Story: The main focus is on this family who face difficult challenges in wake of an unfortunate life altering event. The first episode was so unpredictable and the ending of it will lead you to want to watch the next episode to see what will happen next. There are multiple storylines going on because there is a large cast so you will definitely stay interested and not get bored. My only gripe is that the romance between the main couple is kind of weak and the ending for them was kind of cheesy...
Acting/Cast: The acting doesn't blow me away but somehow I found myself engrossed in all the characters. There were so many characters that at first its hard to keep up with who's who. After I got to know everyone though I found myself rooting for everyone. I even wanted our villain (very creepy/scary) to redeem himself although it never happens.
Music: OST fits the show well. The theme song is cute & very catchy.
Rewatch Value: I liked this show so i'll rewatch it but not right away.
Overall the plot was engaging but the writers lacked focus and felt a little bit all over the place so a little tightening up with the story could of made it even better. Its positives are that its very touching and you learn a lot about close family relationships.
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Going further, what makes this drama so engaging is that it puts the human emotions and experience of betrayal, vengeance, love, family, friendship, and money into a universal context that possibly anyone can relate to. First and foremost is the betrayal. You may have experienced in life when you felt betrayed by the very people/person who trust and admire...simply being used up and tossed aside like trash...one can't help but feel betrayed thus leading one into seeking vengeance for the pain that one has experienced...it is only justice, right? "Eye for an eye", as the saying goes...they made you suffer, you've experienced emotional pain, now they will get a taste of their own medicine...there's an interesting double karma that occurs in this drama that really makes you think, "Could there have been a better course of actions?"...
Along the way in one's vendetta, you meet people or someone who brings love and friendship into your life...your heart wavers because you begin to fall in love with this person...what will you do, when your heart betrays you as well? Will you give up your vengeance for this person?...seems like a very plausible thing to do and just forget about everything while you're still trying to complete your master plan...will falling in love mess you up?
Family is also important as well, as your action may consequently affect everyone in it...as well as those who are connected to your family...however, what if your family hides a dark secret, will it still justify for your actions and vengeance? Often in the scheme for power, it is really about about the money, the Benjamins...as greed is quite an over-powering human desire for more of everything in life...after all, money is what makes the world go round, right?...I think...well not really in my opinion but nonetheless we need it in order to survive in our current societies.
If you're not into those sappy and sad dramas...this one will be a treat for you...it's a thriller filled with twist and turns and I think blends very well with the love plot between the individuals who create a love triangle that's rather interesting to watch and see it unfold.
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The drama is clearly low budget. You can tell by the costumes/props and at some point, it looks like a home-filmed thing. However! That does not subtract anything from the amount of pure substance in this piece ;)
Considering the Chinese government censors and all that, I'm very proud of what these people managed to put out!
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Its about a man who is forced to be a father and now living with his daughter .. This story revolves around this man ... few characters show up in his life and stays with him .. :) i love how this drama portrays gentleness and kindness in such a sweet manner..
Excellent acting from both main leads and their chemistry is very pure :) ... Another actor and character that i really liked was the young girl ... She did an outstanding job..
Another best thing i liked was the way writer captured my attention all throughout the drama.. I kept watching episodes one after the other in curiosity to what will happen next.. Story-line is very different and unpredictable .. It had me till the end ..
I liked jap dramas for how they show light and deep moments in such a simple way ... This drama touched my heart in so many places :D :D ... if you really wanted to watch something light yet deep and mature.. give it a go .. i am sure you will NOT regret it :)
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To sum up this drama is valuable in acting, art (costumes are great) music and dancing also the storyline is interessting. The only thing you need to prepare yourself is getting a bunch of tissues ready as it gets really emotional ;)
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This review may contain spoilers
WHY did I watch this?
Season 2 of a series, regardless of its genre, should be reserved for a series that was highly successful and popular in its first season because of a memorable plot/storyline, solid acting, or good writing and directing, that left everyone wanting more.Sadly, most of the series that have gotten a second season lately, especially Thai BLs, have been utterly disappointing (see for example "Love by Chance 2", "Tharn-Type season 2", "Love Area season 2", among others) as they couldn't overcome a myriad of flaws and some questionable acting and directing that left us viewers regretting our decision to watch.
Gen Y season 2 is NO exception despite what one reviewer (who has only watched 4 episodes) said about this being a wonderful show. It is NOT... Gen Y2 became 12 episodes of dull acting, bad directing, many storyline plots that were even more boring to watch and useless situations that were dealt with in usual BL fashion of not being dealt with at all. Here's why.
The storyline/plot:
This story seems to follow the concept of the original "2Moons" with Wayu (instead of Wayo), Kit and Pha remaining constants from that show and with virtually identical characters. The idea of having Wayu and Thanu as the main couple in season 2 was created by the plot of Pha leaving Wayu alone in season 1 and telling Thanu to take care of Wayu. It took all of season 1 and then nearly a third of season 2 to finally know that Pha is sick (I believe he had a sort of brain tumor judging by what Kit is reading while doing research on the disease) and is dying, so he leaves Wayu because he doesn't want him to see him like that. Really?! The love of your life and you just leave one day, ask another guy to "take care" of Wayu for you, and vanish into thin air without an explanation? So this was sinkhole #1 in the plot.
Then Kit and Mark have their own issues... the cat and mouse game Kit plays in season 1 by rejecting Mark's advances and flirting until he finally breaks his walls and accepts that he likes Mark, shift into Mark and Kit having a dull relationship (in my opinion) with Mark acting cute all the time because of how much he loves Kit and the other trying to restrain himself and control Mark's personality at the same time. And then, they drift apart when Kit applies for a scholarship abroad (one of the usual Thai BL clichés) and decides is better to take some time apart from seeing Mark to make sure both get used to living apart from each other. Really?! If I knew I was leaving to study abroad, I would have spent every single second I could possibly spend with my loved one before I had to leave, not the opposite... Kit is basically training Mark (and himself) to be alone in case he leaves but both spend countless episodes crying and sighing because they miss each other. So this was sinkhole #2.
Pha reappears early in this season but is to reveal he is dying. This takes Kit on a quest to save him, trying to apply for an experimental study in the US, neglecting Mark and almost everything else to save Pha. Thanu feels sad about his friend and also a bit guilty by "keeping" Wayu. And Wayu has no clue of what is happening at first, until Sandee (more on him later) reveals the truth, making Wayu feel guilty about being mad at Pha for what he thought was just Pha breaking up with him and then compensating by staying with Pha all the time at the hospital, feeling a bit angry because nobody told him about Pha's health, and then guilty again for having feelings for Thanu while Pha is dying. We had to watch nearly entire episodes of these scenarios I mentioned above and they became quite boring after a while as nothing was developing with the other couples and Wayu-Thanu-Pha kept this love triangle from dying out. Finally, Pha does end up dying (in a poorly edited scene with Pha's mother saying "he is gone", but then Wayu, Kit and Thanu going in the room to find he is actually alive, before he finally dies) which released us from watching Wayu suffer because he loves Thanu but wants to take care of Pha. So this was sinkhole #3.
Sandee is the bad guy (I guess) of this season as he tries to "fix" the couples to what he thinks is best. Thanu with Phai and then also messing with the Tong-Pok couple because Tong switched his grade with Pok's so he could be accepted in the university. Ok, I get you're angry at Tong because your grade was switched... but when Sandee confesses to Phai about what he did and then in episode 12 when he talks to Pok, he reveals the switch didn't affect either of them as the grades were identical. Really?! You went through all the mess of threatening and blackmailing Tong, being outcasted by your group of friends, having Pok beat you up a little, and for what? In the end the switch didn't make a difference! And then trying to put Thanu and Phai together serves no purpose in the series as Phai already made it clear he will not interfere in the Thanu-Wayu relationship, so what... Sandee likes Phai? Maybe... Sandee just wants to play matchmaker due to his distorted idea of what love should be (all the fate-destiny crap he and Phai talked about since season 1) Maybe... but we never know for sure. So this was sinkhole #4.
Pok and Tong have an almost toxic relationship with Tong refusing to kiss as he is "saving that for his real love"... great... but his conservative nearly puritan perspective goes to hell when both are being fuckbuddies and doing nearly everything (including the shower scene before they break up) but with Tong still refusing to kiss. They lack communication, they let Sandee influence them quite easily, they never listen to the rest of their friends and then all is solved in episodes 11 and 12 when they each find out the truth (from someone else), Sandee apologizes, and all is well in the world of Pok and Tong. So this was sinkhole #5.
Then we have the secondary characters who have nothing to do. Jack and Ko could have been the best side couple of this season as the actors worked together as a couple in "My Mate Match" but they barely get screen time with all the characters in this series. At least they have a decent and cute ending... We also have the mystery that Padbok was in this show. He was constantly fighting with Thanu in season 1 for what he thought was his friend's betrayal... but then he disappears in season 2 with the excuse of him taking care of his sick father. He briefly appears in the waste of episode when the whole cast dresses up for the mini-plays but leaves after literally 10 seconds when he sees that Thanu will be involved in the scene as well. Then in episode 12 he listens to Thanu and Wayu, then Jack and Jew confirm the story and what could have been solved in about 2 minutes of the show, ended up being solved until the last 10 minutes of the season. Not sure if Junior (the actor who played Padbok) was busy with the new BL he will lead (something called "Boxer in Heart" where he will play the main couple along with Tiger from "My Engineer" and "Top Secret Together") but his absence in this season was made even more evident by the choppy scenes he had to film to solve his problems with Thanu. The rest of the characters either play matchmakers or provide some sort of comedic relief but they barely add anything to the story. Phai more or less gives some good advice to Kit in a few episodes but nothing that good. So this was sinkhole #6.
The acting:
Sadly, most of the actors, while attractive, have fallen in the same sort of roles. Bas (playing Wayu) is stuck with the suffering damsel in distress character that needs a big strong man like Pha or Thanu to help him and all his characters have that similar feeling. Kimmon (playing Mark) and Copter (playing Kit) have fallen in the playful/flirty character (Mark) and the serious, uptight, centered character (Kit). Bank (playing Sandee) and Pon (playing Phai) were nothing like their characters from "The Moment" and "The Moment Since" where they had some soul and personality, here both were quite dull. Big (playing Pha) had mostly bed-ridden scenes in the hospital and maybe he was also focusing on his support role in "Something in My Room" (where he doesn't appear much either and his character is quite weird) but his scenes playing a sick man were forgettable. The other Bank (playing Pok) and Bonus (playing Tong) could have used some acting directions as they had some of the most intense scenes, whether having sex or arguing, in the series, but they didn't convince me much. The rest were just there.
In the end, Gen Y 2 ended up being another disappointment in what is becoming a long list of disappointments now, as companies are just producing BLs because they see them as profitable or trendy but don't bother too much in terms of quality. So, yeah, avoid this season if you can.
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Good News: Hijacked by Humor
I did not have any previous knowledge of the real-life 1970s hijacking, so when I learned that Good News is inspired by true events, I was expecting a heavy drama. I was pleasantly surprised to discover this was not only an action film but also a black comedy that leaned heavily on the satire.The film definitely embraced the comedic genre, often following intense scenes with witty dialogue, physical humor and absurd scenarios when least expected. The back and forth between the two tones felt like a rollercoaster ride, providing enough laughs to break the previously built tension, but always maintaining an underlying sense of urgency, never allowing the viewers to fully let their guards down.
This film's bold use of unconventional music and sometimes "over-the-top" visual effects works perfectly with the narrative and makes Good News stand out among many others in this genre. Although the balance of dramatic and comedic scenes was masterfully calculated, the film's length was a significant drawback. Around the halfway point, the narrative began to drag, and a quicker pace would have improved the viewing experience.
Despite a runtime that could have been shorter, don't let the serious premise discourage you. It's a surprisingly entertaining watch, thanks to its masterful use of music and visual effects, and its clever way of blurring the line between suspense and comedy.
Overall: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Enjoyability: 3.5/5
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I watched this drama ages ago. At the time, I didn't have reasons to watch dramas, I only watch anything that seems interesting.
This drama was one of the first Korean dramas that I saw and one of the fewest melodramas that I was invested in.
2) Storyline/Plot:
It's a melodrama so you can prepare yourself for crying and so but I have to point out that the story wasn't like any other melodrama that I've seen before.
Positive points:
*The beginning of the drama was well explained plus script writers did a great job when it comes to the storyline's development.
*The feelings were mixed up in a way that we could get in touch with an amazing burst of emotions.
*Sad events were very emotional in a way that would touch the heart and soul.
Negative points:
*I always thought that this drama was way too emotional to the point that it may fall into other common tragedies.
Story: 8.5/10
3)Acting/Cast:
Generally speaking, this dramas actors knew how to deliver feelings in a perfect way allowing us to feel pain, suffer, sadness and the injustice of life. The lead actress attracted my intention by her great acting skills.
Cast: 8/10
Acting: 8.5/10
4) The ending:
Heartbreaking yet awesome, I wouldn't like it if it ended otherwise because it fits the drama's genre perfectly.
The ending: 9/10
5) My impression (How did it affect me):
*I don't actually like melodramas but this one was a great exception.
*Considering the fact that I watched this ten years ago, this is an unforgettable drama that will never die.
*I felt sadness while watching this drama and the friend who watched it with me didn't stop crying the whole drama.
My impression: 9/10
6) Overall:
*If you like tragedies and impossible love stories than you would love this.
*If you're into tearjerker melodramas then this is for you.
Overall: 8.5/10.
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Bargaining for Love
My Bargain Queen is an office-romance drama that is set in the beautiful port city of Tianjin, China. The premise is based on two industries that are disparate in nature but not mutually exclusive - the bargaining or negotiation consultative services and the hotel business. There is a significant shift to an online bargaining business model towards the latter episodes.The plot revolves primarily around the romances of the characters involved in those lines of work as well as the people around them. In addition to the romance with all its associated tropes and the light comedy,, we also have the business aspects, slice-of-life elements as well as some measure of angst and tragic circumstances (in the backstory) as well.
This production which completed principal photography in October 2020 is aired simultaneously on Dragon TV as well as Youku streaming platform, among other regional broadcasters and streamers. The screenplay is adapted from the novel of the same name (我的砍价女王) by The Sleeping Meow (睡懒觉的喵), a nom de plume. The Ritz-Carlton in Tianjin is featured as the site of the fictional Evergreen Hotel while a number of scenes were filmed at The Happy Valley Theme Park. Kenny Lin reunites with Nicky Wu since Scarlet Heart (2011) while Wu Jin Yan and Wang He Run last collaborated on Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures in 2019.
The production quality is well above average for this contemporary setting due to the posh set designs of The Ritz-Carlton. As expected of a rom-com, warmer colours and soft filters are applied generously in the visuals, with which I have no problems. The cinematography is generally adequate but there are some editing issues as well as certain scenes being cut which affect scene transitions but thankfully without impacting on the flow of the story.
The story works well when focusing on the business aspects, with some interestingly written subplots on the business rivalries and workplace machinations. The romance is decently developed, in particular for the main and secondary CPs. The family dynamics, in particular the FL’s mother, appears somewhat overemphasised while the inclusion of the dreaded angst from the third CP detracts from the initial positivity and feel-good vibes. The 40-episode length does give the overall impression of being drawn out for a romantic drama of this nature. Contemporary C-dramas really should consider shortening the production to perhaps 30 episodes or even less.
I went into this drama for Wu Jin Yan whom I’ve been a fan of since Story of Yanxi Palace and Legend of Hao Lan. She performs commendably here as the FL Xia Qian where her mature disposition and her own voice dubbing suits the role perfectly. The consistency of the characterization isn’t without its flaws especially towards the closing stages, which I attribute to the screenplay. Kenny Lin plays the ML Sheng Zhe Ning, who starts off as a cold and stoic hotel CEO that eventually evolves into a warm and somewhat adorable personality. Both Wu Jin Yan and Kenny Lin complement each other very well together with the right maturity levels and convincing chemistry that makes them a compelling OTP.
Nicky Wu and Wang He Run portray the SML Qin He Bo and SFL Fu Shuang Shuang respectively as the second CP of the show. Theirs is the age-gap romance which, to me, comes across as natural and organic in depiction and development. The only issue I have is Nicky Wu’s voice or rather his enunciation which lacks clarity at times. Wang He Run’s character has a significant story arc which contributes to a degree of growth that provides an additional dimension to her portrayal.
The supporting characters of He Zhi Juan and Ning Meng, respectively played by Ma Si Chao and Song Yi Xing are the main issues in the drama for me. On top of the characterization being poorly conceived, being used to create over-dramatic angst in the plot particularly at a very late stage does scream of lazy scriptwriting. The controversy giving rise to the drama isn’t particularly convincing and, to make matters worse, I feel the acting from these two actors is extremely weak. Ma Si Chao does not resemble a medical practitioner that he portrays and every time he speaks, he sounds out of breath like he is hyperventilating. Some portion of the blame has to be placed on the direction for this. Song Yi Xing’s acting isn’t the most riveting either but for all intents and purposes, she does succeed in making Ning Meng the most infuriating character in the drama. In some ways, I suppose these two do match each other as third CP and annoying couple from hell.
The soundtrack for this drama features warm mellow ballads while the BGM is well-suited although somewhat lacking in variation. I do however enjoy the creatively-rendered title sequence and the accompanying opening instrumental theme. Full OST listing as follows:
Warming Slowly 慢慢热 by Wu Jinyan 吴谨言
To the One Who Loved 致爱的人 by Lin Zike 林子珂
Child 小孩 by Chen Xijun 陈希郡
All things considered, My Bargain Queen is not a bad option to choose, especially if you’re a fan of the leads and in the mood for a light workplace romance. However 40 episodes is a commitment and the slight inclusion of melodramatic elements may dampen the mood at certain points. Proceed with caution but, for the most part, I did enjoy the overall storytelling of the drama.
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The themes are also more mature than other K-Movies, and that's the wonderful thing. Absolutely needs worth a try for watch, these are two hours but really well spent!
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I will try not to spoil the drama but if you have read the novel, it follows quite closely :-)
Story
I read the novel, and was really hyped when i heard that it finally got picked up into a drama. But if you haven’t read the novel, don’t worry, it’s something refreshing and heartwarming to watch (of course with a little twists and turns along the way). Characters are really well-developed. No overly clingy characters here like most dramas, side characters play a major part of the story too!! Towards the ending, I felt like it was really rushed? But nonetheless, i enjoyed the drama overall:)
Acting/Cast
The female lead’s acting really caught my attention. This is her first main role she has, and she pulled it off super well, her emotions she showed amazed me.
The other actors are amazing as well, although some of them are first-timers, they pulled it off smoothly!!
10/10
Music
not much to say here but it isn’t overplayed like in most dramas and quite soothing too
Rewatch Value
If I ever need a drama to rewatch, I can see myself coming back to watch it. (That’s how the good the drama is）
Overall
One of the best dramas i’ve watched in awhile :) Give it a try!!
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This review may contain spoilers
A disaster movie, yet using emotional + vivid suggestive power in the tradition of anti-war-movies
"Pandora" is a disaster movie.I don't really consider myself a fan of this genre, which focuses on mass panic and adrenaline.
However, I consider this KMovie particularly valuable.
In this case I think the makers have succeeded in doing something similar to what anti-war movies try to achieve: deterrence by vividly conveying the threatening horror. In respect to the scenario of a nuclear catastrophe the movie applies emotional and vivid suggestive power, at the same time making people think and possibly question the sense and usefulness of highly dangerous nuclear power plants.
In view of the consecutive radical change of South Korea's nuclear policy six months after "Pandora" was released, one could say: the project was worth it. (It would probably be too daring to talk about causality, but it could be considered a noticeable correlation...)
The 2016 KMovie picks up on the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and, against this background, develops a story that is comparable by South Korean standards. South Korea is the country with the highest population density in the immediate vicinity of its nuclear power plants. However, due to its insular position, a realistic evacuation plan in the event of a disaster is a major problem. With the movie "Pandora" the lid of the legendary box is shaken. In this case, a nuclear power plant on the East Coast suffers earthquake damage and radiation leaks, similar to Fukushima 5 years earlier. The film fictionally exercises the processes in the event of such a catastrophe (or a comparable one) and comes full circle with a deliberately touching scene in which Kim Nam-gil makes an emphatic plea against nuclear power in his usual impressively passionate way.
Regarding such critically oriented material, the production obviously had difficulties with its financing - in South Korea the lobby of the nuclear industry is as powerful as anywhere else. Nevertheless, the ambitious project could be realized through crowdfunding.
------------------------ SIDE NOTE: --- Sobering facts/outlook on nuclear power plants in South Korea ---
"Pandora" was released in December 2016.
In early summer 2017, as one of the existing South Korean nuclear reactors was actually scheduled to be shut down, President Moon Jae-in announced that the country's nuclear-focused energy policy would be stopped and that the country would instead steer towards a nuclear-free era. Accordingly, plans to build new reactors or extend the life of existing ones have been abandoned. A sign of hope?
However, by the autumn of the same year already, the government's political commitment was no longer valid. The nuclear lobby has actually been able to exert such pressure (the President's faction not having a majority in Parliament....) and prevail that new power plants were going to be built again.
South Korea's nuclear companies make a lot of money by exporting their self-developed reactors. The companies want reference projects in their own country... it is as simple as that...
As far as the people are concerned: According to a survey by the polling institute Realmeter in 2018, 61 percent of adult South Koreans still firmly support their president’s original nuclear phase-out course. Another 10 percent tend to do so. Yet, the lobby as so often has more to say...
... To date, South Korea covers a third of its electricity needs with 24 nuclear reactors.
... There are always earthquakes on the peninsula...
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I strongly recommend this, a love story that makes you flutter and cheer so much for the happy ending. One of my favorites for sure!
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