1When it rains, it pours , washing away doubts but leaving behind a storm of desire!
At the heart of this drama is an exploration of longing, love and the complex emotions that arise when loyalty is questioned. The story is an emotional journey of Hagiwara and Nakarai who navigate their changing feelings towards each other while each being in a complicated relationship where neglect and denial have the front seat. In 7 episodes it somehow manages to explore the grey areas where desires conflict with rationality and norms and also focuses on the delicate balance between self-preservation and vulnerability in the right place, to the right people.The drama in its portrayal of cheating doesn't simply just present it as a plot twist or spicy storytelling tool, but it digs into deeper emotional undercurrents that pushed the characters to take those drastic actions.
Here, it was an expression of emotional turbulence and crisis that stemmed from being disregarded for too long. It felt like a cry for recognition, for understanding.
There is something beautifully tragic in how one person seeks solace in the arms of another, not out of malice, but out of a desperate need to be seen, to feel valued in a world that seems to disregard their worth.
Character Description :
Nakarai Sei was a walking emotional paradox. His character was a mix of emotional detachment and the tragic yearning for something more, something he can't quite grasp but desperately craves. He feels all this stuff brewing inside but he’s also scared of it, building walls to protect himself from emotions he can’t fully understand or accept. He hides behind logic and rationalization, using it like armor to push away the chaos within but it is obvious that the storm inside was only getting bigger. His ability to express conflict without words makes his character all the more compelling.
Hagiwara Kazuaki had a certain duality to him, assertive yet gentle, a man caught between his deepening feelings for Nakarai and the hesitation driven by his own fears. His care goes beyond mere tenderness, it was a constant awareness of how delicate their bond is, as though even the slightest hint of force could break it.
There’s a quiet vulnerability in him, an openness that stands in stark contrast to Nakarai’s guarded demeanor, offering a softness that Nakarai sometimes didn't know how to embrace.
The chemistry between them was both subtle and had a palpable intensity crackling beneath the surface. They had this unspoken tension between them that grew with every glance that lingered a little too long. Hagiwara’s tenderness met Nakarai’s emotional walls, creating this push and pull that felt almost magnetic, yet painfully distant. Their connection is raw, real and messy in the best way, as they tiptoe around what they both want but can’t fully reach.
The side characters Kaori & Fujisawa just didn’t click for me. There wasn’t enough time spent on them to really understand who they were or why they did what they did. It felt like they were just there to move the plot along, not adding any real depth to the character. I didn’t feel any emotional connection to them, like I didn’t like or dislike them, they were just there. They came off more like a plot device than an actual character and honestly, this lack of emotional investment left me pretty indifferent overall. They did give reasons but it was a little too late for me.
The pace was a bit too fast for my liking but I have watched now too many J-dramas to know this is how it is considering the run time.
Also, the last episode felt bit underwhelming but the drama was too entertaining for me to rate it lower!
The performances of both leads brought an emotional battle to life. I can nitpick but overall they served! Cinematography was beautiful and felt very gentle and poetic! It has that perfect J-drama vibe to it , rain serving as main progatanist !
Overall, I would definitely recommend this drama for its emotional depth and its exploration of complex emotions. While this definitely has flaws, the overall story is very gripping, engaging and thought-provoking, with an intensity that lingers long after every episodes end. If nuanced character and emotional turmoil are what you are looking for, this drama is worth your time.
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And don't get me wrong. It delivered in all 9 of the 10 episodes. My only concern was the last episode.
In terms of story, it was a brilliant idea. A mermaid who has a crush on a human she pretty much knows nothing about, solely because he has nice assets. All puns intended. It had infinite potential and the comedy was fantastic. The lead character was bubbly and took nothing from anyone: If someone said something mean to her, she bit them right back! It was quite refreshing to watch; She was also more perverted than most characters tend to be, there were several moments when I was gasping from the things she was doing/saying/thinking. Fantastic! If I had to be picky, I'd say she made a couple of dumb decisions every now and then, but that's to be expected. If she was perfect, there'd be no plot.
The rest of the characters were great too, the girl best friend is a wonderful actress and added even more flavor to the drama, along with the funny and quirky ways of the other characters. So. Much. Potential. I'm still sad.
The acting was great, the humor was great! It did not lack in that department in the least bit! The music was also cute, very upbeat and adorable, suited the feel of the drama.
Honestly, I would probably rewatch 3/4ths of the drama again, with friends. It was so funny, and I would love to see their reactions to the outrageous and perverted humor the lead character has.
My only issue is that this drama was cut due to low rating in Korea (even though it had high ratings abroad). Because of this, we lost 4 episodes of development! 4! Which means the ending was rushed and nonsensical, which is typical of dramas that get cut. It's just so sad because this drama had such great potential. This actually reminds me of what happened to Nail Shop Paris. Oh gosh. It just struck me. IT'S THE CURSE OF SONG JAE RIM! Hahaha!
Anywhoo, still, I would recommend it to friends for the humor and wonderful acting. Go ahead and watch it, it's only 10 episodes anyways, unsatisfactory ending or not!
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One of my favourite contemporary dramas
Rising With The Wind explicitly presents the reality in both the investment and manufacturing industries, and the unruliness that comes with it. It explores the conflict of interest that arises as two people with different nature collides, and also exhibits the difficulty of keeping business and personal life separately.The script writing is compelling. I thoroughly found the dialogues refreshing, and the variety of flawed (or rather dynamic) characters make for a more interesting viewing. The plot knows its theme well and did not go astray into any unnecessary tropes. It gave perfect balance between the following genre: business, romance, and life. The business aspect was intriguing and got me emotionally invested throughout. I enjoyed the flirty banters that the leads had from the beginning, the friendship that they formed while being business partners, and ultimately their seamless progression into being in a relationship. I like the chemistry between the leads, but I had to admit that their relationship was not ideal given their career situation.
What I like most about this show was our heroine (Jiang Hu) and her resiliency. She’s smart, capable, passionate about her work, and true to what she believes in. She’s not someone who puts romance first. She sets her priorities straight and someone who could quickly come back up again after every obstacle. SHE’S A QUEEN!
The performance of the cast was exceptional. I had a bit of a prejudice with Gong Jun after watching him in The Love Equations. But this drama made me a big fan! He nailed his acting as the ruthless investor from BaoXing, while on the other hand giving out the most loving expressions after falling in love with Jiang Hu. The portrayal of Chu Xi as Jiang Hu was also amazing -- her natural acting as a fallen heiress was perfect and made me sympathize with her character throughout.
I love the friendships that were interwoven with the main characters. These supporting characters were not just there to take up some of the screen time. You could see how they were used as emotional support in multiple ways. Not often do we see such healthy family/friendship/platonic relationships be presented in dramaland, so yes this is very much appreciated.
The production quality was above average, and the only problem I had with it (as always with the censorship) was how certain scenes had to be cut, which eventually resulted into awkward scene transitions.
Overall, this has been an addicting watch and 40 episodes seemed like nothing! I could see myself rewatching this again some time in the future.
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I blame my high expectations…
And writers who cannot grasp the idea they do not need to pair up all the characters in their dramas. It’s fine to leave some as single by the end. You do not have time to develop so many relationships and make them worth watching. Be smart, pick two and focus the story around them.How great did this show start? How happy I was with some more realistic representation of trauma and mental health issues. How happy I was with them showing how it can truly impact one’s life and it was not just used to make the romance more “angsty”. And then… it went away. After all the talks and so many great and important scenes… the topic just stopped existing and it yet again seemed like a borderline case of love can cure you.
Here’s the thing - this romance had such great potential, because all the conflicts could have been based in the internal struggles the leads had, without adding any external over the top drama. So what did the writers do? Added external bullshit drama in the last few episodes. As if there was not a lot to unpack even without it and little to no time to make it happen in a proper way and give a decent closure.
Both Bai Lang and Jin Xun An were amazingly complex and flawed characters. It was interesting to watch them on screen try to figure out each other’s feelings, but also how they themselves come to terms with this new relationship.
The side characters were also well crafted, even if some of their stories were underdeveloped. I appreciated Bai Qing and even if I did not agree with her overprotectiveness of her brother, I still understood where it came from, and it’s all I could ask from a drama. RJ and Alex were adorable and it’s a crime they did not have more screen time. I also wished they were more clear about RJ’s home situation.
Production wise it was great. Quite a few screenshot worthy scenes. Same goes for acting - great. Especially Andy Wu, damn he delivered every line, every movement and every facial expression!
Overall, great first half, good 3rd quarter, pain of the last 2 episodes.
Also, just a small, but awfully painful complaint from me: how could they NOT give a reference later of Pink Lady? How could they set it up in such a perfect way, and then not deliver?
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THE BEST JAPANESE DRAMA EVER!!
I won't spoil the story because I don't want to ruin it if you haven't watch this yet.To be honest, I had't seen any Japanese dramas recently, but some of my friends were really into this drama, so I decided to give it a try.
I watched Ep.1, then binge-watched up to the most recent episode. it's great, It's amazing, the whole story made me thrilled and excited. I was really curious what’s going to happen next, what happened the day Tsubaki's father was killed, and whether Tsubaki and Nao will be together or not.
This is a bit fast-paced drama, but neither too fast-paced nor too slow-paced. Some casts might be overacting, but most casts did a great job and match with the vibe.
The props such as kimino (Japanese robe) and wagashi (Japanese confectionery) were absolutely exquisite. This is not a historical drama, but we can also enjoy scenery full of quaint atmosphere.
Overall, the series is definitely worth a watch. Great cast, great story line, great music. If you are thinking about whether to watch this, just try it! I guarantee you'll never get boring, rather will have a serious craving for wagashi.
here kimino and wagashi pics :)
https://www.ntv.co.jp/watadou/kimono/nao.html
https://www.ntv.co.jp/watadou/wagashi/
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This review may contain spoilers
It’s been a solid period of time since I decided to allow this confused mess of a drama sink into my nerves, and seeing how the reviews are scarce in number, I thought I’d give potential viewers a rather large piece of my mind.If you’re here and considering watching this, I’ll assume that you at least somewhat enjoyed the show to which this is a sequel. Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me sits somewhat high on my rom-com list despite being littered with Asian drama tropes (my favorite of which has to be "cohabiting rich guy and poor girl who refuses to take his crap but sometimes takes his crap anyway because dramaland"). It was youthful, cliched, yet endearing.
This sequel, though, was absolutely terrible in comparison.
There are cliches like in the prequel, which the writers delivered as cute and gave you some giggles. And then there are cliches like in this one, which will have you laughing psychotically as you sharpen your metaphorical knives and prepare to hunt down the people who turned the plot into absolute - for lack of a better word - horseshit.
It’s important to compare this sequel with its predecessor because it is a direct continuation from where MDDNKM left off. There are many problems to be resolved, particularly the one where the relationship between the two main characters remains very ambiguous. Yet, frustratingly, the second season never delivers satisfying closure to any of the questions you may have and instead piles on dilemma after dilemma that don’t serve any real purpose other than pissing you off.
If you have disdain for any of the following cliches (contains spoilers; but who’re we kidding, this show isn’t worth watching anyway): lying ex-girlfriends, clingy third wheels latching onto the male and female main characters, a lead couple whose most effective form of communication is giving one another the cold shoulder, ridiculous birth secrets, "the girl you like is actually blood related to you", etc.; ditch this drama now. It’s pathetic how bad this all became. Every single episode of this show became the longest 20 minutes of my life and I just about wished that I would spontaneously have responsibilities to attend to so I’d be put out of the misery of sitting through them.
The acting is okay. I liked the actors way more in the first season; which might have had something to with the characters’ quirks. Some aspects of them were endearing in the first season, but rapidly became extremely annoying in this one. See reference: Qi Lu deciding that every single time Chu Xia gets pissy with him, he’ll call her stupid or some other variation instead of asking “what did I do” like any normal human being would. Gets old when it happens every episode for 20 straight episodes, boy.
Also, I’d like to mention that the editors confused the hell out of me. Why on earth would you play fun, happy background music during a scene in which two antagonists are plotting how to get rid of their rival? Whenever this happened, I half-expected a squirrel to jump out and maul them or something else that would be entertaining, but nope. It would just be a possibly suspenseful scene, ruined by a playful little jingle in the background. It seriously ruins the mood.
In a way, I consider it intelligent that none of this content was included in the first season. The quality falls so short that it’d be a real shame to drag down the fun of the first season with this trash.
tl;dr: did the director hit his head during production and decide to continue being the director?
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If you're looking for a drama that takes your breath away with it's pureness and cry because it seems so hopeless, then you've come to the right place.
This drama taught me that just because society view it as "forbidden love", it doesn't make it wrong or any less true.
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This review may contain spoilers
The ending isn't the only problem with this drama
The whole drama is one big problem. This drama is so bad that I decided to write a review for the first time to warn others. Don't waste your time. There are much better dramas worth watching.Why do I think drama is so hopeless?
It's mostly about the plot. Or rather, the lack of it. What's the point of this story anyway? There isn't any. Really. Normally, every story has a beginning, a middle part and an ending. It reaches some conclusion.The story started out interesting . DAS wasn't as good as other zombie/monster dramas, but it was still interesting. Aliens invasion was quite original idea. And that's it. The further you go, the more nonsense the story becomes.
Part 2 begins by showing the students eliminating the aliens. It's promising. We know it's been a while since the incident when Sergeant Lee was killed. It seems that the children have matured and learned to take care of their own safety. You could not be more wrong. From this moment the story starts to get idiotic and full of plot holes.
First of all, why are the children alone? What happened to Kim Won Bin? Did he leave the children alone? Did he evacuate without them? Why do children talk about everyone who died and not him? He seems to have survived, so why did the writers suddenly forget about him?
As I wrote above, at the beginning of part 2 we see that the children have grown up. And suddenly... They start acting irrationally and getting hysterical again. All character development suddenly disappears. The other scenes don't make sense either. Why was the prison scene included in the series? The kids needed parts for a radio, so shouldn't they look for an electronics store in a deserted city? And how is it possible that the prisoners survived? We know that it's been at least a month since Sergeant Lee's accident by the time part 2 starts, and the town has already been abandoned. Did these prisoners live for more than a month without food, water and other necessities? And they were in such great condition? Seriously? Where is the logic?!
Another thing are the spheres. Where did the spheres come from? What did they want? What was their purpose? In the first part, it seemed that people were learning more and more about aliens, e.g. that they were sensitive to cold and noise, and that they could communicate. And in the second part? Aliens are mindless. They run to the prison because the children screamed a few times, but they didn't show up at the amusement park, where children make noise, So I am asking again where is the logic? At the end, we also learn that a weapon was invented, thanks to which the aliens were eliminated, but the spheres were still in the air. Why?
As for the ending, In my opinion it was stupid. But the stupidest thing was that nothing foreshadowed it. The writers didn't show us that Guk Yeong Soo is slowly going crazy, he just suddenly went crazy because his exam was canceled. Seriously?! PTSD would be much more convincing.
All in all, I do not recommend wasting your time watching this drama. The writers made this story as if they didn't respect the viewers. The series was very hyped, so they wrote anything, after all, the viewers would not notice.
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Me, My Husband, and My Husband's Boyfriend
58 people found this review helpful
Polyamory
What started as almost a typical cheater-husband-discovered-and-wife-struggles-to cope-plot quickly became a heartfelt drama about not only society's judgement of the not "normal" but also one's internal judgment, the struggle to fight for one's own happiness, and the willingness to open oneself up to new possibilities, all featuring genuine people trying to do the "right" thing. And beyond just that, the scale of "like."If you're looking for an exploration of relationships that is complicated but worth it in the end, then this is the drama for you.
I only want a monogamous relationship. I may not understand--I say "understand" because I myself have felt some annoyance hearing Straight people say they "understand" my being Bi, because, to me, you can't truly understand something unless you live it--what it's like to be polyamorous. But I can accept the reality of it because it is someone's reality, I can learn about it, and I can widen my understanding of the world past my own nose. I feel that's what this was trying to say in the end: You don't have to "get it." Just try to grow and see more than yourself.
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Overall, it's an okay drama. Did not give it a ten because it's too short. Hoping they get a second season.
If you like aggressive male lead, you will like this.
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Grounded and natural tackles various serious topics
Really love this show. It's been a while since I saw grounded bl tackling serious topics while also staying interesting and portraying realistic characters. I don't mind characters being over the top sometimes like in other bls , because it's still just a fictional show, but once again missed these kind of shows that just feels real and genuine. This might be one of my favorite BL shows including Old fashion cupcake, and Blueming. Would love to see more shows like this that just doesn't portray lightheaded subjects and doesn't shy away from portraying serious issues.As a manga reader, I was impressed by how accurately this show portrayed it. There are literally scenes that could be put side by side and also really glad that they didn't cut dark themes that take place in the manga. I honestly didn't think they would dare to portray this kind of story. Here I want to give kudos to the director and screenwriter , because I feel she was able to realistically portray the show while balancing between manga and show, as to my opinion there weren't any filler scenes. Additionally, as the screentime is always limited to 30 min , I am glad she was able to balance it well. Now I have seen few comments saying that it didn't do justice to manga, but I feel like it's up to each person, cause personally I feel like they showed all the important scenes without losing too much context.
As for the acting, personally I liked it. It feels very grounded and natural and if you have seen some animes/ manga getting updated into live action , you know how cartoonish it can get cause sometimes actors would struggle to find balance between manga and real acting and get it mixed up. I really like subtle expressions of Ren's actor, I think he was perfectly casted and was able to find that balance , as it felt like a real person with real feelings and I could relate to him. Again will mention shows like Old fashion cupcake and Blueming, where in the same way it feels so natural , characters just make you sympathize with them.
Also liked Kazuma's choice of the actor, again feels very natural, though reading manga at first I thought he didn't fit the image but later as I continued watching the show, I feel like he was also chosen well, as he was able to deliver Kazuma's gentle character quite well and his affection towards Ren and tender gestures were also delivered well.
Now, as for the kids actors, some ppl complain that showrunners shouldn't have chosen real 14 year old actors to play them, however, actually I didn't mind. Acting is still acting, and there are tons of shows which have 14 year olds or even younger portraying such provocative scenes though I didn't think it was provocative but just unsettling, which is the point , as the scene in the manga also makes you feel uncomfortable. There are some shows like Shameless where there are tons of provocative episodes and in the first season Ian's actor was only 15 and his character had to make out with the actors who were in 30s like Mickey and Cash's actors, which apparently no one has problem with. Again even with Shameless, as long as the actors have chosen themselves to portray a certain role , I don't have a problem, cause acting is acting. As for this show, I liked the portrayal of the teenage actors as well as it felt very natural.
Although some people might disagree with me, and call the acting is bad, again I feel like it's up to each person. Cause there are tons of shows out there, in which for some ppl certain actors didn't sell out their roles and for some ppl portrayal was quite solid. I think the only problem or minor issue was for me sometimes the crying on the scenes which could have another takes, but in overall for me it was very natural throughout the whole series. I usually don't judge a whole show to have bad acting just because of couple of clunky scenes, and instead evaluate it based on the whole show and how it made the characters feel , in this case, fleshed out , natural and sympathetic.
Again another thing, why i liked the cast and feel like they perfectly fit their roles is because the chemistry between two leads was really great. There are so many BL shows or usual shows that have 2 actors who are trying very hard to portray their characters but there is no chemistry between main leads. I think for me same type of well executed chemistry was again in Blueming, Old fashion cupcake, Cherry magic, To my star, Minato's laundromat(cute chemistry). In Tokyo in April , I really loved all these subtle expressions of two main leads especially Ren's, and of course it was adapted from manga, but their domestic scenes are the best. Like they would be just calmly chilling together or cooking together , and the amount of fluff there is immeasurable. I honestly think affectionate scenes are 100x times better than all those passionate sexy scenes in Thai BLs. Honestly watching these 2 characters together made me feel very lonely and wanting a comfy relationship like this haha. Their scenes didn't feel awkward or clunky at all, and it just felt very natural and like a real life couple, which convinces me that actors were able to connect well before shooting for this show.
As for the music, really love both opening and ending songs. Especially the ending song is perfect for these characters. However, I wish there were more musical scores, cause the ones we have are really nice and wish there were more of it in the show.
I feel like we need more shows like this that have some depths and serious topics. I am not against comedic BL shows and lighthearted ones like Cherry Magic or Minato's laundromat( perfect summer light show) all of these shows are necessary and provide great escapism from the real tough world we have. But at the same time those shows are prevalent and it's quite refreshing to see shows like Tokyo in april and in which characters who play mid 20s office workers actually act and feel like them in real life. Honestly missed shows like this and would like to see more shows having emotional depth, characters that feel very real and natural.
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STORY: 9/10
The story of 'Pornographer' is more complex than it lets out to be. A young student crashes into a man with his bike who just so happens to be a pornographic novel writer. The novel author is injured and hurts his left wrist (which is suggested is his dominant hand). Since the young student has no money to pay for the hospital bills, he offers his services to the be the writer for the porno author till his hand recuperates. During this time together, the two develop a strong and meaningful relationship as the young student learns more about the author, who he calls 'Sensei', and becomes a fan of his writing style. He also learns that his Sensei has dreams of becoming an author outside the porno genre and that for now porn novels is what is sustaining his finances. The story sounds cut and dry, but there is a lot of mystery introduced into the plot as the young student gets Jealous of other characters that interact with his Sensei and when he starts imaging himself in the same sexual situations with that he writes about in his Sensei's novels. I would have given the story a perfect score, but unfortunately the ending left me without closure. I would hope there is a second season for this drama, but I'm not sure if there will be. Open-ended endings are nice, but I like endings where I am sure things have been properly resolved.
ACTING: 9.5/10
Every single actor in this drama gave glowing performances. Both main-actors played their characters amazingly well and their chemistry was through the roof. I especially enjoyed the editor character that came in later, he was extremely hunky and had a deep voice that made my heart swoon, All-in-all the whole cast was excellent!
MUSIC: 8.5
The music was good. It was a bit cheesy at times but it helped movie the story along and capture the feelings of the characters,
REWATCH VALUE: 8/10
I'd say this drama is good for one more watch but after that it may lose it magic. It's too short and there is no point looking into it much deeper than what is given to you unless season 2 is in the works. Other than that it would just feel incomplete.
OVERALL: 9/10
I really enjoyed this drama and I highly recommend it to any BL lover. Both main actors are not only easy on the eyes but have great acting chops. Their chemistry was also wonderful and the story itself is filled with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
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'wait for me'
intense, dark, with a lot of upsetting themes but i found this movie beautiful.before you read this review or watch keep in mind the trigger warning for rape, violence, murder and multiple types of assualt (including that of which includes children) as i know there are some scenes that would be very triggering to some.
i don't want to write much as im not one who writes reviews but i waited for this movie for a long time and was not disappointed (though it was not what i expected it to be).
the story follows a elementary school teacher who goes through a traumatic event which leads him to being entangled with a rogue youth who goes by kai just as the synopysis states. both of these characters are very complex and their actions make the audience wonder about their backstories and intent. the story itself has a lot of plot twists and scenes that seem almost impulsive that take the viewer by surprise. there was a large amount of plot points that i did not anticipate at all. the way it is written and plays out is so interesting and very easy to get invested in, the viewer is able to immerse themselves in this world and the fucked up beauty of it. it did get quite confusing at times and im definitely didn't 100% understand everything that happened but that will come with more rewatching and being able to rewatch it with the full context of their backstories etc, plus the subs were quite rough. even if you don't understand everything you always get the gist of what's happening.
the casting was PERFECT. inuba yu did an incredible job as usual and the actor of kai (kenshin endo) completely embodied the role, i found his performance completely mesmerizing and couldn't tear my eyes away from him when he was on screen, both his voice and mannerisms when in character were hypnotic. i hope to see him in more roles asap his acting was phenomenal. i cannot praise it enough.
the relationship between the characters is so so complicated but there was something incredibly alluring about it too. they saved eachother in more ways than one. they were clearly soulmates, half of the same soul. two fragile people finding the one person who they would live and die for over and over again. i could talk about their relationship for hours. the chemistry was INCREDIBLE, the want, need and pure love was clear even if a lot of the time it was never verbalized. watching them made me feel a bit insane. i would give my kidney to see the actors play love interests again.
i could talk about the cinematography, set design, direction, and sound/music for hours. this movie is easily one of my favourites i've seen this year in all those factors. the cinematography is SO visually pleasing, all the colours come together so well and the way it is filmed really makes the viewer feel as if they are IN the scene along with the characters. the set design was beautiful, especially the set of the place where they rapped/seemed to live. the colours, the lighting, all the additions of graffiti and junk came together so well i adored it and couldn't help but appreciate it everytime it was on screen. the sound GOD, i have such a deep appreciation for this movie's use of the affect of music and noise. all the music that was used fit perfectly and always stood out to me, the rapping included. something that reallyy stood out though was the use of background noise, there was always chatter or some type of noise happening in the background in most scenes and it added so much to the realisticness of the movie.
as a whole it was messy and this is definitely not for everyone. you have to go into it with the knowledge that it is supposed to be as messed up as it is, one of the main genres of this movie is pyschological. you aren't supposed to like it you're supposed to understand it, supposed to come away with complex emotions and your head spinning. to me, it had so much meaning (and probably more than im aware of which i will figure out when i watch it again to consolidate my feelings) , and it was just simply beautiful. watch it.
[edit: the more i thought about it and rewatched scenes the more obsessed i became it went from 8.5 > 9. i completely agree with a comment describing it as artistic brillance rather than something that caters to 'usual' audiences. i still levae out that one star just because i wish it were longer. 2 hours is long for a movie but i still wish this much much longer, i could watch kenshin/inaba act together forever, their chemistry is just so incredible]
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Anyway, jokes aside if you know anything about me, you know by now I'm a sucker for obsessive love that goes beyond the boundaries of morality.
Absolutely one of those films and couples that will be my go to from now on.
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Han Seung-joo, played by Uee, is not just single - she's alone. Her family are judgemental, abusive parasites and her friends have their own lives. She inherits a mountain from her Aunt that her family is intent on developing into a resort. But when she feels threatened in her own home, she decides to hire a man to be her husband. Oh Jak-doo (Kim Kang-woo) is seemingly a lowly herb-gatherer from the mountain she now owns and he accepts the role in exchange for her leaving his mountain home undeveloped.
At the beginning, this drama had an intelligent script that seemed to be at war with the Makjang direction. It doesn't matter how strong or independent you are, it was saying, you still need somebody to be on your side. In essence, everybody needs a mountain. Seung-joo's mountain was both figurative and literal: when things got too difficult for her, she now had somewhere solid and unchanging to rest.
From the start, the Makjang direction was extremely jarring. Full of intense close-ups, overwrought - almost screeching - line deliveries, and long scenes devoted to the bumbling slapstick antics of three mountain Halmeonis, the direction was a sour note in a otherwise enjoyable show.
Unfortunately, by about episode 14 it became obvious the director knew something we didn't. The show veered sharply into Makjang and never recovered. At a daunting 24 episodes, this meant almost half the drama was full of contrived conflict, opaque character motivations and general audience confusion. And screeching. There's a lot of screeching.
While Kim Kang-woo's Oh Jak-doo is often swoonworthy, the show is stolen repeatedly by the affectatious and pretentious Eric Cho as a second male lead, played with a lot of heart and self-awareness by Jung Sang-hoon. Uee also gives her character a lot of strength and vulnerability but both she and Kim Kong-woo struggle with their characters once their motivations get murky.
The performances are not enough to save what is, in the end, a poorly-written and badly-paced soap opera that has little overall point to make about anything.
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