Reviews

Charming

I placed spoiler alert at the end of this review.

If you are a fan of Cutie Pie, you will apricate the main point of this miniseries. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. It was great to see the cast stepping into their characters which they did a great job with what they were given. Unfortunately, this miniseries also had very little character development. The script was ok, but had some missed opportunity with some of the side characters. There was one editing problem with a backwards time jump in the beginning of the first episode that was not clearly noted.

Random Notes: It really depends on how much you like Cutie Pie if you should watch this.



******Spoiler Alerts******

The main point was to show the fans Kuea Keerati and Lian Kilen Wang’s wedding and stress the legal importance of same-sex marriage.

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This was one of my favorite Anime series I watched back in the day. I have never seen the other adaptations before this. I always wondered how the heck they would translate the main female character into anything realistic but they did here. One word describes this adaptation: CUTE Let me be clear, it wasn't toothache cute, the kind that makes you want to stop watching, no.... It was Cute in a way that had me smiling throughout. On the story itself, removing my anime memory, I loved that the supporting cast had their own side stories vs. just the main leads. The dialogue, the characters, the chemistry between everyone and their looks = cute! What wasn't cute was the music! Bravo & Brava. It was fantastic watching everyone play, especially Shim Eun-kyung as Seol Nae-il. I loved her in Sunny.

One thing they kept too cute was the relationship between the main characters. They could have provided a bit more mature development there. This is one area that made me love the anime. There were a few spots that didn't connect the story well for me and this is why I'm not going to rate it as high.

Overall, the talent of the cast is indisputable. I wanted to see them play more. I thoroughly enjoyed the Mambo performance and hearing the Vivaldi score throughout. (I'm biased, I love Vivaldi)

I recommend you watch this when you want something lighthearted and entertaining to watch. And it's a quick watch...you want to see what happens next.

Till next...drama
- DJ

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"The World That They Live In" takes you to an emotional roller coaster that will make you think of getting off somewhere along the ride, but at the same time, will have you anticipating what's next!

It definitely lives up to its title as it truly takes us to "the world that they (production staff, crew and team) live in", and I think, that's one of the most enjoyable part of the show. It gives us a glimpse of the real life drama of the people behind the dramas we love to watch.

The story of this show does not only focus on the lead actors, Hyun Bin and Song Hye-kyo. It also dedicated some episodes about the supporting actors, which I found fun too! It gives depth to the supporting characters and again, gives us a glimpse of the dramas in the lives of actors / actresses, story-writers, scriptwriters, chief directors... and other people involved in the production as well.

However, the story of the main actors was a bit frustrating! The conflicts between them and within each character seem so shallow, and you would want to hit your laptop screen several times. Still, both Hyun Bin and Song Hye-kyo's beautiful faces and good acting skills will keep you from doing so.

Besides their incredible beauty and acting, Hyun Bin and Song Hye-kyo's chemistry will make you go crazy.

"The World That They Live In" is not perfect. It will also be frustrating at some point, but trust me, the end will make you wanting for more.

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Holy CRAP has it been a while since I've written something like this! I can't believe it's taken me this long to finish a drama I wanted to review. It feels good to be back!


Marriage, Not Dating follows the story of Joo Jang Mi (Han Groo), a woman who has been unlucky in love despite her intense desire to get married. On the night she plans to propose to her boyfriend Lee Hoon Dong (Huh Jung Min), Hoon Dong calls in the help of his best friend Gong Gi Tae (Yun Woo Jin) to sabotage the proposal and get him out of the relationship. Obviously Gi Tae and Jang Mi don't get along from the start, but when Gi Tae's mother accidentally overhears them talking about a "proposal" and assumes Gi Tae has rebuffed Jang Mi, Gi Tae gets an idea--turn Jang Mi into the worst daughter-in-law ever, so that his mother finally stops trying to set him up with women and allows him to live alone forever.


If you're looking for a kdrama without the angst, this is definitely the drama for you. Most of Marriage, Not Dating is hijinks - Jang Mi and Gi Tae pretending to be in a relationship despite not liking each other at all. Jang Mi even gets a crush on Hoon Dong's employee Han Yeo Reum (2AM's Jinwoon), and has to hide that relationship from Gi Tae's family and her own. It's silly, ridiculous, and all over the place. But angsty it is not.


I love the slow burn of this series in terms of the relationship between Jang Mi and Gi Tae. They really do become friends first - because they're not really dating and don't care what the other thinks of them, they find themselves being totally and completely honest with each other in ways they can't be with anyone else. It's adorable to see them basically become best friends before realizing they would also, maybe, kinda, like to make out.


Marriage, Not Dating is one of the few kdrama where the Second Male Lead and Second Female Lead aren't unbearable, either. Yeo Reum has an adorable smile, and is completely aware of what's going on the whole time. He knows when to step back and when to push, and the fact that he has a mancrush on Gi Tae and ends up living with him for a good part of the show just makes for more and more hilarious hijinks. The Second Female Lead, Kang Se Ah (Han Sun Hwa), could've been terrible if it weren't for the fact that she knows exactly what she wants and is the only realist of the bunch. She and Gi Tae used to be engaged, but when she tried to push her worldviews onto Gi Tae, he pushed back and they broke up. She's exactly what Gi Tae's parents want in a daughter-in-law, which is exactly why they can never be together. It's simple, straightforward, and by the way - Gi Tae and Se Ah are actually great friends, too. They're both doctors, they're wickedly smart, and would be terrible together.


I like that the show is also heavily about family. Gi Tae's family appears great on the outside, but is actually a mess behind closed doors. For Jang Mi, her parents fight constantly, but really, truly love each other. The reason Jang Mi agrees to the outrageous fake-dating plan in the first place is because revealing the relationship to her parents makes them get along for the first time in years. And while at first Gi Tae wants his family to disapprove of Jang Mi, he finds himself getting defensive of her actions (often stuff HE told her to do) and finally capable of speaking up about all the fake family business he's had to deal with his whole life.


Marriage, Not Dating is just a breath of fresh air. The main couple is ADORABLE and you can actually see why they're so good together. Their friends are actual friends, not just plot devices in a love quadrangle, and their families aren't two-dimensional Romeo-and-Juliet-style enemies.


Plus, no angst!


(Well, a little angst. But not much!)


Definitely a must-watch.

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Go Kyung Pyo, oh how I adore this man. I'm so pleased that he's finally gotten to be the lead. He plays Choi Kang Soo, a young man who has been moving from neighborhood to neighborhood in the city trying to find his birth mother. He spends two months in each neighborhood then moves on to the next. He makes friends everywhere he goes and generally works as a deliveryman. He moves into the neighborhood where Lee Dan Ah, played by Chae Soo Bin, lives. She's a young woman completely disenchanted by life in "Hell Joseon," where young people struggle and can't find jobs and competition for everything is fierce. Throw into the mix a spoiled party boy rich kid, Oh Jin Gyu, played by Kim Sun Ho and a handful of engaging secondary and tertiary characters and you end up with a delightful rag-tag bunch of young adults facing off against a corrupt corporation.

I was worried that this show would be the usual love triangle (rich boy versus boy boy for the plucky poor girl's favor), but was happily surprised when they veered sharply away from that dynamic after the first few episodes. What played out was a good balance of light cheer and sad drama for a show that ended up being really comforting to watch. I was a little disappointed in the chemistry between the two main leads - but I put a lot of that on the writing and less on the actors. Dan Ah spends so much time being bitter and angry that it can be off-putting at times. There were a couple of places where I felt like plot threads were brought in and then abruptly dropped. I would definitely watch this one again.

Did I mention that I love Go Kyung Pyo? I just want to carry him around in my pocket all the time.

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The story unfolds itself nicely and successfully leads the audience as each layer of the mystery is presented. The film will take you through some twists and turns, and makes you wonder about what is really going on behind the scenes. While the movie is satisfying overall, the major flaw is the lack of depth in character development. With the exception of Choi Min Sik's character, the rest of the cast are underutilized as they play pivotal characters that have very little flavour to them. If I were to interpret this to be intentional, then the archetypal/standard personalities should complement overarching message, or plot (i.e. the trial) - but the plot is too weak to justify that. As for the acting, there is nothing to complain or awe about for that same reason, despite the casting. Choi Min Sik plays the financial overlord, whose character develops directly in parallel with the movie. Park Shin Hye plays an inexperienced lawyer, which serves as a refreshing break (and hopefully beginning) from the mould given to her by drama roles.

If I were to summarize this lightly, I would say that it is worth a relaxed watch, but there is really no need to put your detective hat on during the movie. Enjoy the ride, but know that while they intended to pull at heartstrings, they forgot to put them there in the first place.

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The concept is nice but..

I really liked the concept of having a romantic relationship with two nations who are at war or so, especially since North korea is quite mysterious, it was really nice to get an insight on how things are (even if they were not as realistically as it should be, but i understand it is a drama.)


I hated how the ML only solved things because of his status, then at the end he just gave up the army and went to play the piano in Swizterland, like what??? I'm sure they could have done better! And it IS not that easy in North Korea to do such a thing!! That is sadly pretty unrealistic, and I hated the south korea arc, it was very unncessary, it could have had a bittersweet ending and we would have cheered for it, but they chose an unrealistically happy ending which really ruined the story for me.


It is fun to watch, and this drama is how i got into asian dramas in general, but I wouldn't rewatch it.

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I watched this drama awhile ago, so forgive me if I forget anything or if my information is incorrect ^^
--Story:
A woman dying of an accident (on accident) who must find people who will weep sincere tears. A pretty uncommon idea, if you ask me.
I liked how it delved into Scheduler's own life when he was alive rather than focus all it's attention to Ji Hyun's. Ji Hyun finding the truth of her own life was something I enjoyed; also, it shows how blinded we ourselves could be. Oh, and everything connected and had a reason!
--Acting/Cast: The acting seemed pretty natural. Shows character development along the way, mostly with Ji Hyun.
--Music: I heard some of it on seoul.fm and could not get why the people in the chatbox were bored with it. Yeah, it's not DBSK or some other band playing but it's still music. The rhythm of the songs went with the events quite nicely.
--Rewatch Value: For me, I'd most definitely love to rewatch the drama if I had the time *cough*ispendtimereadingmanga*cough*
--Overall: a great drama. You must definitely have to watch it. A friend convinced me to watch it, and we both obsessed over it for awhile. She even rewatched 49 Days. Then I got my guy friend to watch it; he liked it. Just make sure a tissue box is handy!

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It is nice but abit too long winded

Ruyi´s Royal Love in the Palace is indeed an extremely beautiful series to watch, although I feel that 80 odd episodes is abit tad long winded. This series is not to be taken lightly and in some scenes "not for the faint hearted". The "drama" is very dramatic and in certain episodes, extremely cruel and wicked. The entire casts really did an extremely good job for this series. I am really touched with the love Ruyi has for the emperor right up till the end, however, it is very saddening to watch certain parts of the series. I have to admit .... I skipped certain episodes when the "drama" became too intense for me to bear. The songs are also quite soothing and nice to listen to. This series would be a very good series to watch, however..... unless you really love the extreme drama, cruelty etc then a rewatch is "go for it". I have watched a couple of times but in the end stopped to move on because no matter how many times of re-watching it, I can´t bring myself to watch certain episodes. xD

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Was a good short version but…

If you see my review on the original W it has 10/10. Nothing can EVER beat the original! But this was a good try for a mini drama. However… the ending lacked compared to the original. Give. Me. More. Ending!!!! Grrr. So frustrating! It left me wanting more of them!

Storyline - it covered some of the most important parts. It was not bad overall. It ran pretty close to the original. I felt it also ran smooth and not choppy like some mini dramas get. Sorry I am going to end up comparing them because this drama is based off the original but this is a “Chinese” version. It is not bad but I am not happy with the ending. As I stated above. So I knocked the storyline down to 7/10.

Acting/Cast - I felt they did a spot on job. Was not bad at all. They did great.

Rewatch - yes. The Korean version is long, BUT really, really good. But sometimes it is nice to watch a mini drama that does not take to long. This one was not too bad. But that dang ending…

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It was generally an okay idol/youth wuxia drama.

Story:
The plot was a typical wuxia hero story - Luping and his journey to break the Spirit Lock, and friendship between the lead characters. The friendship between the two male leads as well as among Zhaifeng disciples was well done. There were also character development but there were inconsistencies as well. The pacing also had lots of problems.
The first 15 episodes were pretty good with a focus in younger generations, later the plot became a bit messy and boring with inconsistent pacing in the middle the last 4 episodes got better again.
As a wuxia fan, I also feel the fight scenes were a bit lacking; they didn't have that big impact and also not grand enough.

Acting/Cast:
Personally, I think CFY has improved a lot compared to his acting in EverNight. Chengxiao was a bit stiff but it didnt affect the story that much. The chemistry between the two was not that convincing but still okay for me.
Other casts also did a great job. I really like the two shifus from older generation as well.

Music:
Both the intro and outro songs are really nice. Especially, the intro song has that youthful feeling that really fits with this drama.

Rewatch value:
I probably won't rewatch it again since it doesn't really make me feel attached to the drama or the characters.

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*SPOILER FREE*

What I don't like from most of Korean dramas is that the plot usually drags. The characters are all hiding something and that caused misunderstanding and that muddied the water - frankly said, the characters were causing their own problems. That's why to avoid this annoying phase I tend to skip boring scenes or "hard to watch" scenes, and hope I can get to the ending faster because I wanted the characters to have a happy ending.
Strangely, that didn't happen to me as I was watching this title. I didn't want it to end - I wanted it to be as long as possible. The pace in this drama is good, the connections are awesome and heartfelt, and most important: the plot doesn't drag. Though sadly, it ended abruptly (last two episodes felt rushed, and especially episode 16 felt as if the whole episode was a filler episode).
Almost all of the important characters here grow for the better - with exceptions, of course. The ending could've been more elaborated, but it's all right the way it was.
It's heartbreaking, and I really REALLY felt for the main character. He was such a tragic character with a tragic life.
This has a fantastic directing - I think I really have to mention that. FANTASTIC directing - especially every scenes regarding Jae In and Gun Wook. The acting also really awesome, and Kim Nam Gil showed his 'prowess' so superbly - I felt like I would've fainted if I were to be treated such way by such an intimidating womanizer like Shim Gun Wook. His acting - and the writing & directing - made me, as a mere viewer - felt his irresistible charm and sex-appeal - even if all he did was kissing. His onscreen presence is MIND BLOWING. I've watched dozens and dozens of dramas and very rare actors/ instances can trigger those feelings and adoration from me.

Now, people might find the ending... unsatisfying, to say the least. I kind of agree - but not because of the plot, but for the execution. It lack details, lack good pacing, felt rushed, and... you know, 'half-assed'. The way the last two episodes was carried almost felt like an insult to the first 15 episodes which were done BEAUTIFULLY. This drama should've gotten perfect mark from me, but the last two episodes took away one mark from me. So I gave it 90.

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