to watch another episode knowing it will put me in a good mood, because I could expect nothing bad from it. It is that kind of light drama that you can actually connect to and get attached to without risking to stir up a tornado of emotions inside of you. I especially appreciate how they handled the ending. In all the dramas I've watched so far, the ending disappointed me, even if just a bit. But this show's ending was just perfect. I could not have asked for a better ending. And it's not just the ending actually, they managed to handle all the romantic moments brilliantly. Most of the time, dramas have a hard time portraying key moments like confessions, proposals, endings etc. Because for the sake of emphasising the romance and importance of the moment they end up diverting a bit too much from the characters' personality and make the moment overly-romantic and awkward. I'm happy to say Fondant Garden had absolutely no awkward moment like that. I'm very appreciative of the fact that they managed to make all the romantic moments and especially the ending, fit to their personalities.
Music: Very fitting for this drama's style. It complements the mood of every scene perfectly. There are a few songs that will forever be stuck in my head: The intro song, the one Jung Min sings (he's got a remarkable voice!) and So Good by Kimberly Chen which was my absolute favourite from the entire show.
Acting: As I said above, it is lacking in the beginning on Park Jung Min's character, but it gets a lot better as the show progresses. The rest of them impersonated their characters flawlessly. Though some may say Jian Man Shu wasn't very believable at first. To me she was ok, except on very few scenes, maybe.
Give this drama a go! You have nothing to lose. You will either fall in love with it or just end up not connecting to it if it's not your style. In any case, it's not a waste of time, at the very least there will be some sweet moments that will remain in your mind :)
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Glorious dreams, strong women and their 100/10 chemistry
A dream of splendor is adapted from the opera "Zhao Pan Er Feng Yue Jiu Feng Chen" (赵盼儿风月救风尘) written by Guan Han Qing.Characters and Plot —
The drama revolves around three ladies Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sunniang, Song Yinzhang and the "living devil" Gu Qianfan. Zhao Pan'er is the strong backbone of their friendship who is intelligent and good in tea art. She uses her dancing skills to serve tea and her wit and ways of creativity wonders everyone. Sanniang is her close friend whose cooking skills are inferior to none while Yinzhang is a talented girl who will be seen carrying a pipa around often. Her pipa music is as magical as Sunniang's pastries. And Gu Qianfan is the cruel yet nice commander of capital security office.
A Dream of Splendor radiates women empowerment, women teamwork, a woman's self respect and how women can excel in everything. Our leading ladies aren't easy to be fooled, they have their strengths/weaknesses and they go through thick and thin together. They have self respect and just because she was once a "pariah" doesn't mean she doesn't deserve respect and is not capable.
(Pariah – a low status of woman back in ancient China who were performers or prostitutes who were looked down on by everyone)
Their sisterhood is another delightful thing to watch here. I can't forget to mention Zhaodi, she entered late in the group but I like her supportive character. So, if I have to rate the female centered plot, it's 9.5/10, almost everything I expected.
Along with this we have a good political plot going on which is more like a side topic, not too complicated, rather light and less angsty. Of course except that one mean guy I wish I could kill him in the starting. He's just so despicable, absolutely selfish.
Their Chemistry —
Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan together are like two people who will give up anything for each other. Their concept of using yellow flowers to express "I miss you", their eye gazes, their longing, their protection for each other and just them being is love is everything. Small moments between them fill you up like a scene where he is applying medicine on her face (even I felt like a third wheel between them let alone other characters xD)
Humour —
We have Chi Pan who is amusingly naughty with lame, childish acts but his words and expressions often bring fun in the drama. And he's such a cute crybaby haha.
Cast/Acting —
• Liu Yifei – I came to this drama for her as she was returning to dramas after a long time and I am still impressed with her acting. Also isn't she so gorgeous in every frame. Her eyes, body language and this aura is strong just like Zhao Pan'er.
• Chen Xiao – Gu Qianfan is a great character and Chen Xiao also looks great in this role. His styling or I don't know what but he often reminded me of Prince An (Wang Ziqi) in the Imperial Coroner.
• Ada Liu – Sun Sunniang is such a cheerful lady with strong hands. Ada Liu suits for this role. All her strong moments like throwing someone in the river or showing off some butcher skills came out perfectly.
• Jelly Lin – I never had a good experience with Lin's dramas, most of them are like dropped after some episodes but somehow I liked her here. When she played pipa as Yinzhang, she looked so cool and her cute dimples work for me!
• Dai Xu – Finally! Chi Pan is my second favorite character after Zhao Pan'er. Just the comedy he adds and Dai Xu's expressions are out of this world. Would love to see more of his works in future.
OSTs —
1. Jane Zhang (张靓颖) - ♪Spare No Time♪ (不惜时光) …a slow and sublime song that ends every episode beautifully.
2. Liu Yuning (刘宇宁) - ♪Meng Hua♪ (梦华) …with the spirit of fighting all the troubles together and Liu Yuning's voice makes this song more special.
3. Sunnee (杨芸晴) - ♪What Year Is Today♪ (今夕是何年)
4. Kiki Wei (魏奇奇) - ♪Nian Nian♪ (念念)
5. Rachel (银临) - ♪The Red Apricot Branch Is Full Of Spring♪ (红杏枝头春意闹) …the song representing their ups and downs and the longing for hope.
To conclude, what's worth watching the most in this drama —
⛧ character development of three ladies starting from scratch
⛧ strong female characters
⛧ the chemistry between Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er
⛧ great supporting characters and friendship/sisterhood/companionship
⛧ Chi Pan (Dai Xu) as a comedy factor.
~ A Dream of Splendor is recommended!
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Mediocre Acting for a Tragic Drama
Summary: just watch the first few episodes bec of its original lines . This is not a romantic lovely story. More tragedy really.Pro:
- good casts but could be better
- many original plot . Watch till about 11th episode and enjoy.
Cons
- chemistry is just plain. The main actress is really cute and sweet but she lacks the toughness and can’t act on the most painful crying scenes. I wanna cry because she can’t cry well esp the last episode.
If you compare her with the actress in Princess Agents, you’ll get the feel why she’s not so great in this story. She doesn’t exude that tough persona. She’s great with the Pillow Book & ten miles of peach blossom kind of story. She’s not appropriate for tragedy
- the chemistry between main characters are so-so. Even with the rival is so-so.
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This review may contain spoilers
The first good point about the story, it's the fact that it really start at the first minute of the first episode. Don't say : "I'll watch the first 10 minutes now and then I'll watch the rest after work if I find it interesting", because you'll end up skipping work...Then, you get to know the characters, and each and every one of them have a real personality, so you can be sure you will be moved by at least one of them. All the characters are slowly evolving during the drama, in a quite subtle way. I gave the story a 9 because I felt it was sometimes a little too slow.
Personally, I was really impressed by the two lead's acting performance, as well as the second male lead (while the second female lead's acting was so average it made me drop a point in my review). Thanks to their acting, you really beleive in the story, and in the characters.
Finally, I'll talk about the music : I just love it. My special award is for the song "Gu Rae Do"(Nevertheless) by Soo Ji, and its instrumental version which were so beautiful and unique they became a real plus to the drama.
Oh and, no spoiler, but I love the ending. I won't say if it's a bad or good one, but I just think this story deserved that kind of ending.
This drama is really worth watching, and I hope you'll enjoy it too!
That's the end of my review, hope it's been helpful.^^
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Put the remote down and walk away...
First off, let me say that I LOVE Dilraba - she's probably my all-time favorite Chinese actress! This series was so tough for me to watch and stay interested. I lost interest half way though as the storyline became stale and blah. The 4.5 stars are mostly for the Jay Walk Studio actors. The chemistry between Dilraba and Vic Chou was horrific, and often times unbearable to watch - I think it may be due to the age difference (and Vic Chou is too old and too feminine to play a lead male role with younger cast - IMO). I'd take back the 50 hours spent watching this if I could.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
WTF was that ending?
I feel bamboozled, I paid for the Iqiyi subscription to watch this show and I feel like they played with me.I feel like the story was building to something it never reached. During the story the Viewer is taken on a journey with the male lead who is trying to design a robot and the female lead is a streamer working towards a big competition. The issue is we never see them reach their goals. This show could've had 32 episodes so that the viewer could've seen the leads achieve their goals. Instead, they decided to abruptly end at episode 24 without any real conclusion. Yeah the leads are together but the story is unfinished, did the FL make it to the competition? Does the male lead ever reach his goal with the robot? All I can take from this drama is the leads were cute and had a healthy relationship there is no angst or drama just a cute story. Don't look for this story to have a resolution or complete ending because it doesn't, it's so weird.
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In terms of the cast they picked and their acting, nothing else need be said as I don't find it lacking on any part.
What I also enjoyed about this series are the amazing production set they used in terms of the houses, rooms, etc of the characters.
If you are however not really that invested in minor details when watching then you may find the story quite confusing. For me, I found it really entertaining as I do appreciate the extra effort of really getting into more on the details.
In all honesty I'd rewatched this series usually on a cold and rainy weather as I feel that it will really compliment the feels and aesthetic of the series.
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