Reviews

Not bad but could’ve been better

I’m a bit surprised to see this show having a relatively low rating. It wasn’t perfect by any means but it was pretty decent imo.

To be honest I absolutely loved every episode right until the twist (8th episode). The acting was pretty good especially from Force but Book wasn’t bad either. Theo and Akk both had distinct personalities which I truly appreciate. Usually one of the characters is either a self-insert or a perfect guy with no flaws. That wasn’t the case in Enchante. All around up until the twist the story made sense, maybe it even would make sense with the twist if it had better foreshadowing.

So the twist is that Theo himself is Enchante. I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t expect that twist but instead of feeling like the show smartly fooled me with a red herring I rather felt surprised at how nonsensical it is. He supposedly did it bc he was afraid that Akk would leave him (?) or wouldn’t want to spend time with him for some reason so he made up the Enchante mystery himself to have an excuse to spend time with Akk by looking for Enchante. It technically could work but the show never made me feel like Akk wanted to distance himself from Theo. He did act a little weird around him sometimes (hot and cold) but it made sense bc they haven’t seen each other in around a decade and Theo has grown up in a completely different country at that. Considering that Akk also had feelings for Theo his strange behavior made sense to me. It never came across that Akk wanted to completely distance himself from Theo though, so Theos manipulative plan didn’t make that much sense.
The series shows us just one flashback on how Akk supposedly didnt want to spend time with Theo but that wasn’t enough. That particular moment didn’t even seem that serious and apart from that Akk did spend time with Theo and still would’ve done anything he wanted, that was pretty clear. If the writers wanted for this twist to work they needed to make it unapologetically clear that Akk wanted to distance himself and maybe didn’t even want to be close friends with Theo but it never came across that way.
I actually thought that Akk might be Enchante bc the series did drop some interesting hints like him wanting Theo to stop looking for Enchante and him being left-handed etc. I thought maybe he did it for a reason but couldn’t tell Theo the truth but then the truth would come out and that would be the main conflict of the story and their relationship.
Anyway let’s talk about the last two episodes. They were bafflingly redundant. By that point Theo and Akk got together and everything seemed hunky-dory but of course the writers needed to shoehorn some last minute drama bc why not? The twist with Theos parents was just random. It wasn’t foreshadowed either and didn’t add much to the story. I guess it presented a challenge for Theo to realize that he can’t force people to do what he wants just bc he wants it and it’s a good lesson to learn but I never had the feeling that Theo ever forced anyone to do what they didn’t want to do. He was a bit of a manipulator cosindering his Enchante plot but he never really forced Akk to do anything. He asked Akk to help him but he never tried to seriously force him to do anything. If Theo had been forcing several people to go out of their way to do things for him then the lesson with the divorce would make sense but Theo never forced anyone. People wanted to please him themselves. Akks self-confidence problems were also a little random, they were never foreshadowed properly either. Im getting tired of all the strange BL time skips that somehow happen a LOT in the last episodes. I truly don’t quite get the appeal or the necessity.

All around though I still liked it, I just wish the foradhowing would‘ve been written better and clearer. I wasn’t really satisfied with the Enchante conflict resolution in the 8th episode though. It felt too unemotional. Theo lied and manipulated the situation and he couldn’t be bothered to be a bit more emotional when he explained everything? Even if Akk had a hunch it’s not an excuse to be unemotional. I don’t really know if it’s the acting or the directing but I wasn’t really satisfied with that resolution. I don’t have any complaints when it comes to Force’ acting skills but Books emotional scenes were a bit lacking especially when it concerned the divorce of his parents. Otherwise I think he was quite ok.
It was still a pretty enjoyable ride for me.

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Itaewon Class is one of those rare kdramas that have an explosive start. The first two episodes are enough to capture the viewers' attention and raise their anticipation. The plot is strong, very promising, I wouldn't say unique, but is still a rare gem in the kdrama world an feels like a breath of fresh air. The screenplay is amazing and gives a sense of hope and inspiration while showing common people strive through hardships and do the unthinkable. The drama has also touched sensitive issues like racism and lgbtq and has dealt with it quite well, given that it is a korean drama. But the ending just put me off very badly. I am so disappointed. They could have pulled it off in the most majestic way, yet they had to drive us all into the overused hole of romantic angles and cliches. The determination and principle that started the very plot of the drama seem to fall flat towards the end. The drama didn't do justice to many characters and gives a bad aftertaste.
Well, I couldn't end the review without talking about the characters. The group of misfits namely Seungkwan, Hyunyi, Toni, Yiseo and their boss/leader/mentor Saeroyi are the center of attraction in this drama. Park Seojoon's portrayal of the character Saeroyi is awesome. He is trustworthy, dependable and an awkwardly funny character, capable of making the viewers laugh with him as well as shed tears with him, though his decisions towards the end of the drama disappointed me a lot. The unbreakable bond between these characters is a delight to watch. Kwon Nara as Soo Ah has done a fantastic job. She represents the independent working woman of 21st century, struggling through her internal conflicts between loyalty, gratitude, competition and love. Ahn Bo Hyun as Jang Geun Won is totally believable as the typical rich brat who bullies anyone and everyone on his way but is actually an insecure kid at heart, terrified of his father. Speaking of his father Chairman Jang Dae Hee (played by Yoo Jae Myung) is the epic villain of the story. This character deserves equal appreciation as that of Saeroyi. He is evil, shrewd, plays dirty politics but on the other hand, is hardworking, self-made, inspiring and a successful man. Yoo Jae Myung gives a new persona to this vicious character and i am sure the viewers will see this villain in a different light. As much as I hate this character, there is a certain sense of admiration and respect towards him in my heart which I can't explain. Lastly Yiseo (played by Kim Da Mi)- oh boy, i can't deal with her. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't like her at all, nor relate to her feelings even remotely. She is a confident, smart and very capable young lady but has lots of negative traits. Okay, her character is meant to be a sociopath, but that doesn't give anyone the free pass to act in the most hypocritical way possible. She uses people and discards them like an old tissue. The fact that she is one of the main leads in the drama and doesn't even have a character growth at the end just angers me the most. The rest of the supporting cast have done their job quite well. I just wish there were an alternate ending to this story, a more righteous and impactful one. I would recommend you to watch Itaewon Class but I can't guarantee you that you will like the ending. For Park Seo Joon fans, definitely go for it, for the awesome fight scenes and his signature awkward comedy.

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Loved it, but it's not as good as S1.

The long-awaited second season of the supernatural drama Barrack O'Karma (金宵大廈, lit.: Twilight Mansion) has finally been aired. Since the second season is a sequel to the awesome season 1, I couldn’t help but compare them both to reach my final rating.

The story starts with Ella and Maurice who have been happily together for a while now. When he returns from a business trip to Taiwan, she suddenly discovers a wet umbrella in his luggage, even tho it was neither raining in their city nor in Taiwan that day. She assumes he might be cheating on her, so she follows him. Turns he has been at Twilight Mansion, where she finds him, but he seems to have suddenly lost all his memories and behaves differently than usual. Both are now eager to find out the cause. What exactly happened to him?

The concept and storytelling are the same as in S1: there is one big main story pulling through all episodes. And then, there are 8 eerie sub-stories, happening to the residents and shop owners of Twilight Mansion. This time too, the drama plays with the butterfly effect and the possibility of the existence of different dimensions.

What I disliked compared to the first season were the sub-stories. They felt way more random, and didn’t fit well into the main story. The pace was also a little unbalanced, with the first episode being a little slow and the second episode being too fast. I also didn’t get attached to the residents, which is caused by the main story: this time the main leads didn’t have much to do with the building at first, so they didn’t have many interactions with the residents. Thus the audience didn’t get to know them well before their stories started, which made it feel random.
The main story didn’t have enough screentime, in my opinion, even though it is the most interesting part about the drama. The story also started a little too fast-paced and didn’t take much time to explain or introduce. Maybe because they assumed the audience has already seen S1 and is familiar with the setting and concept. Which applies to me, but probably not to everyone.

I think the drama can be watched as a standalone, but it is definitely connected to s1; and some scenes make more sense if people watched s1 beforehand, especially the origin of Lam, the cat, and the main leads, lol. Anyway, I can definitely recommend s1!

Even tho this 2nd season had quite some flaws, I’m a very big fan of the concept and story. I love the fantasy and the mysteries around Twilight Mansion. I love that the building has its own soul and how it is portrayed. And I think the important roles of the cat and Lam are super cool. I adore the love story, and the big palette of genres, as well as the eventful and sometimes confusing main storyline. And I’m happy they made this season loosely a continuation of S1. I also want to praise Selena Lee’s acting in portraying 3 very different characters – 5 even, if we count S1 too. I liked the ending of this season very much too, but it left some storylines open and some questions unanswered. So, if they ever think about making a 3rd season, I’ll be right here waiting for it. Next time, please give poor boy Lam his own lovestory too. xD

So, all in all, it was lacking compared to the amazing first season. But the main story always catches my heart, and Twilight Mansion, Lan Bo, and Lam give me the chills -in a positive way.^^

*This time, there were some things that stirred up drama outside of the series; and some things that made me a little disappointed in the production team overall. But I don’t want to deal with that in my review – here I just want to focus on the series itself.

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I have yet to watch a Jung Jae Young movie that was not enjoyable.This movie is quirky and unexpected. From beginning to end it was lots of fun. With the plot summary you think you understand the setup but what on folds on screen is far from what expected. But I guess that's Jung Jae Young's forte. :) Hes so great.

His performance makes the movie. His character is the driving force and provides the conflict for the entire story so it was great to watch how one man could push an entire bank heist movie forward.

Although this film is firmly in the comedy genre it was not without a few very tense scenes and moments of worry, which i appreciated. There were few scenes that had me laughing out loud and rolling on my bed. I couldn't help myself it was exactly my kind of humour and it continued through out the film.

One of the most memorable pieces of music came in one of my favourite scenes involving umbrellas (when you watch you'll know what i'm talking about) the music is what brought out the comedy and it was awesome. I had to re-watch the scene.

Although this was funny movie I thought was a serious underlying message about policing in Korea and corruption. But that message definitely didn't detract from the comedy.

It was a short movie under the 2 hour mark ( which seems to be rare in Korean film) and it was great treat. My only grouse would be the ending scene. I thought the build up of the movie deserved a better ending but it was still a great movie.

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Shaolin Hand Lock is your classic Shaw Brothers kung fu flick. There's a secret deadly kung fu move, revenge, and a Big Bad with all sorts of nasty tricks up his sleeves and shoes in this case. I bumped my rating up .5 because of some of the lovely settings for the scenes shot on location in Thailand, also there was a nice twist at the end.

David Chiang with a terrible hairdo played Li Cheng Ying and Chen Ping played his sister Li Meng Ping. Their father was murdered by an old business pal who was hiding more than secret weapons from them. Lo Lieh with a gray wig was the treacherous family friend. Michael Chan lucked out in a role that gave him slightly more to do than his usual hired hand/killer role in these movies. The cast worked hard to elevate a convoluted revenge theme even if they weren't always successful.

Li Cheng Ying traveled to Thailand to take out the assassin who killed his father but found that the man behind the killing was more formidable than he could take on face to face. He finagled his way into being hired as a guard setting himself up in a jealous rivalry for the boss' attention with Chan's Li Kun Shi. Normally, Lo Lieh played characters who were sharp, in this one he came across as fairly dense. At one point, after being attacked several times, he suspected Kun Shi attacked him wearing a bandana over his face when Michael Chan and David Chiang are not built remotely alike, and the assassin had that bad, bad haircut as well. Dude, you just hired the new guy, drew him into your confidence, and now you keep getting attacked when you are all alone? Wake up and smell the kung fu sweat.

The story was thin, but what reduced my entertainment value was Chiang's performance. He came across more as a gloaty bad guy and not an earnest son seeking revenge for the death of his father. Lo Lieh gave a performance he could give in his sleep and in a few scenes looked like he might have been sleep walking. Overall, the acting was satisfactory for this type of movie. There was the ubiquitous nude scene early in the movie, SB couldn't seem to help themselves with these. It wasn't necessary, but at least they used it to come full circle later. The women didn't have much to do, although Chen Ping did have one decent fight. Karen Yip gave an overwrought performance as a blind mother. Shum Lee Mei in her only film role had to play a character who changed sides on a dime, and holy Luke Skywalker/Princess Leia had an uncomfortable moment.

The studio settings were lackluster. What did sparkle were the walks, fights, and running through Thailand. There were also lots of boat chases in the canal. Lots. I guess they were one way to move things along even if it wasn't moving the plot along.

The fights were highly choreographed stopping short of kung fu posing with a little wire work added in. The final fight between the three men was brutal and creative.

Shaolin Hand Lock was an average kung fu movie wrapped in a beautiful Thai bow with a sharp little secret hidden beneath. If you enjoy old kung fu movies this one is watchable. As always, I grade these old niche movies on a curve.

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What's unique with this drama is the captivating visuals that go along with the simple plot and the complicated personalities of the four main characters. I liked how the story started and became interested as to how each character developed as they interact with each other. Towards the end I think it focused more on the parallelism between the two stories told, hence it became a bit blurry as to where it was going but nevertheless, the drama was concluded nicely.

The acting was great and so was the music!

I would definitely watch it again because I think there is more to this drama than its simple love story.

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Give Zheng Hehuizi the acting award she deserves ?

Ugly Beauty (2021) is a Chinese contemporary drama that tells the "ugly" and the "beauty" of the entertainment industry.

Do not let the somewhat cliché identical twins' plot exchanging roles put you off. This drama is one of THE best in terms of script AND acting!

Just look at the character poster of the female leads' actress, the one and only Zheng Hehuizi who played the roles of Yao Menggui - a rising starlet who is aloof and overly confident, and her twin sister Xiao Mu - gentle and caring countryside girl who now works as a delivery rider in Beijing.

After an accident, Yao Menggui had to leave and let Xiao Mu replace her for her graduation play. But things didn't go as planned, the pretending game went on and chaos followed.

Again, this may sound tropey for some but it's totally UNIQUE. The story-telling takes us to plot twists from start to finish. It's not as grand as those mind-boggling suspense dramas, quite predictable, too, but never one to not leave you surprised.

This will certainly not work had they picked the wrong actress to play this dual role. Zheng Hehuizi deserves to get acting awards, fame, and more challenging roles in the future!

Her portrayal of the twins still leave me in awe! She just switches between 2 personalities so seamlessly - even her tone of voice, and the look in her eyes changes. You can totally tell who is who! And what's more challenging? She has to act out like she's acting as the other twin while assuming that she's still the former one. And, did we even forget that in the drama, her profession's an actress?

Like, she's SUUUUPER TALENTED in acting ? And it's not the overpowering kind. It helped a lot that the male lead's acting and the second male lead's are both lukewarm and matches well with her energy. Overall, the acting is really good. Which it has to be, considering that the drama is about the acting world.

And speaking of the acting world, the drama has successfully tackled the toxic environment of the entertainment industry - fandoms, depressions, pretentiousness, dirty marketing tactics, and more. It tackles each issue carefully and teaches us lessons we should learn in the subtlest way. It's so well-embedded in the story.

Also, it's not just about romantic love. Love between parents, siblings, friends were also portrayed very well. Values such as being filial, honest, loyal, forgiveness, and acceptance.

Overall, it's such a beautiful story with not even one dull moment - 24 episodes are all jam-packed with plot, comedy, romance, and suspense. It's nice to see a drama that doesn't overly make one character evil but rather make them a 3-dimensional character with flaws and stories to tell.

MUST WATCH! ? I hope more people discovers this gem. And I want more Zheng Hehuizi ? You can watch it on YouTube wuth English Subtitles.

PS. The OST is also a HUGE plus

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Admittedly, I started to watch this drama because of Chris Wu, also known as Wu Kang Ren. BUT. This drama really opened my eyes. The synopsis is correct, in the general sense. However, it's about so much more. It's tear-jerking but also heartwarming. It's romantic but also teasingly subtle. The drama really tries to show a different side of death. While it can be tragic and full of grief, it can also be viewed with celebrating one's life. After watching this drama, I appreciated life and the simple joys we often take for granted much more. The stories of the deceased and their loved ones (the clients) flawlessly flowed with the main characters' storylines.

The drama also keeps us engaged as if we're in the drama along with the characters by revealing things to us at the same time as when the characters find out themselves. The story deals with many complicated societal and emotional issues like having to deal with traditional parents, parents that abandoned their children, the list goes on. Even with all the issues, the plot feels concise and not too draggy or too rushed. This drama is extremely realistic and faces the issues head on, nothing held back, and nothing is sugar coated.

Chris Wu has an overwhelming stage presence. Whenever he's on the screen, he steals it effortlessly. His acting ability is phenomenal, and it just keeps getting better, drama after drama. His character, initially very stubborn and seemingly harsh, warms up to become vulnerable, gentle, and just a sweetheart to the female lead Xiao En (Huang Pei Jia). They never kissed (skinship :/) but their romance was so touching to watch. The supporting characters were all there for a reason. The growth of all of them was amazing to see and a dramatic change from the beginning. I loved seeing them overcome their differences and eventually become a family within their funeral parlor.

Music didn't stand out to me which is why the score isn't that high. The theme song is pretty fitting to the overall theme (lyrics-wise) the drama is trying to convey though.

I couldn't give the drama a full score because some of the clients' cases felt cut off and the transitions between the episodes weren't the best. Nevertheless, as someone who usually likes rom-coms, this drama still managed to capture my heart in the weirdest ways possible! I resorted to reading the Chinese subtitles because I don't understand the Hakka dialect. If you're in the mood for crying and laughing simultaneously, don't miss out on this meaningful drama. (9/9.25)

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What was that ending?

I can honestly forgive a show for a lot of things. However, I feel like this show really spiraled at the end beyond redemption. The only reason I'm reluctant to give it a lower rating is because I did enjoy the first 9 or so episodes for the most part.

Considering that this kdrama was tackling the topic of mental health through its main leads, there was an expectation that the leads would grow and heal from their respective trauma/mental health issues. The kdrama tried but utterly failed in convincing us of that development. In addition, character inconsistencies sprinkle the entirety of the last three episodes, ruining any enjoyment that I had previously.

For instance, Min Kyung is known to be paranoid and to avoid/be wary of other people, but for some reason, throws herself into harms way (going into an abandoned "woodwork factory" alone) while investigating "suspicious" behavior.

She meets up with her abuser WITHOUT telling anyone, without taking safety measures, and doesn't seem to suspect anything fishy. I thought she was paranoid and always suspicious of others, especially of her abuser. How suspiciously convenient.

In regards to her character development, her attempts to better herself and stand her ground are, understandably, not linear. Sometimes she "relapses" in the sense that she'll fall back into the same mindset and behavior. However, by the end of the kdrama, her behavior is just so illogical. This is reflected in both her mental state and her relationship with Hwi Oh. I felt like I was being pushed and pulled, whiplashed. Is she going to stop running or not? Is she going to be with him or not?

Hwi Oh was a cop, but doesn't seem to act like one at all. He lets Min Kyung explore the "woodwork factory" alone and just leisurely strolls in when she blows the whistle, grumbling. Is this a joke? What if she was getting murdered, like seriously?

He doesn't believe her. Just two episodes ago, he swore to always believe her. I guess it's human nature, but it did irk me. I was just bothered that both of them swore to be allies and then didn't believe each other at all in the next couple of episodes.

He rushes into any situation swinging. This ties in especially with the character development, or the lack thereof. He's rash and angry and that doesn't change at all. I wouldn't blame him, honestly, because even when he acts with anger and recklessness, it still works out in his favor. He rashly rushed into Yang's hideout and caught him. He got involved in that ridiculous car chase (don't even get me started) and the abuser was caught. Thanks, sloppy writing.

I'm just done with this show. I really only got through it because it was pretty short. If this had been any longer, I would have dropped it (and I don't drop too many kdramas).

Anyway, that's all. Have a nice day!

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Impressive plot and intense love

This was the first time watching the leads drama and their acting and chemistry was mind blowing.

There were plenty of romantic moments and some heart wrenching side love stories.

I had to skip a lot of Marisa scenes as it was too aggressive and violent and manipulative.

Time’s friend’s characters were interesting and faithful through thick and thin.

This drama left an indelible mark that family and friends are very important not the money nor the status.

I found Sarut and Wadee love story very cute and teaches you that there is always a chance in finding the true love.

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Absolutely loved it! Recommend :)

Let me start with the story. The script was very heartbreaking and made me angry in every turn and way, especially angry with the character Khai. His character was a very shameless and typical fuck boy who likes to date girl after girl unable to stay away and loves the attention he receives whilst being blind to the three-year love of his best friend Third. The actors completely stole my heart by storm especially Gun who played Third. Every time he cried he broke my heart and I could feel his pain of being in an unrequited love afraid to confess in fear of losing the friendship.

My favorite scene was when Third starts throwing things at Khai in anger of being cheated on whilst being drunk. He portrayed the real anger, disgust, and pain a lover would possess if it happened. I couldn't bear to see the scene as it struck deep painfully. However, I liked the growth between the characters as the plot was not rushed and slow-paced.

Personally I wished I could see more romance between protagonists as well as the other couple. It would have been nice to see where they would have gone through the relationships. The music was super nice, it had a very soft melody and it made my heart jump every time it was played in the drama. Perhaps this is a cliche love story but hey it was amazing to watch. I really enjoyed it and 100% recommend it.

Trust me. Give it a go if you like a splash of drama and friendship to lovers romance.

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Short, Strong and on Point.

Future Chinese dramas can take a leaf out of this one. With only 37 minutes, it managed to convey a lot of emotions. This should've been atleast an hour long. I loved both Po Xiao and Feng Ran a lot. I liked how the two different contrasting characters learnt to trust each other. The basic plot is very Wuxia. It would've had so much potential and been a good one. My only complaint is that everything was so rushed! Skip a sentence and you don't know where the story is heading.
The cast was the highlight - they acted their hearts out. I hurt for Feng Ran and Po Xiao. It was so realistically portrayed! Kudos to them! I hope to see them in future works.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. Definitely worth a watch.

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It's basically a giant ad for Lotte Duty Free, so as long as you go into watching these 10 minute stories knowing that, I don't know why anyone should be disappointed. All of the actors and actresses did fabulous for the part they were supposed to play, and the stories were all fun to go through. The music matched really well and it is just a fun time killer. I didn't give it a 10 because once you've seen it you end up just wanting to rewatch your "choice" over and over again, but who doesn't like seeing gorgeous people? I would recommend watching it more like a game - see all the stories, and then watch the "ending" of the one that you would have chosen and let your imagination run wild! :D

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one of a kind

I think there are some things that could be done better in this drama but overall, i am satisfied with my watch. I initially started watching this because i just finished reply 1988 and couldnt let go of jung hwan. I searched through the works of ryu jun yeol and found this drama. I was a little worried about the chemistry of the main leads because of their age gap but still chose to watch nevertheless. I have to admit the the first two episodes were boring. it was very slow paced so i needed something to do in the background. i think what led to my boredom was i didnt understand or relate to the main characters feelings. i guess im still too young; i couldnt understand her complex thoughts. in the first two episodes, you can see the female character struggling through mental pain and thoughts of suicide, i guess it was slowly paced to bring in the feeling of loss and emptiness to the audience, it seems reasonable now that i think of it. i am so glad i didnt drop this drama because i later found myself unable to stop watching the next episode. the encounters that pull the main characters together is so unique. they are practically strangers but when things feel low, talking to a stranger just hits different. i am happy that the feelings of the main characters developmented slowly and steadily and two broken people were able to find each other and slowly heal together :)

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