This review may contain spoilers
This drama is one of the most ridiculous, unexpectedly thrilling, heartfelt, suspenseful comedy shows I have ever seen. This show is definitely one that fits under the rule of "don't judge a book by its cover"!Even though I had doubts at the beginning of a few certain cast members, as I continued watching this show they were all soon blown away! This cast is remarkable! I've seen some of this shows cast in previous shows, however, in this series it was like they were someone completely different; and I don't mean because acting is their profession or the people they were acting as was different from what I've seen them in, either! This cast had me enthralled by their talents immediately; everyone was deeply into performing their roles so respectfully that I could see their talent and perfection of the skill as the show went on.
The story had some very unique plot twists that I never could have seen coming. A multitude of feelings were emitted from this show as soon as it began; family, respect, jealousy, ego, pride, narcissism, trust, love, friendship, and many more! The energy this show had was something that shined immediately from episode 1!
I loved each character as they showed the difficulties of daily life while being raised in a "famous" household. It was very interesting to see how each family member lived their lives while in their profession and within their household. Each "troublesome" mission they all took on as a family was hilarious, but it was really interesting to see how the family and the people around them grew separately and as a family together.
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This review may contain spoilers
Where did the plot GO?
What is it with Netflix and these dumb-down dramas?Whatever happened to the story? For the first half, it may have been silly but like good silly since it had a PLOT to follow. The spells and the curse were interesting. But then suddenly the plot disappeared and we were left with nothing to support this story other than the romance.
So by the end of it, I am left with nothing but confusion, disappointment, and a lot of questions left unanswered. For example:
Didn’t he like have a degenerative disease? What about the love spell, was that ever a thing? There was supposed to be a curse…what happened to it? The crazy stalker was present in both timelines did that mean something? How did he know how to make spells? Am I just missing something? did I miss a whole ass episode where all of this got explained??
Yeah, they were cute and had a ton of chemistry but by the end, there were 0 explanations. It’s like it was an entirely different drama in the second half.
Also, it felt like they had good actors who were terribly underused. Why have Lee Pilmo and Lee Taeri in your cast when they barely appear? They didn't even get proper storylines they were just there to fill space with some sublevel plotlines. Wasted talent in my opinion.
Other than that the other actors did fine. Jo Boah has a talent for obnoxious characters, she plays them too well really. Rowon we can agree, had that good scene at the beginning of ep 16, the rest he did what any other handsome idol/actor does well: play the perfect, cold, stone-faced character. He did have a lot of smiles and puppy eyes for Jo Boah in the end though. The rest of the cast was nothing but fillers since they did not add much to the story. Well maybe a little bit the second ML, I kinda want to see him do an ML gig soon, I saw him in Bad Prosecutor too and I liked him and his acting.
The OST was fine, the production great, the CGI was passable, and the budget was budgeting.
In conclusion, the drama was a letdown since I quite enjoyed the beginning. I don't know what is going around lately with these rom-coms that show on Netflix. Good-looking, popular leads with a high budget and good production will only get you so far. They need to step up their script game because, CHILD how can you spend so much money on something that's this lacking, underfinished, AND JUST SO BAD?
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Making time for the important.
Nowadays the urgent doesn't leave time for the important and that's Summer Strike's entire premise. A young woman deciding to make time for what is important for her own mental health and happiness. This is not a perfect drama but it's something I would recommend for its message.I think any warning should be that this drama is not a fun romance but a slice of life portraying sensitive issues as mental, emotional and physical pain and health. I found some of these characters so annoying because of the accuracy in which sexism, ignorance, selfishness and closed-mindedness is portrayed in the show. We all want this world to be different, but most of the time Summer Strike shows it like it is. Changes are gradual and slow. Trust the healing process because it's very satisfying. Thankfully the frustrating characters and moments are well balanced with wholesome scenes, which will have to squealing and laughing with excitement.
All these characters, who were alienated, abused and depressed were able to find each other and create a family. It's not a perfect family but it fills the house with laughter, kindness and warmth. That's what matters and I love it.
I have read comments about how Yeo-reum didn't get any development because she never "stood up for herself". I would say that she didn't need to: she was perfectly fine as she was and if anything her softness was actually the catalyst for change in others. Yeo-reum's "development", in my opinion, was about accepting herself for who she is, wants and needs; not changing and becoming tougher. I would even go as far as to argue, her softness are what makes her strong. Because she keeps putting herself out there and living her life the best she can, knowing full well she might get hurt but that there's also the chance for something magical happening. She has a rich inner life and at the end it's reflected on the outside as well. If anything, Yeo-reum "stood up for herself" in the very first episodes when she quitted her job and moved away. That decision wasn't about her running away, but about her running towards something. She just didn't know what yet.
Another important message in Summer Strike is that being soft is not a bad thing. Leaving toxic environments and relationships, it's okay. You don't have to be an ambitious person just because society expects you to be due to your intellect, gender or any other reason they come up with. Learn to know what is it that you need.
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"is your love bigger than the love i give?"
just let that sentence sink in for a moment..."is your love bigger than the love i give? tell me, what's the difference between your love and mine?" no sentence has ever made me feel more than this sentence did. i am an avid reader, i've read more than 300 different books since 2020. on top of that, i usually go for whatever will break me the most - and yet i've never been more impacted by a sentence than this one. i think that says a lot, about this movie (or perhaps about me).
i watched 'your name engraved herein' for the first time, the day it was released - i had been sitting waiting for it to show up on netflix, and i was not disappointed when it came - quite the opposite actually. i watched it three times within the first week, just because i loved it to a point, where i wanted to make sure that i had seen it all. i think i've watched it 5 times since then (probably more), and i still find something new to unravel every time.
i can't tell you just why this movie means everything to me, but perhaps, it's because i see parts of myself in it.
i showed the movie to my best friends just a few days after it came out, on new year's eve - and i was bummed to say the least, when the only scene they found interesting was the shower scene one .-. i think it saddened me how they missed the whole point of the movie. they saw it as something light, something that's easy to forget (which i don't blame them for), i just wish they had looked more into the depth, and realized that this movie isn't just about two boys getting together, it's about the struggles of humans, finding your identity - and being free to express the said identity. it's about religion - and the question of who's right when humanity and your beliefs collide.
also, the way my heart broke every single time jiahan had a scene with the priest - the way jiahan was so DESPERATE for birdy to accept him back - not because of the physical intimacy, but simply just because he loved him to pieces. especially the way he was just so desperate, and longed so much to be accepted, to feel normal that he literally said " help me go to hell, i'd rather go to hell now - don't all homosexuals deserve to go hell? maybe more people would UNDERSTAND me in hell." how heartbroken does one have to be, to wish hell upon themselves? how heartbroken does one have to be for a RELIGIOUS person to prefer going to hell? because that way, there might a slightly bigger chance of acceptance?
i cried as i wrote this, i don't think i'll ever be able to leave this movie behind.
thank you, if you read to this point - i hope you enjoy/enjoyed the movie <3
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This review may contain spoilers
I underestimated it. Look at me now unable to let go :')
I'm someone who did not watch the anime nor read the manga. I am just a pure drama fan.So at first I was like, Okay. This drama is good. So good and fun. But I'm still on the 6th episode?? how are you gonna keep me interested and keep watching for the rest 30 episodes? It's just a story about people playing Go, how u gonna do it?
I underestimated it. I was wrong. Look at me now unable to let go and wanting 10 more episodes :)
1st Let's talk about how excellent the actors who are in charge of acting out the Shi Guang character. Both the kid and the teenager ver. They both did so well.
The kid actor, he is so natural and talented. His expressions and everything is just so real and adorable *cries*.
Hu xianxu, the teenager shi guang, he really triggers the mom heart of the viewers. He has that warm and bright aura around him, it is impossible to not adore and root for him!
2nd, the cinematography and CGI.
I love love the 2000s aesthetic! idk, kinda feels like classic hongkong movie(?). and CGI, it was when the Go Master Chu Ying found the devine moves, HOLY MOLLY! so satisfying and super pretty! i did not expect the drama would go all out for it.
3rd, the main chemistry that is Chu Ying x Shi Guang and Shi Guang x Yu Liang.
off the chart! also i can not stop spazzing at Shi Guang x Yu Liang bromance lol their frienemy dynamic in the drama is just akdhjfhf luv much!
Lastly, story wise, i love how they really present the every stage of Shi Guang's road to achieve his dream in a very detailed and, realistic way i guess? I mean yeah, he became someone who achieve the grade so quickly compared to other, but, they showed us well how it didn't happen overnight.
My only little complain is how they put so much time showing the depressed stage of shi guang after Chu Ying left. i think it was an entire 1-2 episode?? they could have done better. but anyways, it's not that serious for me.
In conclusion, Hikaru No Go is one of best c-drama i have ever watched. The balance in story, acting, chemistry and the cinematography and visual production is such a complete package. I think it would be hard to find another comfortable-feels-like-home drama like this in the near future. Thanks for producing this drama, it has become my most favorite chinese speaking drama along with Someday Or Oneday and Go Ahead.
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I didn't so much like the side story with Soo Mi, Hye Jung's aunt, and the female shaman, as I did not get their purpose other than to piece together a story on their end that Hye Jung was trying to figure out on her own. I also didn't like how Hye Jung knew why she was in Wonderland but waited until the very last day to feel motivated enough to go into the 5th room, knowing that she had a key from the very beginning.
It was very simple and I liked how the story gave you all the hints of Hye Jung's missing past, but for some reason, Hye Jung felt like she wanted to be angsty and not question anything that was happening at the inn. But other than my strong dislike for Hye Jung, I felt bad for her and her "curse" due to how her family decided they wanted to deal with the traumatic event that happened when she was younger.
As for the BIG question, everyone is debating about in the comments section about Hye Jung and Hwan's relationship...I have no answer. The thing about this movie was that the writer/director played out scenes, but not completely and fully, where you felt that you were missing some information and it was up to the viewer to connect their own dots. I liked this....but also didn't because I never knew if I was missing important pieces. It did make it a lot more sinister and mysterious and harder to figure out what was real and what was a dream.
My thoughts? I felt like none of it was a dream and it was all real, just scrambled up. But what I do know is that I really enjoyed Hong Jong Hyun playing Hwan. It almost felt like he was a safe zone or an object of comfort in this hellish house....which explains a lot about who he is at the end, which made me love his character so much more. The actress who played Soo Ryun, I applaud you. Amazing acting. Everything one...meh.
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“I will stay by your side until the end of my mission” - Akira Shimazaki
BG Personal Bodyguard tells the story of Akira Shimazaki and his team in the newly set up bodyguard division of Hinode Security Services, as they carry out their duties for a wide range of clients. Amidst the many diversely unique circumstances his dangerous assignments entail, Akira has to shoulder the heavy burden of his troubled past and navigate the travails of being a single parent whilst dealing with a simmering underlying romantic tension as well as an enveloping feud with the Metropolitan Police Department’s own officially sanctioned bodyguard section, the Security Bureau division.This is a brilliant show that has everything viewers could possibly hope for in a TV programme format and exemplifies nearly every aspect of drama production done well and beyond.
Headlined by the much-loved Takuya Kimura in the leading role, no superlatives are ever enough in describing the fine professional that he is, and for this role he has once again fulfilled the gold standard that we have come to expect of him. The character of Akira Shimazaki is one that demands such high levels of multi-layered complexity that only Kimutaku could accomplish through his nuanced performance. Even the physical exertions demanded to make this portrayal believable is delivered with aplomb.
Credit must also go to the excellent writing behind this production, which is provided by the hugely experienced screenwriter Inoue Yumiko. The key characters and their relationship dynamics, creative bodyguard assignments, compelling dialogue, clever overarching plot, the twists and turns are all deftly conceived and interwoven to produce this distinctive drama. Having written numerous highly-rated shows for more than 25 years, this drama is the first based on her screenplay that I have watched. I shall definitely make sure to savour more from her portfolio of works after this.
The overall production is top notch and exudes a simplistic brilliance where the pacing of the story progression from the episodic arcs to the main plot neatly accommodates ample character development before finally concluding in a thrilling climax. Decent performances by the supporting cast, in particular Eguchi Yosuke’s version of the antagonistic Ochiai Yoshiaki, Saitoh Takumi’s cold and detached Takanashi Masaya, and Ishida Yuriko’s intriguingly complicated Minister of Health, Tachihara Aiko. Special mention goes to the award-winning Kamikawa Takaya, whose understated portrayal of Murata Goro is both emotional and poignant.
Personally for me, BG Personal Bodyguard is not just an awesome drama with a solid story and all-round performances. I have watched a lot of bodyguard movies starring the likes of Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Denzel Washington, Michael Douglas, and Gerard Butler. But Kimutaku’s version showcases a different side to the profession, a more realistic and humane perspective without the gratuitous violence of a gung-ho one-man show. It’s a roller coaster of emotions that conveys the meaning of friendship, teamwork, accountability, and loyalty in service of protecting others.
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Everything just perfect.
I don't even know where to start: this drama is just perfect. Ohm and Nanon chemistry is hard to be found: they just express the feelings like their own. Nanon's acting is pure talent, same about his music skills - I'm in LOVE with the OSTs he sings.Even though the plot might be very simple, it just doesn't get boring at all. Everything is natural, spontaneous: the two main characters grow up together, exploring their insecurities and getting more and more comfortable with each other, yet never losing the roots of their relationship.
The kiss scene is one of a kind. You can feel the contrast between Pat and Pran: Pat is just enjoying the moment he dreamt for, while Pran is suffering for the love he never got to confess. And you can see this all just looking at them kissing: it's both soft and intense, when Pat grins and Pran just bawls his eyes out.
The ending is bittersweet. But that's fine, it suits them.
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I couldn't have wished for a better cast for the quirky characters in this wonderfully written Mitani Koki film. Nishida Toshiyuki was perfect as the 421-year old samurai. Abe Hiroshi was in top form whether he was tap-dancing or lying in a hospital bed. Other standouts for me were the peppy Eri, Nakai Kiichi, Asano Tadanobu & Kohinata Fumiyo.
I felt that the movie was incomplete when it ended. Luckily for me, I continued watching through the credits & the dangling/unfinished feel was set right. Even at 142 min runtime, I'd definitely rewatch this!
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The drama is about a mermaid princess who has been stalking this chief that has a nice butt. Things take a turn when he falls into the water. With this drama there's hot guys, butt groping, and some nice surprises like references to shows and music (it's a really nice little bonus). I recommend people who are familiar with Korean stars and music to watch it because it really is fun even though the ending was rushed.
With saying that, I liked it for the laughs and giggles. It's a nice drama if you are feeling depressed and just want something fun even though at times it tries to get dramatic it goes right back to being funny.
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A Gentleman's Dignity is a realistic story about four men in their forties and four women of various ages. The themes discussed on the show were mature, truthful, and the pace was nice. It didn't have one moment that I hated or fastforwarded. There was no irrational love triangle nor annoying secondary characters. Each one of the males and the females was given importance and you came to symphatize with their story. Ah, to have more dramas like this. I could not erase anybody from this drama because they were like the pieces of a puzzle, they completed each other. And each one of them had their own funny personality; I laughed a lot while watching this. Each matter was treated with the due attention without delaying too much or drag the story like many other shows do. When an issue came up, the writer was quick to resolve it in a mature and smart way. So compliments to her!
The cast was amazing. I said I don't check out dramas with senior actors if I don't know them beforehand (I prefer <40 actors). The cast completely surprised me and I think every one of them was fit for their part. I can't see others play their parts. Each couple had chemistry, even Im Meahri and Yoon despite the age gap of the two actors.
The music was enjoyable. Each couple had their own "theme song" that fit their journey towards the end.
Overall, it was a very good kdrama to watch. If you are looking for something smart, calm, funny, mature, this drama is for you. You won't regret watching 20 episodes! ^^
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This review may contain spoilers
My overall rating of this movie is 2/10 and I'll explain why. Let's start with the story.
There is nothing wrong with it...
It's a pretty creative base to an alien action movie and if executed well it could have turned into "Movie of the year". It had a lot of potential but sadly this movie did not live up to it.
The Characters, (Beware of spoiler - ish comments!)
This is a war movie so obviously, people/monsters from both sides are going to die. But don't worry, you're not gonna feel sad watching them get brutally ripped apart because you're gonna have only a few seconds with each character. What happens is; They briefly tell you why they are criminals and then for the rest of the movie, you get to watch them die without knowing their full names, their background stories, their dreams, who their loved ones were or how they got into this mess in the first place. Out of 7 or 8 forgettable main characters (Can't be bothered to remember how many they were), you only get a half-butted background story for 2 of them. Not to mention that at the end they try to make you think they were best buds, even though some characters barely had any screen time together.
The Make-up and the CGI
Okay, so a lot of people gave this movie some really big thumbs up but as I understood it, all they could say was good about this movie, was the CGI...
I have to admit that the CGI was better than most Japanese action movies. It actually gave me some hope for the upcoming Live action adaptions of FMA and Joe's Bizarre adventures (Even though they picked Yamaken to play a macho man when he has a typical ikemen face...). The make- up was not too bad either. I don't know how to feel about people being half morphed into insects but they were very creative while trying to make it work and it looked pretty okay.
The music
No comments. Not memorable.
Actors.
I don't know what to say. All of a sudden Yamapi starts speaking English then a Japanese terrorist starts speaking random English, both for no reason at all... I guess the acting was okay, though. Not much to talk about since they did not get much screen time and the script was a mess. Well... The whole movie was a mess so if the actors couldn't show their best performance, it wasn't their fault.
To sum it all up
The story was good. It had a lot of potential but because everything was so rushed it couldn't live up to my expectations. Had they divided this one movie into 3 movies and added more detail it would have been more interesting. The characters were hollow so I could not emotionally connect with any of them and the actors did not have so much space to act so their general performance was bearable. The visual effects were better than expected but the music was not memorable at all.
In the end, it was barely entertaining enough to keep me watching so I give this movie an overall 2/10
I do not plan to watch any upcoming movies.
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I didn’t expect to be in this kind of state at all. I only watched this because of Kim Nam Gil and barely read the synopsis. Lately, I noticed that I’ve been picking a lot of melancholic stuff which I know isn’t good for my heart but then again this movie was beautifully portrayed that I’m letting myself succumb to the fact that it is about death, letting go and moving on with your life. To be exact, the story is the opposite of a happy-go-lucky-romantic-comedy which is my usual genre to pick and it is pretty far from being perfect… however, though it may sound like a despondent type of film, it definitely has a lot to offer.
The storyline involves some supernatural characters like a half ghost (half dead-half alive) but it is very interesting and I liked the fact that it lead me to realize all kinds of emotions through the main lead’s character portrayal. I was kind of waiting for some romance, however there was none up to the very end. I was only left with a bittersweet ending and lasting taste of some meaningful friendship. My tears fell at some point due to the emotional baggage of both the lead protagonist. I was partly wishing something really good will happen for the female lead which was acted by Chun Woo Hee but I already knew how it would end for her and so I braced myself for the inevitable and instead tried to enjoy the interactions that unfolded in front of me. On a side note, I love how the sub characters made the movie more fun to watch as they gave color to the main ones. Without them, I’d say that main lead's lives could have been more bitter and dull.
I’d like to commend how Nam Gil was perfect for this role along with Woo Hee as his co-star. They suit each other well and even though my prayers for some romantic interaction between the two of them wasn’t granted, I didn’t feel disappointed at all because the friendship that they both portrayed was spot on. As I’ve already mentioned earlier, the male lead was the sole reason I checked out this film, I expected for him to be good in his character portrayal. Yet again, he has proven himself as a great actor and never lets me down. He has also exceeded my expectations! The female lead on the other hand was unexpected. It was the first time I’ve seen her and yet she was able to capture my attention and put her in my list of female actresses to follow. I liked her acting style and her portrayal of a blind person. It definitely looks hard to pretend to be blind because at some point there would be a glitch in the acting, but she was able to portray her character impeccably which impressed me.
The music was as morose as the movie could be, not that memorable but it was tuned in perfectly for each scene and I liked its simple tune. Overall this is a movie worth watching and doesn’t seem like a waste of time at all. Recommending it to those who are looking for some bittersweet drama full of lessons about the reality of losing a person you love.
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One reason I love jdramas so much= the funny...and this show gives you plenty of it...I've re-watched it so many times and I STILL crack up every time:D
and its not just random funny things happening like in HanaKimi..there is an actual storyline and its not TOTALLY off the wall. It also helps that the girls are bada$$ and all of the parentals are cool and funny and the melodramatics aren't tooo...melo?...
Its not repetitive, the main two actors have chemistry, and I personally didn't think it slowed down... I think if you watch something like HanaKimi and then watch this show you might think its slower because they do add background stories to each character...but com'on! its only 10 episode and if not for anything else watch it to stare at the pretty that is Narimiya Hiroki and Hongo Kanata :)
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Legendary. You can't change society, but at least, you can start somewhere.
This series is so well-written, I won't be able to wrap my head around it. It is unique and finally, a series that is trying to show struggles in a real more honest way. There is a lot of issues that are brought up in the series, in fact, l would consider this series a protest from all of the actors towards everything that Thailand has been going through. But, I won't get political. This series is very transparent and it was not afraid to go places. I really like how they are fighting for a cause, but at the same time, they support the other causes. You know? like let's fight the corrupt system, but also, let's fight for LGBTQ+ rights. We stan. Alright, let's get to the gay part (lol). The writing of the characters is amazing. And yes, Off and Gun characters were amazing, but Gawin and Fluke? they ate. There is a lot of struggles in these characters that I really liked. And the fact that is well fleshed out. It is not a cookiecutter series, dealing with the struggles was a highlight. Most bls would give you a big struggle and then just give you two seconds of problem-solving. This series did not do that and for that, I am loving it. A lot of scenes that could have gone wrong but didn't. Such as the opening scene of one of the episodes that had Sean and White having sex, and Yok drawing Dan, these scenes could have gone the wrong way, but it didn't and I am so happy about it.Visit my blog to read the full review of the series!
https://souvenirmyshyyange.wixsite.com/website/post/not-me-review
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