Reviews

a sageuk so good yet criminally underscored!

welcome to another episode of i-almost-missed-out-on-such-a-great-drama-because-of-it-being-criminally-underscored-WTF.

damn. i think this is THE drama that convinced me hereforth that any other dramas rated below 8.0 on MDL may simply be a case of preference bias instead of a story that genuinely lacked (well sometimes it's a peasant's gamble indeed, God forbid i watch another of such Record of Youth, blerghh). i mean, before this drama i have always felt reluctant to start anything scoring below 8.0 because i don't like to drop dramas, and anything i started, i always strive to finish. and there are so many other higher-scoring ones to choose from.

if i may present my case with regards to the story, i shall first cite some other reviews i read that get upvoted a lot citing that the second half went haywire, and that it seemed to have lost its direction. did i feel the exact same way? ABSOLUTELY FCKIN NOT. in fact what i noticed was that the quality of the storytelling has been kept consistent throughout the drama, except in the second half, (not in terms of quality, rather a deliberate choice of the screenplay), the villain kept winning times and again which may frustrate some people.

to which i am at a whole loss of words for what does it justify saying "the story became a mess, eh"?!

in fact i was kept engaged throughout the time watching this, simply because i find the main villain as fascinating and central to the story as much as the two male leads, Yeo Jin Goo and Jang Keun Suk. in fact when i first heard about this drama sometime back, i thought of giving it a chance for Yeo Jin Goo (he's the only one i knew of the two), but i feel the show stealers are actually Jang Keun Suk who plays Baek Dae Gil and Jeon Kwang Ryul who plays Lee In Jwa. Yeo Jin Goo was great too, but maybe it's the storytelling that made me feel conflicted about, and burdened by his character later on.

the show at least for me successfully established the shades of the main villain that you then started to question whether he truly is a beast/monster/satan, or was he slightly more than that. i mean, the kind of complex i feel that i started to question myself whether i have gone insane for pitying him and wanting to understand his reasons/insanity. Baek Dae Gil's character is phenomenal, seeing him grow from the weak man who was easily bullied and stepped on, towards a strong warrior was such an incredible joy to watch, especially since when i started this drama, i admittedly was already hugely biased for the actor. on the other hand, Prince Yeoning did questionable things in the latter half that made me dislike him by a mile.

therefore, in terms of giving us complex and layered villains, i found that this drama was phenomenal at delivering just that, and i thoroughly enjoyed the story because of it.

i have not watched that many sageuks at all, but this is definitely one of those that hooked me line and sinker to watch more from this genre. i believe that this drama offers everything that a traditional sageuk fan loves, and they would be fully satisfied watching it, i truly could not recommend it enough.

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Great romance even for who doesn't like typical romance chinese drama

for me personally, this love story is one of the best among romance Chinese dramas. I watch this series in 2 days and I feel this series worth watching. this drama doesn't feel repetitive, they don't have an unnecessary scene like where fl and ml accidentally fall and kiss, and I don't feel they dub in Chinese ( i don't know if it's because they don't do that or they do it very well). for those who watch Chinese drama, you must know that a lot of the time they dub their drama, and their lips sometimes do not sync even for the main lead and that's bugging me.

As for the cast I love it. this is the first time I see her in drama but I like her, she got the correct emotion when crying, even when they need to cry and laugh and at the same time she does a good job.

the animation effect in this drama it's good, for example, when the main lead fall in love they not only give a white filter and light like in other drama but they give a flower and the other party also have love animation. surprisingly the animation in this drama is fresh not like other romance dramas (or maybe I did not watch a hundred Chinese dramas).

In summary, this is a Chinese romance drama with the correct amount of fantasy and comedy for me because the thing that I feel is annoying in another Chinese romance drama is not available in here.

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Fun watch that’s Bloody and Action Packed throughout, even if the concept is not groundbreaking

I really enjoyed the show. I’m usually very critical with shows like this because this is really one of my favourite genres and even the western shows that I watch usually fall in this space. All 12 episodes were action packed and fun with good characters and that’s what matters to me. It’s not a totally new storyline or concept for sure, may NOT be everyone’s type if they’re not looking for some bloody, gory and great action scenes but I’m very satisfied with what we got.

Performances were weak by good amount of the cast, but the characters were likeable and took realistic decisions at times. Not every ‘evil’ character is given an unnecessary redeemable story as well, which I do like while some who faced tough situations broke down understandably. Through some of the characters could have been provided a better background. There was overall a good depiction of humanity as well.

You do have to drop logic when you watch shows like this but if you don’t have to face unnecessary romantic moments (they were definitely there but again, these are High School students so some of the behavior makes sense *shrugs*) or don’t continue watching just because there are some pretty people you want to look at throughout. Not to mention they didn't overuse a concept you'll get to see at the middle of the series which other dramas definitely would.

The drama also takes bold decisions to keep us engaged, though, some deaths felt unworthy. There is no unnecessary music or soundtrack throughout, the background music is fun and doesn’t overlap any of the scenes either, which I really liked. The scale of the show was clearly big, considering they made good use of the sets and the streets and it didn’t feel monotonous or boring in terms of the setting. They brought back so many actors to perform as zombies even in the last few episodes, meaning the whole team was really dedicated to it, not something we’ll see usually.

Overall, solid 9/10. If you wonder why the overall rating is good while I haven’t rated other aspect on MDL that well, it’s because the CGI, Sets, Action/Choreography were very good especially when you consider it’s a K-drama, so the overall rating does shoot up.

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Surprisingly good

I didn't expect to like this very much if I am being honest. But it was the realistic kind of ending I wanted to see.

Story: the plot centers around Hanabi and Mugí, two high school students that have unrequited loves for two different teachers at their school. The two characters have drastically different plot lines in those unrequited loves and the most uncomfortable part for me was Mugi's relationship with the teacher. I am not very comfortable with those scenarios in any drama/ show and I hadn't really expected the show to go there so... the other uncomfortable thing for me is sexualización of characters that are minors. I am from a western country that is just as guilty of it but when it is an adult and a minor it is even more uncomfortable.

*this show has a lot of sexual content between lots to characters*

Hanabi and Mugi start "dating each other basically to distract themselves from their unrequited loves and I could really see high school students agreeing to hook up because they can't be with the person they truly like.

There's a lot that goes on, but I'm not about to write a whole synopsis and I don't think anyone would like the read that anyway.

Cast: the cast it okay, nothing terrible, nothing great. The actress who plays Hanabi does a good job of expressing her confusion and emotions. There's a lot going on in that characters head and the actress really gave it her best. Etoba was also portrayed well, with her conflicting emotions and the distress she feels.

Music: it's nice and fits the lord. Nothing exceptional to comment on.

Rewatch value: I would probably rewatch it, skipping through all of the things that are uncomfortable for me. It only 12 episodes and they are all around 30 minutes.

Overall, it's worth a shot. It's just a filler kind of drama but it's more thought provoking than a lot of other things you could be watching.

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This was a really cute drama that I liked much more than I expected to. I avoided watching it for a while because I'm not a big fan of hospital dramas, so it has been on my "plan to watch list" for a long time. I'm also not a huge fan of divorce plots, since divorce isn't such a stigma where I am from, so the shame of divorce gets really old for me quick. Despite these two things, what kept me watching was the romance. The romance may be cliché, but it is done well. That has a lot to do with the cast.

It took a little while for Choi Jin Hyuk and Song Ji Hyo to grow on me, but once they did I loved their banter and chemistry. Like most divorce plots, there is a lot of pettiness, jealousy, and bickering, with some cute moments thrown in too. There's also a healthy dose of second lead syndrome thanks to Lee Pil Mo, who I totally empathized with and rooted for. Then Choi Yeo Jin adds to this great love triangle while not playing into the stereotypical role that's expected, and being the most likable of the four for me.

The supporting cast is great too. The emergency room staff was entertaining, and had interesting backstories and plots of their own. The patient stories also weren't too annoying, which it my pet peeve with these type of dramas. Some situations were a little over the top, but most were interesting, and I liked watching the characters work through solving the emergencies they were faced with, especially with their personal tension. However, even with all of this, the plot is super basic, and I just couldn't give it more than a mediocre score.

This drama is long, 21 episodes, and although I was never bored, the story didn't really justify that many episodes. One thing that I did hate was how things were so drawn out, and how many flashbacks happened in every single episode. A scene would end and then literally repeat, or the same scene would be repeated over and over again. It felt a little like deja vu while watching. Then literal actions would seem to happen in slow motion, and maybe that was a choice to add to the suspense of the moment, but it just felt like a way to waste time. Also beware of fantasy scenes, some were hilarious, but they also felt like time fillers.

The music was Ok, but I can barely remember any of the songs, which isn't a good sign.

Overall I'm glad I finally watched this drama, and it was an easy one to binge through while waiting for currently airing dramas to air new episode (watching took me about 4 days... so perfect!). The rewatch score is pretty high, because of the characters, but I doubt I would watch it so many times like others have claimed.

At the end I really felt like I went on a journey with these characters, and the ending was a nice way of implying what would happen in the future without feeling like a sequel was necessary, or that things were left unresolved.

I would definitely recommend this as a binge-worthy rom com, that exceeded my expectations. If it's been lingering on your plan to watch list too, maybe it's time to finally upgrade it to "currently watching".

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This Review is spoiler free and judged by the mentioned criteria by my own opinion.

What to expect from this movie:
Two words for this movie: Random and creative. You'll spend the first 5 minutes of the movie, thinking about what you're watching and what's happening. Then you'll proceed to have the same confused feeling throughout the movie until you just learn to deal with the movies randomness - and that's hilarious.The humor in this movie is strong, which explains why the only genre mentioned above is comedy. The story is fun, entertaining and leaves you waiting for the next funny moment. However, I must say that there's a sparkle of romance and action put in the mix as well.

The story is fun. It's about two polar opposites who heals their individual pains through each other, and they do it in a creative way. In my opinion, the director, Yu Baimei, is a genius in this movie. This is going to sound funny, but he makes a good movie look amazingly bad and overwhelming good at the same time, in just the movie's lifespan of 2 hours. You'll be left pondering about how such a director can make something so awesome and something so bad at the same time - it's hard to explain, but you'll understand what I mean when you see the movie for yourself.

The acting/cast gets a 6.5 score, which is above average. The acting shares the same confusing answer as the story. It's so poorly done that it's good. It just works in this movie - and it's amazing and refreshing to see. I absolutely loved every character in this movie - even those who were supposed to be bad guys received my heartfelt warm feelings. The characters were portrayed well by the actors, which made the movie even better.

The music wasn't spectacular nor the focus of this movie. I admit, a good movie has a good soundtrack, but in this case, everything just works, even if it's bad.

Although I rarely rewatch dramas and movies, this is a movie I'm sure I'll return to at some point in time. It's simply too hilarious to keep your paws away from.

Hence, with everything taken into consideration, I give this movie an overall score of 6.0. I really don't have much negative to say about this movie. I was positively surprised by this movie. I went in, thinking something completely different than what I received - which ended up even better.

I hope I helped shed a light on whether or not to watch this movie. I highly recommend watching it as I'm certain you'll have a great time - it certainly didn't let me down. If you're still hesitant, go on reading my 6 pointers on whether you'll like it or not.

You'll like this if:
- You're okay with fast changing moods (goes from "funny --> serious --> funny" in a heartbeat)
- You want something new, unique and fresh.
- You want a good laugh.
- You like it when opposites attract.
- You like watching a story with surprisingly complex characters that go through a good-old character development.
- You fancy unique characters that stay true to themselves,

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Why has nobody written a review about this awesome movie? I guess it's up to me to write super awesome perverted review full of ecstasy.  :^) And it pains me to see how many views the movie has. Okay, up to the actual review, probably.

BEHOLD. A HERO WE ALL NEED. HENTAI KAMEN. PERVERT OF JUSTICE.  
When I first found out about Hentai Kamen I didn't have any high expectations. The story was ridiculous and honestly I decided to watch if for the lols. I had no idea what to do that day and the only thing that came to mind was Hentai Kamen. I watched the first movie years ago and it didn't leave such impact on me as the second one.  But this one, I swear to god, was just pure thrill ride. Who even has the imagination to come up with such a story? And how would be crazy enough to adapt it into a movie? I am grateful to those people and I honestly respect the actors, especially the main guy. Just look at what he's wearing. Literally almost nothing. :^) And ideas like that can only come from Japan. Thank you Japan, this is why I love you.

The story revolves around this guy who fights evil while wearing used panties that give him powers. It's just a generic shounen like movie. The main guy is the hero, he has to fight a villain to save his loved one.  While watching it I felt like I was looking a mix of Spiderman, Naruto and *insert any shounen anime here*. While the story isn't really perfect or unusual, well the visuals are. I think they did a pretty good job, though there were scenes that could look more awesome. And the best thing in the movie is of course our perverted hero, Hentai Kamen. He's wearing nothing more than half of the screen time and those close-ups are something too and his smooth skin, his actor really did a great job for sticking up with it, even with the second movie. Another jewel is the humour and those dumb ass situations. When I first encountered japanese comedy (mostly anime and then this), I had to admit that they have a pretty unusual sense of humour, it's quite unique and not everybody can like it. For me, thankfully, I strated to like it and all credits go to a certain anime that is mostly comedy with a lot of nonsense. Hentai Kamen is a perfect example of japanese comedy style with a touch of well, perversion I guess. The whole story is revolving around how much of a pervert he is and how can he use this powers to help save Japan.

For the acting. The actors did a pretty good job. As I said before, all the respect for the main actor because he was just amazing. From potraying normal college student to the pervert of justice with his weird movements and poses. From my experience (I haven't watched many movies and dramas) japanese acting, especially with movies that are adapted from anime or manga, can sometimes get overboard. This wasn't an exception. I do understand the need to create the movie very similar to manga, but the way they spoke and acted sometimes put me off. It would most certanily fit into anime, but you're in a movie, dude. Not to blame them though, they did a pretty good job. All of them.

What I really liked about the both movies is the music. Firstly I am thankful I decided to watch the first movie. Because if I didn't I wouldn't have find an amazing japanese band that is now one of my favourites. And secondly the music fit the movie, from the soundtrack to the ending song. I'm not saying they created some really outstanding music but they made a good choice for creating a soundtrack that goes together so good with the movie.

That is all from me. This was actually my first review and probably the last one, but hey I did my best. I just wanted to express my thoughts about the whole movie because it was an unforgetful experience for me. I recommend this movie to all the people that love comedy and want to watch something different, something unusual. And Hentai Kamen lives up to the name. If you have ran out of ideas of what to watch and are in need of something else, to just laugh at stupid situations and gestures, then watch this movie. You won't regret it.  :^) It will either leave good impact on you or you'll hate it to death. Because this is Hentai Kamen, in all of his greatness and all of his flawness.

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I s re-watched this movue for the 5th time and I still absolutely love it! ? *-* I loved the friendship and the romance was so cute and innocent. ?
Normally I don't like it when the female lead is too naive and gullible but Sawako was just too adorable and such a nice person that I didn't mind it at all. :) Kazehaya is very loveable as well. Although he's good looking, he doesn't really care about his popularity and reputation and is genuinely nice and friendly. ? ^-^ Miura Haruma played that role perfectly..^-^ and his smile!! *-* I'll definitely re-watch this movie again and again just to see his smile lol ??

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Mid-final plots fly straight to heaven, left the angels at full bliss but also crying from up above.

I have mixed emotions in this series, in a more positive way. I didn't vibe it at first but it continued to grow on me. The emotional scenes from mid to final episode caught me off-guard. The throw of well-written lines of the characters gives a strong impact in me. This series didn't give too much intimate scenes which I respectfully admire. A deep connection between couple (LiMing-Heart) is more valuable than having more focused on intimate relationship. I think their plots are stronger and more interesting than Jim-Wen. I think Gemini-Fourth really carved their names on this industry. They totally nailed their roles. Jim-Wen relationship development lacks depth and there is nothing fresh to see. Their chemistry (Earth-Mix) is always that perfectly wonderful though and make their decent plots a lot better than it would be.

What deserves justice is my Khaotung-First ship. I expected something different but then I understand that they are just supporting leads. Well anyways, Khaotung (as Gaipai) singing on mic continued with that sad song (which I want to know the title) is my tearjerking moment in this series. On the other hand, First (as Alan) has the best character development in this series. The development of all characters is fairly thought and executed except Alan since he really needs the most attention in character development.

Overall, this is a recommendable series to watch. I love it.

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Wowza

UWMA serves as the 4th BL that I've ever watched and had surpassed my expectations, quickly becoming my favorite. Even now when I'm on my 69th (haha) BL, UWMA still serves as one of my favorites and has a special place on my top 25 list. Although there are plenty of reviews, I'm dropping in my two cents for anyone willing to read.

Let's dive in.

Production: NIcely done. Not too much to praise them for, seeing as though they did not do much differently than other series, but I will say that the music was beautiful, and still stuck in my head to this day. (STAY WITH ME FOREVER, JUST YOU AND ME FOREVERRRRRRR< OOO OOOOOHHHH!!!) One thing I really truly hate about BLs is the number of ads that play. Usually, every BL has the same products to advertise (those drinks guys, I know you know what I'm talking about), but this one is the first to ever advertise Lays chips, so that was fun.

Story: Although I loved the premise of this series, it fell short in some areas. This is one of those series where you really have to sit down and get focused, cause if you don't, you will be highly confused about what's going on. I can't tell you the amount of times I had to go back and watch scenes to understand who was who's uncle, and who was related to who. Some things felt cringe and a little cliche, but it's a BL and I don't expect more or less.

Acting: beautiful acting done by Fluke. He continued to surpass my expectations each episode. He drove the series to be what it was and was so good at expressing those different emotions. Everyone else did a really good job, others that did an exceptionally good job were Earth, Kao, and Sammy.

COUPLES

Dean and Pharm: 9/10

I loved seeing their dynamic grow larger and larger as each episode went on. I'll tell you that the best thing about this couple is that they weren't forced together by those weird circumstances, and actually had chemistry and loved that was reciprocated, My absolute favorite scene between them was them in the grocery store together. I can never get over that scene. They just looked so in love. And they never dropped that expression that they had around each other. It was so intoxicating to see and I couldn't get enough of them. It was such a poetic romance between the two. There really just wasn't anything I hated about this couple.

FIRST KISS RATING: 13/10 - best first kiss ever. period. There is truly nothing like Pharm and Dean's first kiss, the music, the anticipation, the love, the longevity. ABSOLUTE PERFECTION. Couldn't have asked for anything more. All romance scenes to go from there were just so good.

Win and Team: 7/10

I really did like this couple, but to be completely honest, I can't remember really any of the moments with them. It's been a while since I've seen UWMA and I never rewatch, but from what I can remember, I enjoyed them. They did the Lays chip advertisement which is what I really remember most.

FIRST KISS RATING: 7/10 - Their kiss was cute. Just a quick little peck under the mistletoe. It happened pretty fast, and if you blink you would miss it, but I still haven't seen a mistletoe kiss since then, so it serves as the best mistletoe kiss for now. I don't know how I really feel about the drunken kiss that happened between them during the trip. I didn't love it, but it was whatever I guess.

In and Korn: 9/10

Their relationship was so devastating, but it was real and Earth and Kao did an amazing job. My heart felt so full every time they popped up on the screen. Somewhere in me, I wanted way more of them than we got to see.

FIRST KISS RATING: 10/10 - Beach kisses are the best. It was a beautiful mix between the music, and their story, and their chemistry. Absolutely loved it. All other scenes after was just as magnificent.

RECOMMEND? Mmmm, I wouldn't recommend this BL to first-timers since it is VERY heavy, but if someone wanted a recommendation I would definitely recommend this one.

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Should've Just Left It Where It Was At

Can lie, I was excited about this series. I was really looking forward to this (cause I’m an AePete fan, and I’ll shout it from the rooftops) but this was such a huge letdown. I don’t even know where to begin.

Let's Dive In.

Let start with TinCan. Yes, they were cute ( I guess), they had their precious moments, but then other times, I was highly uncomfortable and felt really awkward, but all in all, they were an okay couple. But, if Mean and Plan ever plan (hahaha) on doing another series again, can they PLEASE do a kissing workshop? Good Lord have mercy, that shit is so freaking awkward. It was like Mean would try, but then Plan wouldn’t or vice-versa, and then their kiss would be so bad like, dramatically bad. Other than that, I didn’t realize how much of a freak Can was. A surprising turnaround seeing as though he was the one that hated kissing (but also Tin would force himself onto him, so I guess it’s not that surprising) But those scenes were pretty awkward as well. I just think I’m not too big of a fan of TinCan, cause I really just don’t think they have that much chemistry (I think it’s more of the actors don’t have very good chemistry). It just feels like they don’t like being there, I don't know, that’s the mood I get. But, I did love how Can stood up for Tin when it came to Tin's brother, and his little whiny moments were precious. Don’t get me wrong, I think Plan is a fantastic actor (the crying scene in the locker room?? Yeah amazing) I just don’t think his chemistry with Mean is very good.

Moving on to Techno and Kengkla. From where we were coming from last season, I’m actually pretty satisfied with what they did with these characters. They didn’t pretend like the rape didn’t happen, and instead, they actually dealt with the matter. Techno told Kengkla that he wanted a break from him because of what he did, and he didn’t forgive him for what he had done. We see multiple times of Kengkla trying to get back on good terms with him, which would slowly progress to Techno talking to him again, but not until really the last episode in which I think they kissed. We see Techno having feelings for Kengkla, but he just wasn’t ready to deal with their situation yet. Very well done, although, I would've rather seen them get on good terms and become acquaintances rather than a couple. I don't care much for their relationship, just because Kengla ruined it, and there is no going back to that.

Moving on to Tul and Hin. I didn’t realize they were a BL couple until a few episodes down. They didn’t have very much screen time together until the last few episodes which is why I didn’t ship them. It kind of felt a little rushed at the end, but they were cute, and I’m glad they found their way back to each other. But, I would've liked to see more development between them.

Moving on to Tum and Tar. Also glad that they decided to keep their relationship strictly being only brothers. Very disappointed that we only go to see Earth-like once in a blue moon. Literally, Earth probably had a total of 5 minutes of screen time throughout the entire series. A stupid move honestly. Moving onto the last couple, which is Tum and the other guy in the band. Yeahhhhhh, they were lowkey kind of awkward. It felt like the series was forcing them to like each other. Their chemistry was just not there for me, and I would've rather they just kept Tum and Tar separate and single.

With the whole Pete being gone situation, I think they did a nice job. I would’ve liked to see Ae be officially over Pete since we know that LBC isn’t getting a season 3, so in that last bit when they added that Pete texted Ae that he was coming back, it was a stupid move on the creators part. I think they were trying to send us off on a good note, but instead, it gave false hope for people that Saint could possibly be back if there was another season. Other than that, Ae's sadness felt realistic, and Perth did a spot-on job.

All in all, this entire season was a mess. I think that Tin and Can got WAY too much scene time. I wish I could’ve seen more with Techno and Kengkla fixing their issues, and I wish I would’ve seen more Earth. There were way too many couples and it really jumbled up everything because there wasn’t enough time to balance them all out. Anyways, at first, I really wanted a season 3, but then I realized that I think they’re better off with just ending where they did. I think Love By Chance really died during this season, but hopefully, we continue to see more Tul and Hin and more Earth in the future.

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Do you believe in magic?

First of all I must start with my first impression about this series. It reminds me of Disney movie High School Musicals infused with Magic version which turned into emotional slide gradually as the episodes pass-by. It really picturized the burdens and social statuses which most of the high school students go through in their real life. This series potrayed the social norms that were created by the adults about being successful life. Doing what we love makes us happy even with low income considered as failure?. Being in High social status and earning lots of money is more important than being Happy? Growing up into adult is so scary. That's the fact. I can relate with my own life with it. Ri-Eul Chose not to grow up. He did the right thing. Even i want to go back to my childhood but my parents doesn't allow me to. Am in my 30's still am not allowed to decide my own future.
Ri-Eul wish you were real. I need magic in my life too.

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