Centered on the battle of each of the characters’ “Sense of Justice”, the film created a very disturbing aura from which people without very strong stance on “what is right or wrong?” might be drawn to the one of the characters’ beliefs. That is how this film had been so persuasively good in delivering the intent of the story.
The story has a lot of potential to become a series since there are a lot of rooms to be explored. However, that doesn't mean that the movie was incomplete. The film per se successfully established the roots of each of the characters stance. Why and how they become like that. The storyline had been well sequenced including how each twist had been placed and the timing of unraveling the mysteries.
Superb acting from the cast can be expected. The feeling of anger, hate, disgust and pity can be thrown to the characters due to the actors’ outstanding convincing performance in delivering consistently the roles they are portraying.
In the end, the movie will leave you the questions “Who is right or wrong?” OR “What is right or wrong?” – questions that will only be answered depending on your personal “Sense of Justice”.
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"When looking at someone, you should look at the other side, where the shadow is deepest.”
Hiasa disappears amid the devastating 3/11 Tohoku earthquake, and tsunami strikes Iwate Prefecture, of which Morioka is the capital city. During Konno's search for him, the truth starts to unravel, revealing Hiasa’s other side and the deepest part of his shadow. Years later, Konno seems to conclude that his friend Hiasa himself was perhaps a fish swimming in the wrong waters, unable to conform to the world around him. In the end, it felt alright for him to remain a mystery because a mystery was what he was.The characters convey their true thoughts in such complex and subtle expressions. Along with the symbolic connotations portrayed through things such as fish, plants, and fire, there are many hidden implications in the words that the characters choose to express, their gestures, actions, and reactions. It was very engaging to grasp the various subtle meanings weaved behind their lines. And I greatly appreciated the many symbolic connotations presented that allowed a lot of room for interpretation.
The detailed cinematography handles the aspects of perspective and tone very well as it uses that factor to convey complex emotions and moods during each scene. The soundtrack and lack thereof are very fitting and add to the dismal and the tranquil atmospheres throughout the film in a very subtle yet evident manner, making each scene even more compelling.
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This review may contain spoilers
A good coming-of-age reality dating show.
at first i was hesitant to start a dating show but after watching all the episodes I've definitely changed my mind. All the people very super great (except some drama here and there 👀) and talked about their feelings as they ended their teenage years and entered a new beginning. There were definitely many heart fluttering moments which felt like a drama but they were also very natural. i really hope the couples that formed here would have a lasting relationship :)( SPOILER : i NEED heeji and pyeong seok to marry ASAP)
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ACTING/CAST: They are very handsome guys and they act well.
MUSIC: Didn't pay attention.
REWATCH VALUE: Only if there was more than just a bromance.
OVERALL: If you are looking for a genuine BL story, look elsewhere.
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There are no twists to follow in here, the film kept a steady pattern as it unravelled the complicated human emotions between two killers and their surroundings. While it’s not so common for Indonesia and Japan to co-produce a film, I must say that it turned out quite well. The Mo Brothers previously caught my attention through another gory film. I love directors who go through all the trouble of inserting a deep meaningful plot into their gory productions. Although that may affect the brutality of the picture but it’s still way better than a gore for the sake of gore pictures.
Just like it was co-produced by the two countries, Killers’ plotline was divided between Indonesia and Japan. The film took its time to become interesting, it tried to start with a blow but it was unbearably slow until it finally picked interest. Generally speaking, the film has its own pacing problems that are hard to ignore. However, it still succeeded at conveying a meaningful message. The psychological take on serial killers had a deep effect in the main characters’ development. At some point, you would understand the directors’ aim of bringing those conflicts into an open showdown.
The narrative pattern was inserted with short sequences of dark humour that brought me to laughs. I always thought that black comedy was one of the better elements of gore productions. Talking about violence, the amount of bloody killings wasn’t exactly that high and the methods weren’t extremely brutal. I know that most people find this type of gore sick, disturbing and over the top but it’s definitely not, and I am speaking from the point of view of a splatter gore fan. This wasn’t hard-core enough but it was acceptable and enjoyable.
The acting was spot on. Kitamura Kazuki was extremely good as a professional serial killer; his aura and unique vibe made him portray the character in a perfect manner. The Indonesian male lead was also convincing but Kitamura owned the show for me. The characterization was quite deep, it was clear that the screenwriting worked its way to build a controversial relationship between two different types of killers. Their dialogue was one of the most entertaining phases throughout the whole picture.
The cinematography and directing were fine. Nonetheless, I found trouble to cope with the camera-work in the Indonesian part of the story; some shaky camera and close-ups didn’t come out right. Other than that, the whole atmosphere was rather catching.
Watch if:
-You like films about psycho killers.
-You like gory pictures with meaningful plots. Be warned however, this is not hard-core enough.
Do not watch if:
-You dislike gory productions or you can’t handle them.
“Killers” is a deep take about the surreal psychological side of serial killers. It has its own weak points but it was successful at depicting a stylish type of gore in a brutal gripping manner.
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Cop out.
Despite a strong start, Who is the Murderer? deflates into yet another over-hyped and ultimately mediocre production in the 2021 Mist Theatre (soon to be known as Miss Theatre) lineup. This kind of simple and straightforward plot around the hunt for a long hidden serial killer relies heavily on good execution to impress. I don't know if it is an indictment of the competence of the Chinese police force but practically every Chinese crime thriller revolves around a stone cold case and the lamentably long road to justice.The lives of the three main characters collide when young Xiamu's foster mother is murdered by a serial killer. A fatal moment of weakness by then newbie cop Leng Xiaobing enables the murderer to escape with collateral damage. Teenage Shen Yu's father disappears without a trace after appearing near the scene of the crime. Seventeen years later, the revival of this cold case entangles Shen Yu, Xia Mu and Xiaobing, united by the scars from the past yet divided by different and at times conflicting agendas. Without a doubt all three leads deliver stellar performances as characters who all experience a shattering personal loss from this common event which shapes them in very different ways. Overall I found Xiao Yang's portrayal of the gruffly amiable but subtly guilt ridden Leng Xiaobing most natural and convincing. While both Zhao Liying and Dong Zijian delivered intense and very well acted portrayals of Shen Yu and Xia Mu, they erred on the melodramatic side with excessive posing.
One of the big issues with this drama is that the suspense does not arise from the plot itself but is heavily contrived, induced by background music that accompanies angsty and heavy dark posturing by both Xia Mu and Shen Yu that goes absolutely nowhere. While compellingly acted Xia Mu's PTSD is out of proportion to the trauma he experienced and after a lot of build up and suggestive behavior, this character just gets side-lined and he is bafflingly short changed in the final showdown even though he is on the scene. While Zhao Liying's impressive portrayal of the cold, creepily inscrutable and sociopathic Shen Yu exceeded my expectations, the plot again simply fails to rise to the occasion when it comes to her story either even though she hogs the final confrontation. At the end, I feel both characters led me on a merry chase, teasing with suggestive dialogues and actions that ultimately never fully plays out. It is very frustrating because this setup and the story could have gone down many more intriguing paths with thrilling and shocking outcomes but after setting it all up, the writer pulls a much bigger cop out on us than Xiaobing's pivotal gun shy moment.
Reminiscent of The Pavilion, the plot gets hijacked by character explorations that not only don't advance the plot, they distract from it with artificially induced suspense. This led to my greatest disappointment in the way the murderer is introduced and revealed. It completely violates the unspoken bargain of giving the viewer a sporting chance of identifying the murderer. The murderer falls far short of that lurking evil presence that creates an aura of danger around the main characters and their motive is a big yawn. This does not by any stretch of the imagination qualify as a whodunit, it is at best literally a spoiler homonym of a whodidit. Bottom line, this is little more than a very unremarkable investigative crime thriller so if you were looking forward to playing armchair detective, look elsewhere. The further extension of the mundane plot with non substantive filler episodes that introduce unnecessary characters further irritated me when I would have preferred to better understand what happened to Xia Mu's foster mother as well as Shen Yu's father. The fact that the only character I cared about was Xiaobing's (hot cop) friend at the beginning says it all about how big a fail this is.
I can only rate this a generous 7.0 out of 10. I waited to write this review because right after the ending, my very incensed mother was leaning on me not to rate this better than a 5.0.
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I loved it from the first episode to the last, it's a roller coaster of emotions - I laughed, I cried, I hated some characters and then I loved them - and then I hated them again, I smiled, I got frustrated and angry in some situations and I loved every minute of it. It is definitely worth watching.
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Satisfying & Beautifully Shot
I'll be honest, I started watching purely because Hani was in it and I like her. However, it's a solid drama and definitely can stand on its own, all bias aside. The plot is simple to follow but entertaining and really rewarding—it's a nice, compact little story that doesn't have many huge twists, and everyone gets what they deserve in the end.It's short (10 episodes of ~25 minutes each), but I feel it does as much as it can with such a limited run. The characters aren't super fleshed out, but this doesn't detract much from the plot. The little we know about the characters is all we really need to be invested in them/their stories, and that works for me. I honestly did not care about the romance whatsoever, but it was sweet. Hands down the best part was the female leads and their volatile dynamic—Hani and Hwang SeungEon have great chemistry together, and it made for a lot of intense scenes. For me, they were really what made this drama worth watching.
All in all, the acting is great, the costuming is good, the music is decent (Sunmi's OST really sets a "revenge" mood, though I felt some of the background music was odd at times), and the cinematography is surprisingly fantastic. Visually, it's a beautifully shot and produced drama, especially considering its budget and scale. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, and probably will watch it again. Though it can feel rushed (particularly near the end), it's a great length for casual viewing and has a story that's easy to get into each time.
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But the story is great and male lead is eye candy (actually reminded me a bit of taiwanese actor Aaron Yan). Leads have great chemistry and side roles were enjoyable too.
The plot at first seems to be your typical bad rich girl turned good but because of the fantasy element in it, every episode was entertaining and I kept watching without getting bored. Well, in first like two episodes I was wondering if this is going anywhere but if you're going to start this lakorn, I advice you to watch at least the first five episodes. The story unwraps itself only in the last few episodes so it keeps you guessing all the time who is really the bad guy.
Overall, if you're looking for something different compared to usual lakorns, this is your drama.
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Light And Yet Dark
This is a very delightful drama with comedic acting and jokes, at the same time, it is also dark with bloody plots and mysteries. Accordingly, it has been adapted from a novel and the characters have been drastically rewritten rendering dissatisfaction from the readers. There are many twists and turns, and with great endearing relationships between the main couples and the overall family as a whole, this drama is a rather entertaining watch.The Story
Ju Mu’er (Xiao Yan aka Shane Xiao) is the daughter of a wine maker. In her daily business transactions, she encounters a miser, Long Yao (Xing Zhao Lin) who is a shrewd businessman running the largest conglomerate in the land. He has deep pocket and has a formidable relationship with the palace. Ju Mu’er is also a virtuoso of the Guzheng. When her shifu is framed and executed, she's determined to find the truth behind his death. Long Yao helps her after falling in love with her. Together, they go through ups and downs, marry each other three times (hence the Chinese title for this drama), and risk losing everything including their lives. Their entanglement also endangers their own family members whom they love dearly. In the beginning, it’s hard to discern who the antagonists are.
Long Yao has an older brother who is the head of the royal guards and a younger brother who is the leader of the wǔ lín (martial arts world). They all live together in an exquisite mansion financially supported by Long Yao through his business income. The Long brothers, though have totally different personalities, love each other dearly and would do anything to protect each other. I love the scenes when they eat their meals together daily, bantering with each other. The Long family is very powerful because they have the royal family’s full support. Long Yao’s miserliness is egregious, making him incorruptible hence trusted by the Emperor and the Dowager Empress.
There are some deadly fights within the harem and some light palace politics. During Ju Mu’er’s investigation, both Long Yao’s brothers meet the loves of their life who are also embroiled in the mystery. The eventual outcome is delightful, giving the audience three beautiful pairs of lovers.
The Acting
Xiao Yan is one of my favorite actors but as Ju Mu’er, I can’t say I like her very much. Her acting here is not that bad, but her make-up is terrible. Her eye make-up in particular, has made her so uncomfortable to look at. On top of that, she has a constant smiling face which makes her sad scenes difficult to comprehend; one doesn’t know if she is happy or sad, giving the impression that her acting does not synchronize with the situations.
Xing Zhao Lin’s acting is not bad as the crafty and prideful Long Yao who loves his money and charges for everything including tea money for the match-maker. Everything he does is viewed as a business transaction. He is very smart but not particularly good in expressing himself to his love, Ju Mu’er, Xing Zhao Lin has convincingly brought out the miser and the prude Long Yao.
The styling for the major couple is quite unconventional for historical dressing. It has a hint of western style and the couple’s costumes are always matching each other’s like lovers’ his-and-hers.
My Verdict
There are some very enjoyable scenes, but somehow, certain parts of the story are also not very coherent. This is very likely that the screen writers have changed the original story from the novel without properly addressing the plotline, hence making it illogical with plot holes and flaws. Having said that, this is a story with mysteries, crimes, investigation and super villains. It is funny and cartoonish at times, and yet dark and bloody. There are strong brotherly relationship and trusted friendship, at the same time, betrayal, deceits and deadly misunderstandings.
Overall, this is a drama with an interesting plotline. Had the Ju Mu’er character been more consistently written and acted, this would have been a very good drama.
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A heart-felt Love story during mayhem.
1st of all if you want to complain about the subtitles do it under discussion where it will be seen. The people doing subtitles are volunteering and it's not always 1 show- they could be responsible for multiple. I watch at least 3-4 shows at a time so this way subtitles are done by the time I return.Now for the review: Make sure to have tissues and there's are time the violence is to real. This drama is absolutely outstanding and so is the chosen cast the chemistry between hee tae and myung hee is so touching and emotional. The 2nd ML-FL brother n sister also did a great job with emotions you could feel and be happy or sad with them all. This drama tells about the uprising of gwangyu may 18-27,1980 for Marshall law. Hee tae got his degree to be a doctor, but really wanted to write music with his friend until he shows up in his dorm with a girl who severely hurt during a protest demonstration (every time he see blood now it causes him anxiety) . His friend Kyung soowas sent to the military as punishment and hee tae was rescued by his father a powerful military leader who hee tae hates. In return he has to go on 3 dates with Lee soo ryu whos father owns a medical factory that needs to expand GI nam help. Hee tae agree to go on a date, but soo ryu convinces her friend Kim myung hee to take her place and she'll pay for her airplane ticket to Germany nursing. So soo ryu teaches her how to get him to reject her, but instead he wants the 2nd date(he'd too)
He tells he fell for her the moment she stopped to help at a accident and knew she wasn't Soo ryu and was just going along. With them starting to fall for each other it's messing up plans on both sides so they need to figure out there plans. Soo ryu is one of the protest leader fighting against Marshall law and is causing problems within the two families. Both fathers agreed for marriage and then sending them to seoul to live until they are given permission to return. Only problem is hee tae loves myung hee and asked her marry him she said yes the night before. She tell hee tae to marry and leave its for the best and so they marry and are out on a train asap. Once in seoul they argue and he tells her he's in love myung hee and she keeps getting involved in protest so they agree to sneak back into gwangyu. Once back Marshall law is becoming out of control government lied stating spies from NK are mixed with college students so they beat and torture them. Then once they had guns it was worse there were no questions asked just shot to kill, but not all military men wanted that. Now back to hee tae dad who is worse then even and how he beats people to get fake confession and trying to find his son, myung hee and soo ryu. He finds out hee tae and myung hee are working at the hosp. and hee tae leaves with dr.song to get supplies but is ambushed in an accident and disappeares. After a few days they find out he alive and abducted by his father and a prisoners in his own house. His little brother and stepmom free him and father is pissed, but at hosp hee tae surprised myung hee and they go to church to hide and leave next day.
Now the unexpected as her father is killed trying to protect her brother myung soo and in the meantime hee tae father orders to kill her, her brother and hee tae but his younger bro Jung tae. hears it. She gets a note telling her to meet hee tae and as she walking past a quard he takes out his gun to shoot when Jung tae jumps him. At home they realize Jung tae is missing and drive to church. Next she turns around to see Jung tae shot and she try to stop bleeding when hee tae, father and mother show up. They take him to hosp and has surgery and will be ok, so they return to the church and told myung soo is missing he took a map and trying to go home. They go to look in different directions and myung hee finds him, but there is military looking for anyone. She finds him and tells him to run as she stands up, but one guy aims to shoot him, but she jumps in front and Kyung soo runs after the boy and tells him to run fast and shot in the air. On his way back he see her shot and finds her vows and a watch sticks them in her hand and walks away now we see hee tae on his knee trying to tell them he from gwangju they don't believe and about to kill him when a friend from military takes him away for Interigation. Next we see them in May 2021 41 years later. You have to watch for ending..
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huge amounts of silly fun
genuinely didn't expect a lot because the views on this show seem to be so mixed but i went in blind and i have to say, as of ep 6, i am having a GREAT time watching it.the show doesn't take itself too seriously and neither should you. the acting is solid, the chemistry/ cast is great!!!! and the writing is funny as hell. the plot is secondary to the fun shenanigans but i like it that way sometimes - not everything has to be life-changing and philosophical. the dialogue does have its sincere and pondering moments (well done, too!) but the show really does to weigh more on the entertainment than the emotional scale.
definitely give it a shot if you've got the time!
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Fleshed out characters and powerful storyline in just short film
I started the film with just the sketchy synopsis, but was immediately reeled in with the storyline.I like how the conflict was immediately shown when the two main characters were introduced. The writer and director did not waste precious minutes in fleshing out the characters and showing their motivations in the film. On first watch, it is seemingly a slice of life film and has a happy ending, but on the second watch, I grasped the feelings interspersed with the somber music (or lack of it) in the last few minutes of the end. The adopted son labeled himself a "nobody," and was desperately longing to have a family or at least a place to call home (as presented by him saying he will not leave), and with those things as his goal, he became the glue to the family. He became the son that was lost, the protector and the lover.
I think he don't love the older brother, but instead offered himself to fill what the older brother need.
oops! I rambled again.
Ultimately, I love this short film and wish to someday see this one be made into a longer film or a series.
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Acting/Cast: Superb and mature acting.
Music: Nothing that stood out, but hey... it's a movie, not a drama.
Rewatch value: This is an easy watch and certainly with good acting and a sufficient storyline to grab the audience's attention for 2 hours, it has a very high re-watch value. Great for weekend movies!
Overall: If you haven't watch this, I recommend this movie for your weekend watch. If you are Joo Won's fan, be prepared to fall in love with him all over again. If you do not know who he is, no worries.... just enjoy the movie. :)
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This review may contain spoilers
PURE LOVE WITH SAD BEAUTY...
There is so much to write about this series. I must say that I still can't get over it. The story, the acting, the music used in the series... I don't know where to start. First of all, if I briefly describe it, I think I can say that it has a sad beauty. There is no element in the content of the series that I would say if it were not. On the contrary, I wish it was a series with longer episodes so that we could feel the characters more deeply. We can say that it is a very good job in terms of cinematography.This series was like a book or a poem, describing a deep love.
The fact that it was built on real events affected us emotionally. Yes, such people really existed. They loved and were loved despite the difficulties. They had dreams, hopes, loves. Most of them were ordinary people. Just like the characters in the series. Then there were evils, intolerance, cruelty, greed. People acting with these feelings have turned the lives of thousands of people into hell. In fact, the feelings and experiences of the people described are so universal. Even now, bad people who can't tolerate any other thought other than their own and disregard human life unfortunately still continue to exist, in many different ways in many different parts of the world.
Returning to the series, the way the main characters love each other is so ingrained that we have become one with them. The details of the script, the music and the great acting play a big part in this. The screenwriter especially wanted us to connect with them and empathize with them, and I think he wrote his screenplay accordingly. The actors also reflected the emotions very well. There is already an incredible attraction between the couple, which makes it easy to get into the story. In every scene where they looked at each other and held hands, I was excited with them, I felt those emotions.
By the end of the episode, we were all devastated. Because we were too attached to the characters. Myung Hee was such a strong, loving, kind hearted woman. It was the first time she had wanted something for herself. That girl was brave and passionate. She was not like the leading female characters in most of the series. She first held out her hand to Hee Tae, she kissed it first, she was the one who grabbed her hand and ran ahead as she was running away from the engagement ceremony with Hee Tae. Episode 11: "I'll be your family, let's get married." it was she who said it. She deserved to be happy, she. She breathed her last, alone, on the cold earth. I can't forget their last breaths. Imagine how lonely and scared he must have been. When I saw Myung Hee like that, I didn't just think about the people in Gwangju who actually experienced it. I thought of all the people in the world who are still experiencing this. Yes, at first I was very angry. I was so attached to the couple that I got used to the happy ending without realizing it.
Then I realized that the happy ending would probably go against the message the show wanted to give to the audience. This is the best way to understand the people who died and lost loved ones in Gwangju. We can think of this series as a homage to the memory of those who have died and to the pain of those left behind. If it had a happy ending, maybe we wouldn't be able to understand the feelings of all those people who died and stayed behind. In addition, the fact that it was so sad did not detract from the beauty of the series in my opinion.
We need to talk about the music. The music made is so in harmony with the feeling of the show. "Days in Memory" is already the song Hee Tae wrote for Myung Hee. We also heard Hee Tae muttering in the scene where the girl died. It was incredibly impressive. The lyrics and interpretation of "Words I Want To Say To You" made my heart ache. The scene where he was used in episode 11 was magnificent. "Winter of May" reflected the emotions of the characters exactly. I can't listen without crying. Then there is the need to mention other music used. The Rose, Annie's Song... They are both so meaningful. They have been carefully chosen, adding tremendous emotions to the scenes in which they are used.
Some words from The Rose:
And the soul, afraid of dying
That never learns to live
...
When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed that with the sun's love
In the spring becomes the rose
And finally, in the last episode, the song playing in the restaurant while Hee Tae is looking for Myung Hee... My heart aches as I listen to it.
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