Reviews

Brownie Approved J-drama

This is my first Japanese review so bear with me.

I’m not exactly a fan of Japanese content as they aren’t what I look for in a drama, however this late night random find turned out to be the best thing I’ve ever come across.

I liked everything about this except for female lead. She was way too awkward, nervous and timid for my taste, I don’t think a boyfriend was what she needed much less wanted. She was already in a long term relationship with her job. As the plot progressed, I liked her even less because her actions only made her more annoying. I feel like their relationship was very much one sided until the last 10 mins or so. Male lead was perfect in every way; he was literally the best boyfriend anybody could ever ask for. He was nice, kind, supportive and very very patient...the type of Male lead I wish other countries had more of....China, I’m looking at you! I think he deserved better than what he got.

This has a good rewatch value but I don’t tend to rewatch dramas all that much. I believe this is the first time I’ve watched a J-title and it’s not felt like I’m torturing myself because of the language, it really does help to watch something you like that way the language isn’t such a huge issue. Not sure I’ll watch something Japanese again quite so soon. On this occasion, I got lucky lol. This is definitely a Brownie Approved Japanese drama.

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Disappointed. Rushed.....sorry just my opinion

Zeng Huada/TianTian plays Lin Zeyan (male lead) and Qi Ke Li plays Xia You (female lead). Sadly I cannot say I was impressed by the acting. The male lead did a much better job than the his female lead. She came off as somewhat uncomfortable/unsure in her "romantic" scenes and her overall performance seemed half hearted. The supporting cast did a good job with what they had to work with.

It's a nice little love story but because it was very rushed it didn't flow. This could have been a much better drama had they not "skipped" so much of the plot. The subtitles/translations were incorrect or poorly translated.

I suppose it all comes down to personal preferences as to whether you will like/dislike this program.

It would be nice to see these actors develop and grow and hopefully we will get more projects from them in the near future.

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Going into this show one needs to understand this is not really a dating show. It definitely focuses on the hardships of existing couples and any “dates” seem more like a distraction from what’s going on. You won’t really get butterflies watching it, there is no “hot tea” of who likes whom and why. It’s more frustration, pain and a lot of sadness and this is kind of why I liked it.

Quite quickly you can figure out no new couples will form here. While the dates provide a new perspective for the couples to view their own relationship, it would be painfully ridiculous and unrealistic for any of these people to fall in love with a new person in just two weeks. And that’s one of the aspects I did not like - short duration. I honestly don’t think 2 weeks is enough of a time for a show with a premise like that. It probably would be better if the filming took a month - just keep them all in Seoul and let them go to work, so they don’t take a full 2 weeks off.

Because the duration was so short, a lot of things felt rushed and we kind of got bombarded with new developments, constant arguments and unresolved issues. I cannot even imagine how exhausting it must have been for the participants.

That said, it’s still a surprisingly great show. Somehow, no matter how flawed the relationships might have been, I rooted for most of them to stay together. It was nice to watch them learn how to communicate with each other and appreciate the bond they have.

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*WATCH THIS DRAMA, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!*

I usually don't review TV shows but this is not the usual show that I'd watch. There is so much to like about the plot and character development. Absolutely loved each and every character and their respective actors. Everyone slayed their characters; the caste is so good !! I have not read the novel so i cannot cmpare the two but i can surely say that this drama is worth a watch. There are a lot of lessons in this drama; some are outrightly stated (dialogues) while others are hidden; portrayed in a rather easy way to figure out. Not a typical chinese drama either; yes the annoying opposition is there but it's a part of the story. *no spoilers so won't say further*. The team work, passion, determination, healthy competition and environment; hat a complete show.

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THANK god I found this to alleviate me from my slump

I THINK that the best dramas that could satisfy you are those which came in randomly.
This is definitely true. I only knew this drama because of the random ad by Iqiyi and just casually decided to watch. Men, I can't get off the drama after episode 1! Now that's how you get your viewers!
The casts are perfect, I really love the story (and the twists, of course!) So generally, the plot can be divided into two parts, episodes 24 below and episodes 25 above. For me, I really, really like the second part. The way they weaseled the 'return' of FangNing, I love that.
I'm not used in watching dramas of more than 20 episodes, but surprisingly, I finished this in 4 days. Lol. Once you start, you really can't get off.
Maybe I easily fell into the story because the cliche story of contract marriage broke my monotonous drama watchlist theme of crime-thriller. It's good to be back at watching romance, lol.
Lastly: I just want to mention that I found my new favorite person, it's Zhou YuTong
🙆🏼‍♀️

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I originally didn’t really want to watch this drama but after watching the first season, I really don’t regret watching it. This is the kind of drama where you have a super handsome and fearless general who secretly admires someone and is always there behind her making sure she’s safe. I think the way Wu Lei plays Ling Buyi is honestly perfect and I love how he holds power yet can be so gentle sometimes.

The only issue about this I don’t really like the costumes and hairstyles. They honestly could have done something better with it. I also have no idea which dynasty this is from on the way they word some phrases.

Love Ling Buyi’s character and I’m honestly so envious on their love, sadly season one doesn’t have much scenes with the main leads hoping season 2 will.

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Excitement build up every episode!

First off, I have not watched the movie version so I have no expectations whatsoever when I started watching this.

I loved it! It gave me excitement and anxiety every episode. I feel like I am there with them in their journey. There was not a single episode where I wasn't on the edge of my seat watching them cheat their way on an exam. The background music added an extra fire to the show too. We were also given a glimpse of the twisted educational system.

The casts' acting is average but they portrayed their characters well enough. June's portrayal of Lin was really realistic. I felt the most connected to her character.

I loved the ending too. It felt a bit lackluster compared to the other episodes but it's the perfect resolution we need on this. Every character had shown growth and learned from their experience so I'm absolutely delighted.

Definitely one of the most awesome shows I've seen for this year.

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Disappointingly bad

To be truthful, it is one of the worst BL series I have ever seen. Disastrous screenplay that made no sense. Bad acting. No chemistry. Disjointed story. In other words, just plain awful. It went around using the same trope, cliché-filled lines, and themes that I literally got bored out of my mind. This series was disappointingly bad, incoherent, insulting to its audience, loveless, and one of the least romantic BLs in a long time. Yet it also had a figure who was genuinely repentive of what he did, constantly tried to make up for his errors and mistakes, yet, still seemed to be projected as a villain. You have a rich rather indecisive individual who is gay and will never meet his father’s expectations yet still too timid to stand up to him (or his family) with any kind of real fortitude and a partner who quick-tempered, impulsive, and righteous and rather judgmental before knowing all the facts, and, in my opinion, might be prone to having a drinking problem. A cautious tale indeed.

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Has a similar vibe to some CLASSIC Hollywood films

I found this show through a clip on tiktok and was surprised when I saw on here that it hadn't gained much attention from people. Nevertheless, I started watching it since the premise was interested and boy oh boy, it didn't let me down.

It's definitely not like anything I've watched before. The pacing has to be quite rushed since the episodes are short and there's only so much you can fit into 4 hours but the story was gripping and exciting.

PROS:
- I really like the naming of Gyeo-ul and Yeo-reum to signify Winter and Summer (just a nice little addition)
- Great cast
- The characters are very unique and makes the story that much more entertaining. I find it so fascinating when two crazy people fall in love and work together in their craziness. Kind of like a 'there's someone for all of us out there'?
- The scene where Gyeo-ul speaks a couple rushed lines in English was really impressive. I haven't seen many actors speak their English lines in a convincing way but Park Se Wan's acting here really stood out.
- The way they managed to incorporate some humour amongst all of the intense scenes was, at least on my part, very appreciated
- They filmed it according to an MA15+ rating and didn't try to soften the plot to fit a wider audience.
- The fight scenes had great choreography.
- The soundtrack is amazing and I love it when they put a completely different soundtrack over a scene. E.g. The scene where Gyeo-ul and Yeo-reum shoot the guy and the soft 'oooh ooh' with like a 60s tune plays over it. It gives me Kill BIll vibes.

CONS:
- Some minor plot holes. E.g The scene where Gyeo-ul and Yeo-reum get attacked by a teacher. How did the teacher work at the school if he's part of the assassin school or association? How did he not recognise Gyeo-ul at school? The teacher really just came out of nowhere and was suddenly an assassin which didn't make sense.
- The pacing felt a little rushed and I definitely think the show could have been done over a few more episodes just so the viewer has a better understanding of the story and the characters.
- I guess this counts as a plot hole but I was kind of annoyed how the cop was a better shot than the assassins. Like... weren't they trained for years to kill? Why do they keep missing?

Overall, this was genuinely entertaining and would recommend!

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Character driven with a melancholy atmosphere

Step back to a place in time with video arcades, skating rinks, phone booths, pagers, and no cell phones. Teens have been rebelling since the dawn of time and these teens were trapped in the cement jungle of Taipei with only the detached neon god spreading harsh artificial light over the packed, dreary streets. Welcome to the Rebels of the Neon God.

The film follows the lives primarily of Hsiao and Ah Tze. Hsiao is a teenager failing at his college cram school and completely disinterested in studying. He lives with his parents in a small, but comfortable apartment. His mom is convinced that he is the reincarnation of the god Nezha, explaining the emotional distance between father and son. Tze is a petty crook who with his buddy, Ping, steals change from phone booths and vending machines to use at the arcade. Hsiao's father is a taxi driver whose side-view mirror is broken when Tze smashes it in an act of rebellious aggression, an act that will come back to haunt him in more than one way.

Tze lives with his brother in a filthy apartment with a backed-up kitchen drain that constantly floods the place. He sleeps on a cot above the moat, flicking cigarette butts into the swill. He begins a relationship with Kuei, his older brother's one night stand. She works in a skating rink and for the phone "dating" service but is as aimless as Tze and Ping. When Hsiao withdraws from the college prep class and pockets the money, fate brings him across the path of Tze. He stalks Tze with the adeptness of a serial killer, watching as he and Ping steal the motherboards from the arcade's games. Hsiao's father locks him out of the house for taking the refund money and disappearing. With nowhere else to go, Hsiao returns to the hotel to rent a room where Tze and Kuei are spending the night. Obscured by the falling rain he takes the opportunity to have a little revenge for the road rage incident by vandalizing Tze's motorbike and spray painting that Nezha was there next to it. For nearly the entire movie Hsiao is emotionless and speaks no more than 10 words, but when he sees Tze's frustration over his destroyed bike he literally dances with joy. When the mother board deal goes south, the petty crooks end up escaping in the cab with Hsiao's dad which triggers reactions in both Tze and the father with feelings of guilt for both men.

None of the youth had anything to look forward to and sought to find pleasure in the moment, whether it was games, smoking, sex, or impaling a cockroach on a desk. Hsiao was an isolated boy with anger seething below his benign face, unable to measure up to what his parents wanted from him. Whether he went home again or remained on the streets was never answered, although his father left the door cracked open for him. Hsiao's parents worshipped the old gods, he and the others answered to the cold god of the streets. Tze was always restless whether pulling small jobs, hanging out with his friends, or smoking like an inmate marking time in his apartment. Ping and Kuei were largely side characters, the loyal buddy and the girl Tze had sex with, but struggled to commit to. Despite their gritty exteriors, Tze and Ping weren't hardened criminals, they simply had nowhere to go and no better tomorrow to look forward to.

The area of Taipei where the movie was filmed came across as dirty and deteriorating though there were signs of new construction. Rain fell almost constantly, making the urban setting more claustrophobic. Aside from Tze's dilapidated apartment, two seedy hotels were used as sets, complete with porn on the small televisions. The streets, school room, and arcades were packed with people, people who were side by side but not communicating. Phone "dating" was shown several times, so even the normal act of meeting someone was difficult to do.

These young people were alienated from the general society, living somewhere on the edge without a safety net below them, desperately searching for belonging. Despite the oppressive atmosphere, there was a glimmer of hope. Each person who watches the film will likely come away with a different interpretation based on age and walk of life. I saw young people who felt trapped, rebelling against the suffocating box they'd been put into. They were all longing for love and acceptance and something that would help propel them to a brighter future but with no idea how to get there.

8/9/23

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I have nothing to say. I am overwhelmed by this drama. The ending made cry. THIS is the best thing I have ever watched. The concept,the acting, the nail-bitting suspence, over the top action sequence,the rivalry,  the emotion, the chemistry between the three main characters, the devilish acting of the villain, the cinematography, the fictional story, the..........................................I can go all day, all night saying about this drama but it may not be enough. This should be the best drama ever created. I have watched many drama including asian and netflix series. No drama touched my heart this much. The torture  scene were acted like the victims are really being tortured. The acting of each character was beyond oscar worthy. And the main characters : Sato Hiroshi and Kimora: the chemistry between them, the rivalry, the bromance turned revenge was the main attraction of the show. I know this is one of the most popular Korean drama but I think its still underrated.
Lastly, IF U HAVEN'T WATCHED THIS DRAMA SHAME ON U, GO WATCH THIS U DONT KNOW WHAT UR MISSING.

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Overall, this show was OK. It was extremely uneven, flying back and forth between melodramatic romance, zany comedy, genuinely creepy horror, etc. Some of it worked. Some of it didn't.

Story: I actually really enjoyed a lot of elements of this story. I thought it was a clever re-imagining of Journey to the West with the geumganggo being a hold over his heart rather than a crown over his head. Many of the throw away lines about his position in heaven prior to throwing a fit were great references. There are elements of this story that I found wonderful and interesting. The back and forth of whether his love for her was real or not could have been fleshed out so much more and made more interesting. There could have been a lot more sturm und drang on the both character's feelings toward whether his feelings were completely manipulated or only gently coaxed. It feels like it pops up a few times for her, but she never really reckons with it and continues to abuse the relationship. It's odd. Also, the entire last episode bothered me. I'd rather the last episode be about what they suggest the open ending to be (him breaking into the afterlife).

The characters, however, were extremely uneven. Ma Wang, in particular, is a mess of writing. They use him for physical, ridiculous comedy over and over, but honestly his strongest scenes were those with emotional gravitas and his misery over Princess Iron Fan and feeling used. I also struggled with how he treated Son Oh Gong. They seem to not know whether Ma Wang is supposed to be a villain or hero. That works for me a little, but it just KEPT going back and forth to a ridiculous degree. He kept making broad statements about how Son Oh Gong deserved all this misery, but the show only gives us Son Oh Gong doing innocuous and non-hateful things to Ma Wang. So, it felt misplaced. (7/10)

Acting/Cast: Honestly, this cast (for the most part) was the strong point of the drama for me and completely wasted.

Lee Seung-Gi was wonderful. I've seen him in a LOT of mediocre dramas, but his performance is never the weakness for me. It was interesting seeing him play a character that on paper is relatively similar to Choi Kang Chi from Gu Family Book (literally - a 'demon' who is controlled by a bracelet who falls in love with a woman, and one of them is prophesied to die by virtue of their relationship with the other) but vastly different on the screen. I liked seeing him take similar subject matter and spin it. He plays the emotional heart strings well, and I buy his comedy a lot more than the others. He did a good job of playing mixed and confused emotions, and I enjoyed the slow change to how he said "because I love you". To me, he clearly commands the screen.

Cha Seung Won - I already addressed this a bit above, but the character was a mess which made the performance suffer for me. He committed to the humor, but I didn't find the joke itself funny which isn't his fault. The extended physical comedy bits (like the bit about his body odor) just fell flat. I almost always preferred him playing drama.

Oh Yeon Seo - The character and performance were just so flat to me. There was almost no change to character whatsoever across the course of the show. I know we're supposed to feel this subtle change of her letting people into her life and building a found family of people who care about her after shielding herself for so long, but I never saw her emotionally open up for it to happen. It was more like... it just happened. There was no emotional catalyst for it. I found her pretty expressionless throughout, and it was made all the more obvious by how much gravitas Lee Seung-Gi had as a scene partner.

Others - special mention to Lee Se Young who had to play like 5 different characters in this show and was legitimately outstanding. She did creepy horror physical zombie comedy at the start, young hopeful idol trainee in flashbacks, broad comedy zombie, "Bu Ja" the bright and innocent, sweet zombie, and then the Priestess - conflicted and heartbroken but dark. And then all the shades in between. Priestess as Bu Ja. Priestess feeling Bu Ja seeping through, etc. I found her wonderful, and I hope she gets more leading work in other dramas soon.

My other special mention is to Lee El who always seems wasted. Secretary Ma was such a great minor character, and Lee El was just great. I always felt drawn to her in scenes. (8/10)

Music: I actually really liked this OST. A lot of the songs stuck with me, and the lyrics were pretty appropriately on the nose. The only thing that drove me nuts was the lyric "Always behind of you." I know that English inserted into Korean songs isn't always perfect, but "of" isn't necessary there, and it was used so prominently in the drama. (8.5/10)

Rewatchability: Some episodes are pretty good, and I could see myself rewatching. But honestly, this wouldn't be high on my list of dramas to watch again. (5/10)

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