Reviews

At first I didn't know about this drama at all. I wanted to download other drama when I stumbled upon WTDCYN's first episode that was just released that day. Out of curiosity I watched it and I loved it right away. So I decided to excitedly waiting every Wednesday and Thursday to watch this drama.

I must say this is not the most perfect drama out there. It was lacking about something and personally I was a bit dissapointed in episode 13 & 14. They seemed so "lost". Like they were in a rush to finish the drama. Though I felt like that, thank Lord it was saved because the fact that I was attached to the characters and the storyline. Like I said, this is not a perfect drama. Other than that, I have no complaint.

The actors were so incredible in portraying their characters. I love I Gyeong's character here. She was so humble and not selfish at all. She only wanted her mom and brother to live life without nuisance and harm. Even though she had painful memory in the past, she just let it go and moved on. I appreciate other characters too because they were amazing.

The soundtracks. Man. Hands down. They have the best soundtracks of the year. This drama deserves this title at least.

I couldn't expect the ending would be like that. I was hoping a bitter sweet ending but I'm still happy about it at the end. I love how SDC decided to live as himself.

I am so thankful that I found this drama haha. I never felt attached like this for a drama after Jealousy Incarnate. So I'M SO GLAD <3

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Disastrous show

What to say about this train wreck of a show… I disliked every single aspect of it. I’m a huge fan of korean zombie shows and movies but this drama is just an embarrassment. I don’t understand how it became popular in the first place, as it has 0 redeeming qualities to it.

I’m truly infuriated and disgusted with myself for having even watched it until the end. I guess I was hoping for the plot to deliver what it promised but it was full of clichés, repetitions, stupid useless scenes and characters, anti-climatic outcomes and everything bad a story can have. I’ll forgive the acting (the older actors were good though) because most of these people are pretty new in the game and they’re young, but the acting was pretty bad too. The characters were useless, unlikeable, unrealistic, their actions made no sense and their worries (crushes????like wtf????) were meaningless most of the time. And the inconsistencies with the way the infected acted (how long it took them to turn etcetc) just pissed me off. The way the story was told as a whole isn’t coherent or interesting.

To be fair, it could have been really good if they had wasted less time with irrelevant storylines, if had organized the way it’s presented in a more thrilling way, if they had made the characters and their reactions more realistic and logical… I could go on for a whole hour. But maybe it would have been a decent drama had it been released in 2014 or something. The thing is, especially if you compare it to actually amazing zombie movies and shows, namely Train to Busan and Kingdom, this is honestly just ridiculous.

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Cute, fluffy, and fast-paced version

I have seen the Korean original and all (Chinese, Thai, and now Japanese) adaptions of this story, and I liked all of them. None of them were perfect, but I appreciate each one’s cultural style and artistic differences. If I were to pick a favorite, I would not be able to do so since there were elements in each that I liked a lot. Overall, the great mix of comedy, romance, and drama in the different versions resulted in good entertainment for me. This Japanese adaptation was different because it was more lightweight and less draggy due to the condensed storyline. However, a shorter version meant less time spent on character development. Also, some poignant or meaningful scenes were left out that hit the sweet spots in the other versions. That said, the drama still managed to follow the original storyline pretty closely, and whatever deviations made more sense.

For those who have not seen the original or any of its adaptations, the plot is based on the classic and over-used "Childhood Love" trope. It is a story of how two people, despite lies and mistaken identities, still manage to find their first loves in the end. This story is truly a sweet rom-com, and in this Japanese version that is faster-paced, you will feel less angst during the prolonged misunderstanding on the ML's part and less frustration at the noble idiocy on the FL's side. However, with a lot more episodes, the other versions did a better job showing how the ML slowly fell for the FL.

In all versions, the ML was a jerk at first, but my favorite one was Nakajima Kento's portrayal of Hasebe Sosuke. Visually, I find him most appealing, with his sharp gazes transitioning nicely into boyish heart-melting looks. His smiles were truly disarming! Also, Sosuke was much less mean compared to the other versions. His angry or stern attitude towards the FL was tempered by his confusion and struggle to fight against the attraction he felt towards her, even when he thought he had already found his childhood sweetheart.

Also, I thought I would not get the second male lead syndrome in such a short series, but Akaso Eiji as Higuchi Takuya still won my heart. His good looks, his cool and supportive character, and the chemistry between the FL and him still caused me to root for him. I wish there was an alternate version where Higuchi had his happy ending with Sato.

In this version, the FL seemed the most natural without exaggerated freckles, bad teeth or ugly glasses. She looked normal, albeit a little unkempt and dowdy with her masculine clothing and lack of attention to her appearance. However, she was still pretty and cute, especially when she smiled. I love how Koshiba Fuka acted as Sato Ai, and her portrayal of the FL was the least cringey among all the drama versions.

As for Risa, the best friend, I find the character in this version, the most selfish and could have benefitted more with some further development. Still, Yui Sakuma did a good job and she is lovely. Reminds me of Anne Hathaway, visually.

The acting was great across the board, but it was difficult to note stellar performances when the story moved so quickly.

There's not much skinship, but the actual kisses were good, especially the last episode! The main leads were so cute together, and once they became a couple, the sweetness factor increased. I wish there was more kissing because they looked comfortable and natural when they did kiss.

There were not many songs played in the drama and mostly were instrumental. The theme song was fun and reflected the cute tone throughout the drama. The other was the more romantic song used a lot during the meaningful scenes. It definitely heightened the mood for me. For posterity, I have listed those two here:

1) 夏の午後はコバルト / Awesome City Club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHDIX-RNgSY

2) Summer Hydrangea / Sexy Zone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a6SXtlEQB0

Overall, do give this drama a try! The sweetness, the silliness, the laughter, the terrific cast, the lovely ending - there's enough to keep you entertained on a weekend binge!

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I watched this movie because it was showing on TV and it looked interesting. Throughout the movie I could feel how intense the characters were and even as the audience I was also pretty intense. I still can't believe that this movie was based on a real incident, the cabin crew in the real incident were really heroes. I even read the news article on the incident, just a miracle.

Story: Still can't believe it was based on a real incident, just amazing, a miracle.

Cast: The cast was amazing, each and every one of them represented their character to the best ability. You could feel the emotion and feelings of the characters even over the screen. I watched the movie with a rollercoaster of emotions and even cried in the end.

Music: Intense background music which fit perfectly with the scenes.

Rewatch Value: 10 I really enjoyed this movie and would probably rewatch it again at some point, it is not too long which is perfect to watch when you're bored and don't want to start a whole drama series.

Overall I recommend that you watch this movie and get to know about the actual incident. (Sichuan Airlines 3U-8633 Incident)

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OMG I was so stoked just to watch Parakiss, I was screaming at the opening credits. Like most I read the manga and watched the anime series, both made me eager to see the live action adaptation. Some live actions do NOT work but I really think this one did. I actually like the movie and probably will watch it again.

Most criticize the story line for the movie, and yes if you have seen the anime it is a watered down version of the original story. Look people they have to sell it to a general audience, so of course instead of seeing an awesome neon color, you are getting pastels. The ending was changed, parts are left out and a lot of it felt rushed. The characters are a watered down version from the original story as well, which kind of made me upset but I understand I guess. Miwako is not as colorful and child-like, Arashi is not as punk rockish or ecchi, and Isabella really looks like a dude playing a woman. They did get George's suave essence, but they missed how much of a jerk he was. Well I understand that you have to sell it, so it was ok.

They did leave out characters and story lines, so the story centered on George and Yukari, and her dreams which is cool, I would have wanted to see Miwako's sister though.

The only parts I really didn't like was the fashion (Where did they go to get all the clothes in the movie the 1980s?) and Yukari's model poses (she literally uses all the same ones!). Other than those, I loved seeing another interpretation of a great story that never quite felt completed. I loved the ending and seeing that many cute guys didn't hurt either.

p.s. Keiko can NOT cry. it was awful.

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I'll just be as straightforward as I can be right at the beginning of this review: Jang Na Ra and Daniel Choi are the only two reasons you need to watch this. Yes, there are other things you can enjoy about Baby-Faced Beauty, but those two are going to be what keeps you watching until the end.


STORY
Easily the weakest aspect of this show, the plot revolves around a perfect and adorable angel named Lee So Young, played by Jang Na Ra, and a sweet-but-dorky man named Choi Jin Wook, played by Daniel Choi, as they attempt to be normal nice people in a sea of selfish morons in the fashion industry. While these two start off their relationship like a cat and dog, they eventually grow closer to each other through your typical dramatic happenstance. While there are a handful of other likable and interesting characters, where the Story really struggles is with its villains, their motivations, the pacing, and the supporting characters.

The villains here are horrible, and not really in a good way. There's no dancing around it. They are evil just to be evil. If they had mustaches, they would twirl them in every single scene they're in. There's no deep exploration of the villain's motivations. In fact, the following is a paraphrase of a conversation with the villain toward the end of the show:

Good guy: "Why did you do all those horrible things?"
Villain: "I wanted to."
Good guy: "That's it?"
Villain: "Yep."

So expect to be furious and frustrated with all of the scheming going on in this story, especially when it's directed toward Lee So Young. While shallow villains can work, there need to be truly good characters there to balance it out and give the audience a break from the villainy. Unfortunately, this show's truly good and unselfish characters can be counted on one hand. Almost everyone does something stupid and/or mean at some point. And to make things worse, Lee So Young is constantly scolded, humiliated, and punished at every turn while the villains simply do not face any consequences for their actions whatsoever. While I can tell you that the payoff is nice, getting there is an exercise in self-control.

But the Story isn't all bad. Far from it. Enter: Ji Seung Il, played by Ryu Jin. His character absolutely shines here, and you could argue that his is the most interesting character to follow, since he exhibits some of the most growth. His character becomes embroiled in one of the most effective and interesting love triangles I have seen in kdrama. Even though you'll root for the OTP, you WILL be conflicted every time Ryu Jin is onscreen.
Cliché-wise, you'll also have a little bit of Noble Idiocy to torture you toward the climax of the show, but it won't come in a way you would expect. It's interesting and will keep you hooked.

But really what the story comes down to is two insanely adorable people growing into one of the most insanely adorable couples you're likely to see on television. If you like cute romance, ignore everything I typed above and make this your next drama.


ACTING/CAST
Believe all of the comments you've read about this show being worth watching just because of Jang Na Ra and Daniel Choi. Believe all of the hype. These two are not only precious together, they're hilarious. Daniel Choi brings a sense of humor and a childlike charm to the leading man role that I have never seen in a drama before. He is legitimately funny. Jang Na Ra, of course, exhibits everything that has made her famous: those emotional eyes, that sense of vulnerability, that unique face. You'll get all of it in spades. No Jang Na Ra fan should miss her performance here.

The rest of the cast works, although I insist that Kim Min Seo simply gets repeatedly miscast, as she is here. Ryu Jin is awesome, despite not needing to do much with the role. Ahn Seo Hyun will grow on you quickly. Kim Mi Kyung is a gravitational force all her own. And you'll really enjoy Hyeon Yong and Yoo Tae Woong, too.


MUSIC
Really, the music here is largely good enough to receive at least a 9/10. As with any good vocal tracks, you'll find yourself humming along to a lot of the songs, or singing them out loud to yourself at times while inventing your own lyrics. They're quite good. Not only that, but the incidental music stood out as well. Rather than being "mood noise", the incidental music had distinction and personality.

Special credit goes to Jang Na Ra for singing more than one of the songs on this OST. She actually sings a song in character in Episode 8 and it's one of the best scenes in the show. Obviously Na Ra herself has a lot to do with that, but the song stands on it's own merits. It's lovely and adorable and you'll want to hear it again and again. Although I can't link you to any of the exceptional incidental themes, a few of them will have you bobbing your head and feeling warm just at the sound of them.

However, I ended up docking BFB a half point here because some of the incidental music was misused. There were a handful of scenes where basically nothing of consequence happened, but the music was overly dramatic. Took me out of the moment. This was rare, though.


REWATCH VALUE
This is definitely the kind of drama that bears rewatching. When all you want to do is feel warm and fuzzy and see cuteness again, Baby-Faced Beauty has you covered. Whether it's going back to an early episode and seeing So Young and Jin Wook fighting comically or rewatching how they slowly become close, none of it is boring. The terrible villains and wildly overdone plot devices hurt it here, but ultimately there's going to be plenty here that you wouldn't mind seeing twice.


BOTTOM LINE
Baby-Faced Beauty gets an 8/10 from me, and 6 of those 8 points are for Jang Na Ra and Daniel Choi. For any fan of either, this is a must watch. For rom-com fans, this is a must watch. For anyone else, there's honestly not a lot here for you.

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This review contains spoilers

I liked the premise and idea behind the whole story, but there seems to be many off-putting elements.
First, the main character isn't someone you can relate to - he is associated with a side plot about his parents'death that does not lead anywhere important. "This guy is accused of killing is parents. He is the main character." is all there is to his personality.
Secondly, the plot is bland and boring i.e. uninteresting. Furthermore, some parts (of the plot) are not grounded in reality. Too many over-the-top explanations exist that lead nowhere (see first paragraph again). The kidnapped situation is explained as an experiment, and apparently the werewolf characters are the way they are because of a virus; a virus that is sprinkled on the story in a 'matter-of-fact' manner. Also, the building that they are in is sealed off by 'lasers'.

At one point we (the audience) even saw the main characters put on headphones and get video input by closing their eyes.

The "werewolf" is/are also not well placed within the story. How the chosen "werewolf" managed to kill off the required one-per-night without getting by blood on (spoiler) his clothes is beyond any logical reason.

Overall, an okay movie. Did I like the premise? Yes. Would I recommend to my friends? No. Will watch it again? Please. Don't make me.

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"You live, I'll live. You die, I'll die."

The Lady Hermit is a rarity in the kung fu world. Its two main characters are both female fighters. In this movie, Cheng Pei Pei, much like she did in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", has to train a headstrong younger female. And also a rarity, even though Lo Lieh was a good guy and training with the two women, it was the women who faced down the Big Bad in the finale instead of leaving it to a man to handle. The main character throughout is actually the one in the title.

This is a dream casting for me. I loved the chemistry between Cheng Pei Pei and Lo Lieh in 1968's Golden Sparrow. They still had a good chemistry in this one. Leng Yu Shuang, aka The Lady Hermit, has been recuperating in hiding after nearly dying from the wounds inflicted by The Black Demon (Wang Hsieh) three years earlier. She and Chang Chun have a friendly relationship but he clearly wants something more from the maid at the escort service. Along comes a hot-headed martial artist with a whip, Cui Ping (Shih Szu) who's looking to make a name for herself and also wants the legendary Lady Hermit to train her. The Lady Hermit has to rescue Cui when she ends up surrounded by a sea of sword carrying bad guys. The Black Demon likely had to put a help wanted sign out after Leng finished with them. Cui's actions lead to Leng's whereabouts being known and the two women go on the run. Leng relents and trains Cui and later Chang when he shows up. When Cui sees a close moment between Leng and Chang she storms off in a jealous fit to take on the Black Demon herself. Fortunately for her, Leng and Chang follow her as there are enough baddies for everyone to take on, in the race to reach the Black Demon's lair and the evil martial artist with the ugliest of rodent fingernails.

The Lady Hermit took its time developing the relationships between the three main characters. And though it's said there was a love triangle Chang only had eyes for Leng. Cheng Pei Pei had an intense and graceful charisma as the noble warrior for justice. Her expressive face draws you into her story and makes you believe her. At the ripe old age of twenty-five, Pei Pei was near the end of her tenure with Shaw Brothers, Shih Szu at eighteen was just rising in the ranks. Shih's performance depended on a lot of pouting which could wear thin at times. Lo Lieh was striking in one of his good guy roles before being relegated to villains. It wasn't often he played the romantic lead and was able to utter lines like, "You live, I'll live. You die, I'll die." Wang Hsieh as the Big Bad had little to do until the end when he had to wag his nasty fingernails and battle his fierce feminine rivals.

Though most of the fights were sword-fights or with a whip, people died in a variety of gruesome ways. When Lady Hermit said she wanted an arm, a leg, and a head, she was being literal. Objects like plates and chopsticks became imbedded in people's heads. You'll think about bamboo skewers differently after watching this as well. For 1971, the fights were decently fluid and dynamic.

The sets were top quality for SB, both on the sound stage and outdoor sets. Some SB movies had what were obviously disposable sets suitable for throwing opponents through, these sets were more substantial. A rope bridge was a nice touch especially when you knew someone was going to cut it. The dummies falling into the river below though obvious added depth to the scene. If the falling dummies added depth, a tall temple that had to be climbed added height. Some costumes were better than others. No gold or silver lamé, but the upper tier minions wore badly ornate gold headbands.

The Lady Hermit took the time to develop the three main characters enough for you to care about them and though there was a love interest, it wasn't the focal point of this movie. Like her male counterparts, The Lady Hermit was a lone warrior who liked to be alone. If you are a fan of old martial arts films this is definitely one to try. I enjoyed this film, as much for the chemistry between the characters as for the fighting and in these old films that is almost as rare as a female warrior who is able to fight her own battles and doesn't die a bitter death at the end for breaking with tradition.

3/7/23

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NO DOUBTS BEST 2021 CHINESE DRAMA!!! TT

I just finished watching it and here I am writing my very first review on MDL, cos I just had to do it cos this drama was deserves every ounce of love and recognition. First of all this is my first ever Chinese on air drama that I did not stop in the middle at all, these 45 mins episodes felt like 10 minutes, I swear, at the end of each episode I was like omg is it finished already ?! My heart was so filled with happiness because of this drama.

Before it released it was compared to Descendants of The Sun a lot, just cos FL was a doctor just as DOTS but here ML was a police officer (in DOTS he is a soldier)

I always loved DOTS and it is one of my favourites kdramas but YAMH holds a special place in my heart now, I almost completely love it more than DOTS TT

I mostly watch kdramas but eventually watch Chinese dramas too, usually the on air ones I tend to stop them for while if it gets boring but this was different: the story, the cast, OST, and honestly just everything was amazing. The synopsis might sound very similar to other military/medical dramas or not very innovative, but once you start watching it you'll be totally hooked.
The drama does not only focus on the main leads' love story, but their respective careers too which I found soo interesting. The drama shows both doctors and the SWAT teams' lives in a very detailed way.

Xing Ke Lei (Bai Jing Ting) is showed as this strict SWAT team captain when working but in reality he is a handsome, cute and caring boyfriend and brother too. Mi Ka (Sandra Ma) is very independent and dreams to save as many lives as she can and cares a lot about others, and she inspired me a lot as a person.

SOME MORE GOOD POINTS ABOUT THIS DRAMA:

- The main couple is very understanding and they have a very healthy relationship, there's no unnecessary drama or arguments. Both main actors' chemistry was great and the acting was natural, and you can't even feel the age difference between the two.
- The second couple was really cute too, unlike what other viewers said, I really liked them even though Shu Wen Bo was a little slow at expressing his feelings but then acted quickly... Ruan Qing Xia is successful woman, her character is very cool and watching her trying hard for Shu Wen Bo was really fun.
-The third couple, which I thought I wouldn't like as much, turns out to be one of my favourites, they were very understanding, both grown up adults that don't express in words, they just quietly understand each other which was so so cute.
- OST was brilliant, I did not skip the intro and ending track once and for the next couple of months they're going to stay on repeat!!

Overall, I loved this drama, it taught me a lot, and each character had their own story and flaws. 40 episodes just flew by and I'll miss it like crazy, and also the checking the comments section daily, reading spoilers on twitter and MDL, I have never been this much invested into a drama and discussed it with so many people here on MDL ever before lmfao.

I can't thank the cast and team of YAMH enough for this gem!! Thanks for reading!! <3

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Best Republican Era Bromance and Crime fight drama

This drama is so Addictive and Underrated Bromance drama
It's official channel on youtube didn't care much to promote it properly and it aired the same time as word of Honor drama with it's promotions and Multi lingual subbing ,,, it was foreshadowed by Word of Honor's popularity
they are Both amazing don't get me wrong but this drama really didn't get the same attention and fame and it really is a hidden gem
The drama has amazing cast that did an amazing performance
the two male leads are equally handsome and equally interesting in characters
you wouldn't notice that the first male lead the policeman is ten years older than his friend the doctor in real life
they looked the same age in the drama
the younger actor YBC is brilliant portraying his role with so much affection .intelligence and respect to his older colleague
also Mao Zi gin is a veteran actor who is brilliant portraying a psychologically hurt Cop whose actions sometimes extreme and unpredictable but cares so much about his city , duty and his best friend
Their Bromance or friendship is so strong that even when one hurt the other ,, the other one forgive him and understand his reasons without doubt
You will be shocked at the second half of the drama of how fast based it is and How the events rapidly went to extreme level of anxiety and destress to all the characters
It doesn't have one dull moment also it doesn't only revolves around the two male leads ,, it has another two with their own story that was unique as well and of course the supporting cast to complete the story really well
I highly recommend this drama if you want an exciting story with a lot of ups and downs and amazing Bromance and one of the most amazing friendship too much that it hurts

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Simple but interesting ​

It was a different series. It was more interesting than its counterparts. The mutation was not depicted as disgusting to humans, animals or creatures. It is made simpler and plainer without increasing the level of fear. A different fiction was tried, I liked the series as it was. Of course, I don't know if the development of events has anything to do with reality. However, some of the events such as changing shape, going to another dimension, or poisoning may occur due to radiation or another substance emitted by a meteorite. Some of it may be imaginary. That's how I evaluated it. I found it different and interesting. I liked it too.
The actors were good too. I especially liked the performances of Huang Xiuan and Wu Yue. They suit the series and the characters attributed to them. I liked the child actors. A big Well done to them from me. Sandrina Pinna, on the other hand, was really a stranger to the series. A foreign actor was also a foreigner in the series. She was also a stranger to the series. I also liked the other character actors. It is recommended for those who want to watch a simple and different mutation series without expecting too much.

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I had moments when I liked the series, when I got bored or simply thought that the story was forced. But if we get over the first episodes that are hard to believe there were some funny moments that made me continue. The children were also cute but from my point of view the brothers were the ones who sustained the series.

Story : Was forced most of the times but the relationship between the children and the uncles/nephew was fun to watch. I couldn't understand Jae Young's stubbornness and actions and compared to her mother, I actually gave the last more credit. It's strange to say this but for me Pal Kang remained useless from beginning to end. My favourite character was of course Kang Ha who was very complex and offered great scenes. The sibling rivalry was well portrayed and intense.

Acting/cast : I felt that everyone played their roles well. I can't give it a 10 because there were a few flaws, not worth mentioning but still..Also this series lacked chemistry from the main actors, maybe I would've loved the series more if I saw some sparks flying.

Music : So many songs played in this series, a mix of global music. Older, newer, Korean, American, European..all good music.

Rewatch value : To be sincere, I don't plan on rewatching the entire series, maybe just the funny scenes.

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