The story, the cast and the soundtrack are great. I know that IU acts well and convincingly, but she did extra great in her role in this drama.
I won't watch it again because this drama is too heart-breaking to watch again. I'm so surprised I surpassed those heavy drama scenes. I cried myself like a baby even on those little scenes.
Please do watch this drama. You won't regret it.
Was this review helpful to you?
The cast is superb and each member of 'Team Dragon' brought both a different personality and skill set to the team which made it extremely interesting to watch.
The operations were tense and exciting, although admittedly as I am squeamish there were times that I had to look away, even though I knew it was not real. The story line was interesting, if not a little unrealistic, but compared to the following seasons not as over the top.
What really stood about this drama was the soundtrack. It has an amazing soundtrack that can be spiritual, exciting and dramatic depending on the situation. It really helps bring an extra dimension to each scene and turns it into a more outstanding drama.
Overall I recommend this drama to people who are fans of the medical genre or just want to watch a good quality Japanese drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
Despite having really gloomy scenes and a dark theme in general, the show managed to catch viewers' attention through initial suspense involving Park Dong-hoon and the bribes. The drama then further moved into office politics without being boring at all. The theme of healing was strong throughout the drama as Ji-an and Dong-hoon quietly root for each other's happiness. And hey, there's no forced romance, which is totally awesome!!
Apart from the plot and famous lines, I really, really enjoyed Kim Won-seok's directing style here. This was shown in both Misaeng and Signal but here in My Mister it is more prominent, that certain scenes and emotions within are so subtle that it is impossible to understand it through merely words (through recaps), you really have to watch the actual scene. Kudos to the actors and actresses as well, who have played those tiny emotions so well.
Overall, brilliant drama!
Was this review helpful to you?
i watched fantasy serial legend of blue sea , goblin , black but this show is not near to them even it didn't touch it
the concept is great but they didn't execute it well i think it could be better on this theme
should i recommend this to anyone ?
yes i can for those who like simple going story
for those who like excitement trill adventure drama suspense romance comedy bromance i do not recommend it
Was this review helpful to you?
I love how to story isn't so much focused on romance but more so on valuing ones' principles, dreams and ideals. I don't have any other reference of the story since i haven't watched or read versions but The King's Avatar is so damn good. I can't wait for s2 already.
Was this review helpful to you?
Truths or Lies, Friends or Foes, These People Don't Die!
OK, I admit, I was so confused watching this drama. While I thought a character a friend, he/she turns foe, and vice versa. Perhaps this is what the writer trying to tell the viewers: don't believe in what you see; what you think may not be what it is. Through all those twists and turns, only one thing is real: the undying friendship between Li Wu (Leon Zhang) and Lu Zheng (Chen Ruoxuan). Their bromance is full of humor, deception, protection, and sacrifices.Based on real historical events and figures, the story is set in the Ming Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Jianwen (r. 1398 – 1402) when he was trying to hold on to his throne with his uncle Zhu Di (Prince of Yan) infiltrating his government and bureaucracy, attempting to overthrow him. Everything goes back to some events that happened 10 years ago, and around the secretive Fisheye Lock (yuming suo) which holds the key to the top secret. Many people have died trying to protect the secret and many have died trying to find it.
By fate, Lu Zheng and Li Wu meet again after their first encounter as kids. Now, Lu Zheng is a Jingyinwei (Embroidered Uniform Guard), and Li Wu a street scoundrel who picks pocket and lies without blushing. Li Wu impersonates another Jingyiwei, Li Dongfang, and eventually takes Li Dongfang’s identity. In the Jingyiwei organization, the two become true friends, saving each other again and again, but most of the time, not trusting the other, and Li Wu continues to deceive in order to protect Lu Zheng.
Though both have their love interests, Li Mu in Shu Tang (Sun Yi) and Lu Zheng in Zhang Junqing (Ma Yujie), romance is not the focus here. Things move fast, and the main characters don’t die even though they are mortally wounded, multiple times. In the next scene, they are up and running as new. For this, viewers are advised not to look too deeply (otherwise you would roll your eyes). Acting wise, the whole cast is fabulous, though Leon Zhang’s expressions confuse me at times.
My Verdict
This is a rather enjoyable and funny drama with some wuxia actions executed convincingly. It is also intense, suspenseful, and rather dark. The background story is very interesting, but the storytelling is rather confusing, chaotic and requires some reading between the lines. Overall, it is a fun watch for more serious and patient viewers as skipping forward may make it even more confusing.
Was this review helpful to you?
If you want something different that will move your heart and want to feel warmth then just go for it.....
Was this review helpful to you?
First , one of the things that attracted me to this show was the cast . All of them were actual actors . Sorry if i offend anyone , but i liked that there was no idols-turned-into-actor . I aint saying that idols can't act , there are really great ones such as Yoochun or I.U . Well , let's not get out of the subject . A great cast , although i was worried about Park Shin Hye's performance . But this girl improved a lot and this drama made me like her a lot .
Second , here comes the plot and the storyline . God bless the writers . This drama didn't get boring at any point ! The relationships between the actors where mastered , we had the suspens , the thrilling scenes , well this drama gave us the feels . It was original , we didnt have the casual kind of romance , neither the usual drama . The events were original and the concept too .We had family love , mother care for her child , bromance , our darling couple , great kisses . We had everything we wanted .
Last but not least , The characters !!!!!!! I loved all of them , i swear all of them even the one who looked as the bad ones of the story . I melted for Dal Po's mature and lovely side , Yoo rae's cuteness ; In Ha's obligated honesty and Bum Jo's softness , without forgetting the MSC nd YGN Caps and the reporters , all the characters were beautifully structured. I can also garantie that the mai couple had such an amazing chemistry , one of the best i've ever seen ( and i watched over 150 dramas sooo.. ) .
So if you didn't watch this drama yet , i highly recommend it to you !!
Was this review helpful to you?
A midst a snowstorm of emotions and possibly a manic episode
This drama starts off sweet, and fluffy... Aloof boy falls in love with a girl they eats, sleep, look at scenery, train, repeat there is not much plot but its is an easy watch that is nice to look at.Living in a nordic country myself I really enjoyed watching my c-fluff in a culture and setting close to the one I live in (even if they might have made a few mistakes). With the added bonus that most of the non Chinese he people where shwen to be friendly.
After a while the boy who is supposedly poor manages to spin of surprising the girl with grand gestures, flights here and there, the boy pretty much never sleeps all signs of a manic episode... There is also a bunch of not so secret following(slight stalking), helping from behind the scenes and misshaps... with a HUGE amount of patriotism, the Chineese are the best, morals, morals as far as the eye can see and the usual propagande those of us who enjoy c-fluff have gotten used to ignoring.
And from then on the red flags of Chine keep adding up and all the sweet and fluffy potentially green flags that they tried to sell off in the beginning where long gone... A process those who have been in not so good relationships can relate too, but here sold off as oh so sweet, normal and mostly romantic, even if they do throw in a few good lines here and there.
That said the female lead rocks, she is amazing in every single way, relatable, fun, smart, talented... Fine she fell in to the dudes trap, but that only shows us that bad ass women fall too... But by the end of it I was hoping she would run away and start an ICE 9 ball cult up north somewhere.
Oh they also play a lot of snooker and 9 ball...
So to sum it up, I would recommend you watch the first 10 or 15 episodes for the fluff, but do not expect any plot and just ignore the other half of the show...
P.s there are no annoying side characters
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Sixteen episodes of nothingness
The only reason I wanted to watch this series was because I was interested in Seng Wichai’s acting in it. But let me tell you, if you are here for the same reason, then I recommend you to just find all his parts from YouTube. You wouldn’t miss a thing, because his story is barely part of this series and it’s so short compared to the whole show. If you are not here because of Seng, then I also really advise you not to waste your precious time on this nonsense and I will let you know why in the following paragraphs…You want to know the story of this series? Well, there is basically none. It is just sixteen episodes of grown-ups acting like teenagers, learning nothing from their mistakes and getting zero character development. If you are waiting for some deep message, then you won’t get one. Everything that happens during these sixteen episodes is later wrapped up with ‘share love’ and ‘don’t let your emotions get the best of you’. That’s basically it. Not that this show would actually move their plot towards this solution or understanding. It just kinda comes out of nowhere.
The law firm setting was actually interesting for some time, but it was hilarious, how they constantly reminded us how it’s the best in the country, yet they have workers who waste their work time on acting like teenagers. Shouldn’t they be intelligent and smart people? I did like how they connected their law cases with workers' own life, but even this was quite loosely done. It deals with very delicate themes but does it very badly. There is rape, prostitution, mental health, work stress, money issues, child abuse etc. Such a big spectrum of things! The problem with this series is that they decided to include so many things and in the end they couldn’t deliver…
Not to mention that it really felt like this whole show was portraying women as ambitious, unbalanced, gossip-hungry, mean, crazy people who only act on their emotions. Also, almost every one of the female characters who had kids had left them for their fathers to raise. The show also tries to tell women that they should take care of their children and not pursue careers and that being a mom is basically their only true purpose in this world. Yet almost all the male characters are shown as voices of reason and being balanced and calm and telling women to ‘stop the nonsense’.
Then the characters are all one dimensional and have zero development during the show. We have Beam who is your typical Mary Sue. Everything about her is just so perfect! Then we have Wan, who is just a pure villain, she doesn’t have any other qualities about her. And to justify her actions writers have given her the worst possible past you could imagine. Yet, they don’t manage to develop her in any direction. And the ending for her character was just so lousy, just an easy way out. Then we have Nick who is basically male version of Beam. The Marty Stu. The perfect character in every possible way. And then the last main character is Wayu, who is actually the most decent character in the whole show in my opinion. He even has a tiny bit of development. But he is quite boring if I am honest. I do think that acting wise this show was well done, but when the script itself is just a mess, there is not much the actors can do.
Then we have a bunch of supporting characters who are all their colleagues, but they don’t have any character. They are just there for the main characters’ sake. They are portrayed as brainless gossipers who take the side of a character who gives them something. Not to mention that they all act like children taking videos and pictures of their co-workers and then posting them online. If I had this kind of colleagues I would just quit.
And then we have a small plot for Pond and Jim. The reason why I even started to watch the series. I do think that Seng and Nut did a good job acting wise, but the script they had was just a joke. Their story is given in small short clips that basically have nothing to do with the main plot. I really felt like they were just there to show the viewers that the show supports same-sex couples. It was very cringey to have Beam say how cute they are because he supports BL. Yikes! It was just clear that they didn’t have any real purpose in this series other than being a BL couple. Their story is quite a cliche and has nothing interesting in it. Also, I felt like you had to really put half of the story together in your own mind. That’s how little screen time they gave them! I felt like they were such wasted characters. They could have made them Nick’s friends and connect them more with other characters. Especially when during the series they were only shown for work clips but then in the end suddenly they are celebrating with everybody else in Chat’s house. How did they get so close? I guess it must have happened behind the camera as there is no other explanation…
In conclusion, save yourself some time and nerves and just don’t watch it. You wouldn’t miss anything. If you are still curious about this show then watch it but I recommend you to take it as a comedy as I did in the end. Otherwise you just won’t get through this nonsense…
Was this review helpful to you?
Favorite Varshow
This is my favorite variety show ever.. Love everything about it. It’s entertaining and healing, especially during this pandemic.Kudos for all the casts, all of them bring their own uniqueness to the show. Lee Seo Jin’s quirkiness always makes me laugh. Park Na Rae surprised me on how good she was handling the children. Lee Seung Gi’s enthusiasm and hard work to keep the children (and viewers) entertained; and last not least Jung So Min wowed me on how loving she was with children. Became a fan of her because of this show.
And Little Forest kids are truly the gem of the show. Miss them.. my fav are YooJin, Brooke, Grace and Yihan.
If you love children, go and watch it, you would not regret.
Was this review helpful to you?
Tokyo Sonata depicts a traditional family: father works, mother is a housewife and sons are studying. Ultimately, this may seem like a typical family where father works, mother nurtures and children study.
But underlining the conventional image of a family, is a broken bond; each struggling on their own.
Father tries to reinforce his status as the head of the family, always bickering about his authority, his fear of losing face because he can no longer provide of his family.
I will protect you!
These are words he needed to do, words he needed to believe but can no longer do.
Mother tries to be the best housewife. She cooks, she cleans the house, she takes care of the children. But she is trapped. She is drowning. She doesn't have a path. In order to be a mother, it seems like she has thrown away herself.
Takashi is aimless. He longs to look for happiness. He longs to protect his country to protect his family. In a way, he tries to do what Father couldn't do in the long run.
Kenji is discovering himself. He finds a passion, a dream but is stopped by Father. A dream, crushed before it can be flourish. His wings cut even before they could be spread.
And so a family disintegrates. Because each member it broken. Because each member chooses to sever the bond that connects them as they face their inner struggles. It begs the question: is family really a family when no one is treating is like family? Does having mother, father and children in one house enough to be called family?
With documentary-like narration and raw visuals, Kurosawa creates something so simple and transforms it into something powerful. Kenji, Mother and Father's (and to an extent, Takashi's) are woven out, put side-by-side but with great clarity and balance.
In the end, the way it concludes is simply by coming home after an epiphany—which all changes every one. Perhaps the answer is that we need to fix ourselves first and then we can start fixing our family.
Each narrative is symbolic. Kenji getting caught. Father on an accident. Mother driving away to the beach. Takashi going to a foreign land. Each one represented something for the characters.
Beautiful score. Great performances from all the actors. But the ultimate cherry-on-top is the final piano performance. Playing the whole song makes you feel at peace, beautiful, tranquil.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A cute pleasant surprise
When I originally started this series, I was not expecting too much for it. I basically started watching this series to fill my Saturdays. However, as each week passed by, this series grew on me.This series had not one, not two, not three, but FOUR couples. And somehow they were able to give them enough screentime so that all four relationships can be developed. And that's a rarity. I'm still in shock that they still somehow manage to do this actually.
While I didn't like the beginning of the storyline for the main couple, it grew on me. Each week I was actually eager to watch this series to see what was going to happen next.
And yes, maybe this series has so much BL troupes in them, but hey! It somehow worked for this series.
I know that I am going to miss this series. If you want a cute, fluffy light BL series to watch- give this one a go. Don't pay to much attention to the rating, though. It does deserve a higher score than 7.6.
Was this review helpful to you?
This drama took me on a rollercoaster of emotions and I can't wait to go back and re-watch it in full. I love how it is more "adult" than the usual dramas these days. Without giving too many things away, it addresses the themes of sickness, marriage, family, and strength. It's a refreshing change from other dramas because you get to see their lives AFTER they have fallen in love. Usually a drama ends when the leads get together and their main obstacle has been overcome. But that isn't real life. Watching this drama, I felt that I was privileged enough to actually catch a glimpse of a real couple's journey as they deal with whatever life throws at them.
Do yourself a favour and watch this drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
Wonderful but my boredom when watching it is significant. Chang Hee is my favorite part.
My Liberation Notes is a slice-of-life drama about three siblings and their mysterious neighbors; who are dissatisfied with life in one way or another. They live in the countryside about an hour outside of Seoul. The show is showing the character's journey that was so refreshing and realistic. Liberation is a journey of identifying and persevering to keep working through it. Identifying your struggles and finding the root cause is a hard thing to do. Acceptance and taking action to make things better is even harder.At first, I watch this because it has a similar premise because My Mister also followed the lives of three brothers. In My Mister, they come together to help each other heal along with the FL. Then also its' deep exploration of the character's mental states. But the main difference, at least this is my opinion, is while both shows are character-driven, My Mister has much stronger external plots and twists that make more eye-opening action scenes, much more than My Liberation Notes. In My Liberation Notes, the story progresses by following the daily lives, like the vlogs of these characters. So if you enjoyed My Mister, you may or may not enjoy My Liberation Notes. Don't expect the same exhilaration you get from My Mister here, but surely, both series present the same level of production quality and character arcs. I like My Mister better, but there were many good thought-provoking aspects of My Liberation Notes.
The first pro I want to mention is the comedy. I absolutely love how this series handles funny moments. It comes from a quiet moment, there's no dialogue happening and it's funny due to the previous or next scenes. For example, the part of Mi Jeon demanding Mr. Gu to worship her and the scene of Mr. Gu alone realizing the word worship means and seeing his reaction. My favorite one is when Chang Hee has done something to Mr. Gu's car and Chang He's about to confess but instead of wearing his slippers, he decides to wear his runners instead. It was so funny! Because you could see what the character was thinking without them saying it.
Regarding the plot, I thought the first four episodes were exciting. then it got super slow midway and then the last four episodes were so beautifully done. They give a very satisfying arc to every single character, and even if they didn't end on a completely happy note, I felt hopeful by the end. It is worth mentioning that the dialogue is so heavy all the time, the conversation these characters have is telling me some sort of message across. It's very tiring to pay attention all the time, so this show is not binge-able, but more of one episode a day watch.
Speaking of the characters, I was invested not so much in their character but more in their fantastic acting and their story and growth. Each character is carefully described and redeemed. I love how all the siblings would talk about things that most people I think would be ashamed and sometimes embarrassed to admit. I loved Mi Jung's inner strength and how she takes the initiative to liberate herself. I found her relationship with Mr. Gu is very unique and unconventional. I warm up to Mr. Gu throughout the story, but I am slightly disappointed that his alcoholism is not handled. But the best part for me is Chang Hee. Watching his scenes at first I feel already connected to him. Then I'm so happy that in the last four episodes or so, the story focuses a lot on him. I loved how his monologues came out and how he become more mature, his story was just beautiful. I'm thinking of rewatching the show only for his scenes.
I want to praise the OST and sound effects. There's a heavy focus on a lot of ASMR sounds, like people walking, eating, breathing, and sighing. Because this screenplay focuses so much on a character's introspection and how they're feeling emotionally, it's really really nice to have it paired with silence and ASMR sounds. OST was just so beautiful and peaceful. It fuels me to continue watching when I kinda doze off when watching too much heavy dialogue and mundane scenes.
Was this review helpful to you?
Recent Discussions
-
FL kills ML's partner16 minutes ago -
GL Drama Lovers Club40 minutes ago -
Last watched documentary series or movie?44 minutes ago -
What was the last (Non-Asian) show you completed?46 minutes ago -
