I was so much enjoyed watching this drama, the plot is nothing new, it’s about to pursue your first love to become yours.
It’s nice, funny, and you won’t find someone really cunning in this drama.
Every episode ends well, you will excited to watch how the story goes on.
I love watching how good the chemistry between the casts Takeru and Mone.
I am also impressed with the relationship of doctors, nurses and patients in Japan as well as their technology in medic.
You will love to see the cities of Tokyo and Osaka in this drama.
Nurse Sakura is a hopeless romantic.
From the beginning she declares to the whole world that she loves doctor Tendo.
She may looks naive and irrationally in love to him, but her love towards him is pure, strong and sincere.
She works so hard to become a good nurse. She is clumsy, kindhearted to patients, and cheerful. She likes to fantasize dating with doctor Tendo, and like a Warrior - she never gives up on her love to him. She remains optimistic that someday he will love her even he seems ignorant and cold to her.
The two opposite characters of this couple are the main attraction of this romantic drama.
Since a million years he knew that she doesn’t suit him, she is not as smart as him, but still he starts falling for her.
It’s so sweet to see how doctor Tendo's love for nurse Sakura develops slowly and in the end he loves her as much as she loves him.
Believe me, you will not regret watching this drama. Highly recommended!
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Simplicity Still Wins
In a time of explicit scenes, and uncut episodes ( which isn't a bad thing ) This series showed us that simple sweet moments can still make a story feels real and so enjoyable to watch. Moments that we rarely see in bls anymore. Communication, Cheek kisses, Holding hands, The excitement of saying each other's name, Sharing hopes and dreams, and talking about your flaws. This is what falling in love is all about. It's realistic, mature and relatable. It's impossible to watch it without feeling their love and having a big smile on your face. This series is easily became one of my top favorite that I'll enjoy watching again for years to come. The acting and chemistry were great. They chose the perfect actors for their roles. I'm very excited about the director I think he'll give us amazing bls in the future.Was this review helpful to you?
1Confucius' last stand.
This drama is about a conspiracy that unfolds during the latter part of the Wanli reign of Ming dynasty, regarded as one of the most prosperous periods in human history. It was the beginning of the end as Wanli's indifference and administrative dysfunction led directly to the downfall of the Ming dynasty. A series of shocking serial killings in Jiangnan has the local Du County yamen scrambling for answers. Each macabrely staged corpse comes with a quote from the Analects of Confucius, a chilling message from the killer.This is a dark story about just how difficult it is to be a decent person, much less one that lives up to.Confucian standards of morality. In a hierarchical feudal society where a scholar's voice drowns out that of a servant and the justice system takes such long detours that it fails even elite rare talents like Judge Song , many inevitably stray down the slippery path of insidious moral compromise. Most of the characters in this story start out as decent people with relatable goals of wanting to improve their lot in life, to set their one true love free, or to right a wrong. For Qu Sangeng, a young bailiff at the yamen, the killings hit too close to home. Hunting down the killer is personal for him but his investigation is hampered by his low rank and treacherous internal yamen politics. With the help of his friends, he manages to connect the killings to a 20-year old arson case where justice may have been subverted. Like his mentor Captain Leng , Sangeng resorts to somewhat questionable methods against some bad actors over the course of his investigation. He soon discovers that point where the end no longer justifies the means and all too easily that line between justice and vengeance becomes blurred. Will he choose to do what's right or succumb to his own worst instincts?
The narrative alternates between two timelines where Lu Zhi and Qu Sangeng are parallel clever characters who are slightly morally flexible and find themselves privy to secrets. Within their sphere of influence is a strong father figure, a scholarly friend and a simpler one with innately stronger moral conviction. The plot is tight and the dialogue is laced with subtle dark humor that fits well with the serious and suspenseful tone of the story. I really appreciate this as too many productions hire big name comedians with exaggerated delivery styles that are jarringly incompatible with the mood of the story. The humourous mocking of too obvious cross dressing was a 10/10 comedy gold moment for me. Mystery buffs will appreciate how the plot keeps you guessing with credible alternate theories that remain in play into the final reveal. The villains are hidden in plain sight, everyone's actions are in character, there are enough clues along the way, the solution makes sense and the ending surprise twist was long foreshadowed. My only slight criticism is some of the character downfalls occur a bit too abruptly and I think the mastermind did have the means to obtain justice in a different way. Even though the ending is fitting and realistic, none of the truly morally upstanding characters get good outcomes. At least one of the deaths was not deserved and unnecessary.
Ning Li anchors this drama as Song Chen, a dark, tortured character full of remorse; betrayed by the system into betraying himself. His heartbreaking struggle to fight monsters without becoming a monster is like watching Confucius' last stand. This character pays tribute to Tang Yin aka Tang Bohu, a renown Ming Dynasty artists and poet. The young actor Yu Yao makes an impression beyond his age with his nuanced, empathetic and chilling portrayal of the young Lu Zhi. While Qu Sangeng is not Bai Yufan's strongest role, he delivers a credible if at times forced performance. This is a wide cast of superb, non-idol actors who pull off complex and captivating portrayals with limited screen time. The bold decision to film in an ancient city and the stunning cinematographic impact of moss drenched walls and vivid rustic countryside and the authentically styled characters all add to the sense of immersion. The drama's visual composition style conveys a suspenseful ambience, a feeling of subtle decay and an air of injustice that belies the vibrant prosperity of Du County. Overall, a superb debut production by filmmaker and screenwriter Zheng Wang that eschews tired tropes. This is a director that has something to say and he tells a riveting and resonating story about justice and morality that leaves food for thought at the end.
This is one of the best ancient suspense thrillers I have watched in a long time and one that hard core mystery buffs can lose themselves in. A highly recommended 9/10 from me.
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What they will miss at first glance is this most amazing story told by this amazing group of actors.
It is beautifully written and produced. It gives really good feelings for the heart to experience.
The story is different. It isn't the typical family drama we see. It has a unique story line to it. And from the very first episode it has you hooked, lined and your done. It's funny, it's relatable, it's super sweet and romantic (ah my heart). When I watched this I kept on thinking this is how families should be, siblings should be and relations. This drama shows how much the little things means when your with the people you love. It doesn't only resolved around the family but the people around it. We see this different age of people from the grandmom to Min Ha (high schooler) and couples, parents, siblings, in-law's with their struggles and how they over comes it. It's a story that's written for everyone to enjoy. And the ending was so beautiful!
The actors are amazing. All of them deserves a round of applause. I love them all and they did such an amazing job with their respected roles. But my special call goes to the amazing actress Lee Yoo Ri who was just damn right AWESOME. I love her! I love her! She was great. She is great. I love others too (Lee Joon - God he is so cute!) they were all awesome and to the point with their acting. I can't even think those character's being played by others.
The music is so so sweet. Love them all!
Totally going to re-watch it. More then once. I have to because I miss them already!
It's an amazing drama. Don't let the "52 episodes and family drama" stop you. Because at the end of it you will wish it had 100 or more episodes. Because at this moment I do and I know you will too.. So please give this a try!
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You have got to be kidding me!
Warning: Don’t watch it while eating or drinking, you might get choked by laughing.Curious about the heading of review? Let's discuss it later.
Very cliche story with many tropes, no brainer as you just have to turn off your brain and not use logic, there are many moments I was having second-hand embarrassment, and drama failed miserably in the portrayal of the lead’s professionalism. But at the end of the day, it is just a rom-com that only focuses on the romantic relationship between leads. It doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining coz it’s super fun and extremely hilarious. I guarantee that you won't get bored even for a single episode.
The acting is the best thing, it's phenomenal. Steven Zhang and Liang Je nailed it, I mean it feels so real that body swap happened, as change is visible.. from facial expression, body language, the way of talking, and even very small gestures. Here Steven Zhang stands out as his character after the body swap is more colorful, energetic. But Liang Je did great too. It's not easy to play a stone-faced, aloof character. Plus leads have great chemistry, not just that, they look very good as a pair it's easy to imagine them as a couple as their visuals match with each other very well.
With being so funny, it's written very well and not draggy. Another thing I would like to point out as the whole story only revolves around leads they don't even try to focus on anything other. Especially like the story execution and its development that feels so natural. How leads start with bickering but with time they find trust, found comfort, and start to like each other... It is realistic and pleasing to see, not an abrupt change in the whole process, with lots of little details.
Not in just story-execution-acting vise, it's good, technically too! It has really good cinematography, particularly liked the choice of the color palette. It's not super bright but good for the eyes haha, definitely it's a good quality production. It's my first time giving re-watch this much score, but let me tell you it's a rewatchable drama lol.. perfect when you are feeling down to refresh the mood... Actually, I've already re-watched some initial episodes with my mom coz I wanted her to watch the drama :')
Soundtrack and effects
It's a rare thing for me to mention sound effects in review, but it is so necessary here because they have a really big role. I mean without all those sound effects I couldn't have enjoyed it this much, for some, they might be annoying but for me the reason to laugh more. So there's one scene where we think it's going to be a confession so kinda romantic BGM starts to play.. but that seemed to be a confession that turns out to be different and how they literally made it off tune and it's sooo funny, I died laughing there. It has many wonderful OSTs. They are refreshing, and soothing at the same time.
Fun fact: Two OSTs are sung by our Liang Je (Whisper) and Steven Zhang (My Soul), to be honest, I had no idea they can sing very well. So it was a pleasant surprise to me.
Now here comes the conclusion of the title, WHAT? they did, the story was consistently good. I mean let us live in the fantasy, I don't want something real to happen. They messed up so hard.. initially, it was the best rating possible from me 9.5 but as you can see it's not anymore. I wish the writer didn't try to become super creative in the end and let us have what we really wanted.
Though one thing really bothered me, I can of course let it slide by the fun I had with watching it I'm being so generous about the rating (that rarely happens). So watch it and have a good laugh ;D
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Cute and Inspirational From Beginning to End
I have to admit, I was not one of the countless drama-watchers waiting tirelessly for the premiere of this drama. But it’s true that some of the most unexpected things are the most precious. As a sucker for Cdrama rom-coms,I can confidently and lovingly say this about Falling Into My Smile. It has stolen the hearts of many many people, including myself. I can’t exactly find any words to describe this drama; It’s perfectly cute, funny, and inspirational, tackling both problems that normal people like us face daily and problems that idols encounter during their career.Story-9.0
There haven’t been many E-sports Cdramas, but most of them that aired were very much enjoyable to me. Falling Into Your Smile doesn’t have the most unique storyline, but I was pleasantly surprised to be presented a drama with minimal plot holesn and boringness, and that kept its strong foundation from beginning to end. (The gaming scenes were also very cool, but were also quite skippable. Fans were brought ‘into’ the computer, and we watched the fights take place.)
Adapted from the web novel ‘You’re Beautiful When You Smile’ by Qing Mei, Falling Into Your Smile delves into the world of E-sports, a professional online gaming sport that started to show prominence around the world, especially China. Just like the drama, the novel is full of sweet moments, and although some bits here and there have been tweaked, the drama is a pie served to us with just the right ingredients and the right amount, with no piece missing.
As I’ve watched more dramas, something that always stands out is how much inspiration this drama has given me; The motivation to help someone or do something for myself and the world, the inspiration that emanates from a certain character or the story itself. Right now, you’re reading a review of a very inspirational story. Perhaps not everyone will feel this way, but Falling Into Your Smile provided so much inspiration and happiness to me.
Falling Into Your Smile is perhaps the cutest and loveliest drama I have seen to date. (girl who has seen 90 Cdramas speaking here!) While other Cdrama rom-coms focus heavily on the love story between the main couple, Lu Sicheng (ML) and Tong Yao (FL)’s love story is also perfectly balanced with the strong bromance. This powerful friendship between the members of ZGDX not only provides smiles and laughs, but also shows us all the sides to a friendship, from trust, teamwork, and forgiveness.
Unlike other E-sports dramas, though, Falling Into Your Smile explores a more sensitive and harmful side of idol fans. The characters had to overcome major criticism on social media that threatened their well-being, confidence, and careers. Although this is no new problem for us veteran drama-watchers, tension was everywhere during these scenes as we rooted for our favorite characters.
Cast-9.5
Boom! Xu Kai does it again. Amazing acting? You bet! (Not to mention those smiles and teasing...) This talented actor portrays Lu Sicheng, a supposedly cold male lead, so well. Unlike other Cdrama cold male leads, though, Lu Sicheng gives off quite warm and especially caring vibes, attributes that make us a lovable male lead. Xu Kai certainly proved to us that he can slay any role, from those perky male leads in historicals to a cold but very caring modern male lead. As Falling Into Your Smile was his first modern drama (besides the Republican drama Arsenal Military Academy), he certainly has started on an amazing note.
I do not usually follow the lives of Kpop or Cpop celebrities, so I had minimal knowledge about Cheng Xiao when I started this drama. But, like her lovely singing, her acting was very natural and extremely cute! But even though Tong Yao is cute and sunshiney, she is not at all a damsel in distress. Her expressions and actions are direct. Cheng Xiao executed Tong Yao to her best, and although her acting wasn’t the most breathtaking, she took a major step in her acting career when she chose to portray Tong Yao. When the scene becomes intense, so does her expression. Tong Yao’s stern and persistent expressions can also shut someone up, while her bubbly but intelligent side makes you want to pull her to your side. I will definitely follow up on her future dramas because she certainly deserves more praise and attention from drama-watchers, not just Kpop and Cpop fans.
This chemistry is bloomingly strong and fiery. Xu Kai and Cheng Xiao couldn’t have done better showing us Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao’s cute and loving times together.
Without the supporting characters, Falling Into Your Smile would not have had that exploding spark. The pie is served to us on a golden platter: A cute main couple, another cute second couple, powerful bromance (from all teams, really), caring friendship between Tong Yao and her ‘gui mi’ (best friend) Jin Yang, and familial love as well. Did I really just list almost all the most important relationships in our lives? This drama is so well rounded when it comes to these relationships.
Please allow me to take some more time to gush about Lu Sicheng’s teammates and best friends. They. Are. The. Best! Rather than providing awkwardness when it comes to our leading couple, they were necessary for their relationship to progress. Don’t even get me started with Lu Yue or Pang Zi. These boys are a necessity, not just some supporting characters you can throw into the mix, and they were expressed so well. We followed them on their journeys of growing up, realizing that success is never without failure. Oh, the lessons we learn from dramas that seem so simple!
OST-11
FIYS’s OST deserves a solid 11. I never expected to fall in love with this soundtrack this much, but I have. Don’t be surprised when you look into my listening history and find all of the songs played over and over again. Or if my non-drama-watching friends complain about me forcing them to listen to these songs and them also falling in love with them. I think I’ll never be tired of them. With heartfelt emotion and meaningful lyrics, this rom-com’s songs are the toppings of this magnificent pie.
Rewatch Value-8.5
Oh, those sweet scenes? A definite yes! As someone who rarely rewatches dramas, so many scenes in FIYS tempt me.
Overall-9.5
Countless hours and days gushing and blushing over this drama wasn’t for nothing. This pie is wonderful, amazing, magnificent. Perhaps Falling Into Your Smile will be my favorite Cdrama rom-com of 2021, and we’re only a little over halfway through the year. The drama was cute when necessary, hilarious in other parts, and most importantly, inspirational.
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This review may contain spoilers
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
I started this out of curiousity, seeing the story was something I haven't seen in c drama you can say I wanted a saviour....from all the repetitive cliche plots and thank goodness I decided to watch this ❤️ This tells a story of a girl whose suffering from an illness and has been restricted by it, she yearns too explore and through that exploration she crosses paths with a man who also seems distant and hurt together they get to know eachother get in a whirlwind romance and heal eachother from all their pain.WHY SHOULD YOU WATCH THIS?
1.THE PLOT
The plot regardless of seeming usual with the illness and all is perfectly paced in a way that the writers remained consistent to what they wanted to tell the viewers, giving much screen time to the main leads in the first half, allowing us to get to know them interact with their characters and give us a chance to view their story in more light, I loved it since it felt like I was watching someone's life story and just giggling, crying along the way🤍
2.THE ACTOR AND ACTRESS ( JERRY YAN AND XU ROUHAN.
He ran was the female lead of the series and I felt like this role was made just for her, loved how she potrayed her emotions well more so love how they made her character independent despite being seek she wanted to lead a free life, she was keen about what she wanted and made sure she got it and on top of that not being vulnerable but cheerful smart and strong.
Xiao Han potrayed by Jerry Yan was also done so well aside from being hot 🔥, he really knew how to act with his eyes, his smirks and micro expressions could help you understand exactly how he felt, he wasn't your typical cold guy character he was a mature warm cautious and understanding man in my opinion.
The supports too did a great job, the mom of the female lead Zhang yiquan and many more, Hanyu played by Kido ma was a breath of fresh air in the series with his innocence and clumsy nature he won my heart.
3.THE CHEMISTRY AND SENSUAL TENSION BETWEEN THE LEADS.
I must say I was impressed these guys have a real life 20 years age difference but iam suprised with how comfortable they are with each other, they had that spark that gave me butterflies every time they held hands hugged kissed or even just stared at eachother, yah there we re cut scenes ( I'll neve forgive you wetv) but still these two delivered that firefly chemistry I have been longing for❤️
4. OSTS
I loved how every song that played in the background of the scene matched the scene, like the music score was selected and was soo in sync with what's happening, I really can't choose my best ost as yet as they are all soo nice but I have to applaud who ever made the music selection 🤍 also was shocked to here the English version of lucid dreams which was one of the osts in a k drama while you were sleeping.
5.CINEMATOGRAPHY
The shooting sight was pleasing, the sceneries were soo healing and beautiful at the same time, it gave me those countryside beachy vibes I totally loved it❤️
6. BECAUSE ITS THAT GOOD
Now this drama isn't for everyone, no offense but if you going to make a big deal about the age difference then that's gonna hinder your view on the series, it's pacing is a normal life sort of pacing which might feel slow for some people...any ways this deserves all my praises I was moved from get go and I appreciate every one who joined hands to bring this to us thank you for the give of an awesome drama
7. THE ENDING..
The ending was how you interpret it as a viewer, she calls out his name he turns around with a bright smile and hugs her, is it a fantasy or reality love how it was beautifully potrayed I'll definitely on my side take it as a happy ending...you can choose what you call it as well❣️
I really sincerely with all my heart thank whoever was involved in bringing this story to life, I looked forward to it every single day spend hours listening and mumming to the osts, ive been level A addicted to this and it's left this memory in my head and heart that's to last decades 🥺❤️ I usually rate dramas from a scale of 10 where ten is the top mark but for this I'll add a 0.5 to be fair🌝😌
The forbidden flower 🤍
Personal rating: 10.5
Rewatch value: 10
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This review may contain spoilers
This is the story that everyone deserves to see
Alright, so now I can finally write my real review of Gaya Sa Pelikula, when I first saw the trailer of Gaya, I knew I had to watch this series cause the trailer had so much packed into it but I was skeptical because I have seen so many series with like great trailers and the series would turn out to be absolute trash but that’s not what Gaya Sa Pelikula was.IF YOU ARE READING THIS, I WOULD LIKE TO START WITH THE ENDING QUOTE OF GAYA
‘LIBERATING LOVE AND EQUAL RIGHTS, TO EVERYONE OF US, THE REAL FIGHT IS ON THE OUTSIDE. WE WILL WELCOME YOU WHEN YOU ARE READY’. This is the most important message of the series and what I want you to carry away with you
GENERAL REVIEW
Gaya is what I consider a real-life series, where it reflects actual real-life series. I am so glad it didn’t have any of the tropes you see in a lot of Thai series [I pointed out Thai because I have seen Taiwan doesn’t do this as much even Pinoy series don’t], like the ‘I am straight bro, but I just love you because mystical forces in the galaxy fell in the right places’, no, they gave me real gay characters, they gave me some hard truths about the coming out process, how some people saying the word ‘GAY’ or treat it like a taboo sometimes, they showed most of the fear and emotions that accompany coming, they didn’t paint it like this rosy path and all love, the internal conflict so many people face to come out and be themselves. Gaya was not another annoying jealousy storyline [eyes tharntype 2], it was a series that actually kept its cast small and made sure that no character was left undeveloped and they actually had a story to tell, one which they executed perfectly.
Gaya Sa Pelikula is the life story of you or someone you know; it feels really right from the get-go and everything done in it has a purpose and is very relatable. The story, cast, soundtrack, and acting are a heavenly match and have easily stepped up to become my best BL of 2020, in fact, I stopped characterizing this as a BL but a story about two people meeting and falling in love with each other, it almost emphasizes the fact that their story can be yours too.
Don’t get me wrong when I say I classify the story as a normal story, that’s not to take away from it as bl because they did definitely handle the theme of discovering one’s sexuality and oneself but it felt real to me. I almost don’t know how to explain. The cast members each had a story to tell, a different struggle to tell, a different perspective and it explored different backgrounds meeting and interacting with each other. Like the person who struggles with an identity crisis and a feeling of inadequacy [sometimes linked to their sexuality], the protective family member who sometimes oversteps certain boundaries to protect the one they love, the person with the happy smile all the time but comes from pain and struggle and how that influences their action, they might make you mad, they might have made you tear up a little, they may have made you happy or disagree with their actions but there was no wasted character, each had a purpose and honestly watching this while my day the series was like a balance, I didn’t have to deal with illogical jealousy from stupid exes kidnapping dogs for no absolute reason or trying to murder someone and everyone hugs it out at the end, no each character had a purpose and I loved that about them, that they felt real, they felt like actual people not some weird fantasy of some random person of what a BL feels likes.
CHARACTERS AND DIALOGUES
I feel the dialogues amongst the characters gave a lot of background to the characters and made them somewhat ‘real’ to me. So I would review the characters because of the dialogue they had, especially keywords or parts they said that had a lot of impact on me.
The lead characters, Karl and Vlad have such insane and beautiful chemistry, its mind-blowing, their flow is just so natural, they did not feel forced, which brought a lot to the story. To talk about the characters I would intertwine it with some key sentences and I would actually refer to this person on YouTube that made the best reviews after each episode [ if you check the comment section you would get what I mean]
Vlad is gay and open about it, he is outgoing, quite stubborn sometimes, and gives you this first impression of a rebel, but we come to see that he is this soft, cute loving guy, who is quite vulnerable and has been hurt before. Karl is someone who grew up with expectations and dreams of another placed on him, so he has never gotten the chance to be a person of his own and he is very reluctant to shake the status quo but, shortly after meeting Vlad, he becomes more courageous about his own person.
Here are some lines that I found remarkably interesting and telling of the series
1. ‘I will not be the plot device to trigger someone else’s identity crisis’
This line could honestly easily one of the most powerful lines in the series and one of the scenes that Gaya started to pull away from other series which give us this usual trope of, ‘YOU ARE DIFFERENT’ ‘YOU MAKE ME FEEL THINGS I CAN’T EXPLAIN’ ‘It is JUST YOU AND NO ONE ELSE EVER’, now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying there aren’t people that have only been with one person of the same gender, I mean my friend is an example but the fact that we have been overfed this trope in almost every series makes it tiring and annoying, SOTUS, Dark Blue Kiss, Water boy, Theory of Love, name the series, it is just like a back to back-feeding of being gay is not normal, a once in a living thing. I first loved the fact that Vlad was openly gay and proud of it. This line just held a lot of meaning to me. This line also showed me a little bit of Vlad’s history with the infamous ex that starts all his pain in the first place.
2. Do not be scared of the word, you can say it, it is not an insult, I do not mind
This line could easily be my most memorable line of the series, like if I could forget every single part of this series, I do not think I could forget those words ever in my life. This is basically I think what the LGBT community does not do on our own part sometimes, we do not educate and communicate and that was what Vlad did for Karl [I would focus more on this role in my review of my last few dialogues]. Communication and trust are the most key things in every relationship, and I appreciated how calm a reasonable Vlad was with Karl especially allowing/guiding him to come to terms ‘on his own terms’. This line kind of debunks how homophobia has changed the view of the word ‘gay’ or anything associated with it, as almost taboo, but this line presents Vlad has someone who has gone through it all and has arrived at a position that he loves, a representation that I loved.
3. I never said I was a perfect ally. I am still learning through this [I am actually not sure if this was the perfect quote but it was something along this line]
I know a lot of people were not fans of Judith, but I think she represented two important things, family as well as being an ally. Let me start with the ally part, I actually argued with someone about Judith’s role during the dinner and being an ally, but I linked it back to her statement in the past, now I am not excusing Judith for putting Karl on the spot, she crossed the line but at that moment, she was not being an ally but a sister rather, a sister who for the love of her brother wanted to protect him from heartbreak. What she right, we can debate that, but the truth is that is what a lot of family members would do, not just for their gay family member but for any family member. At the ending of everything she was a sibling first before an ally and the truth is that sometimes we are too quick to ‘cancel’ people for not being the perfect ally but honestly, I do not think we have a single perfect ally in the world, every ally is just learning at their own pace and the conditions that surround a particular ally of the community definitely impacts their behavior both past and present, Judith represents that, her change from someone that bullied Vlad with her words when she was younger and naïve to someone ready to protect him shows how a lot of families really process in real life. I feel she was a very necessary character to tie this together. Because Judith shows the potential of people to grow and for their mindsets to change, as well as what a single conversation can change
4. “I don’t know if I’m like you. I don’t even know who I am”
This statement perfectly represents Karl and so many people in the world, when we first meet Karl we understand that his image in the eyes of his parents is very important and we come to learn along the line, his parents stopped differentiating between him and his dead brother. He grew up carrying the burdens of living his brother’s life to make his parents, from a young age he never got to know who KARL FEDRICK ALMASEN was and this is representative of so many people, basically empty shells working around. I mean I was a law student, I have had the pleasure of having parents that have supported me through and through everything but I know so many friends in law school who were just there because their parents were judges or owned powerful law firms and the mere thought of disappointing their parents seemed like an impossible scenario. Many people in life don’t actually know who they really which made Karl’s struggle more real, cause he represented so many people who never got to know themselves, discover what they actually wanted, but the truth is that we need to all face those scary truths, at our own time but eventually we do and if we are forced to face them before it’s the right time, a lot of people will shut off to the world.
I think it was great that Karl was actually given the time to face what he needed to face at his own time [like I said I would treat their contrasts in the review of the last episode dialogues]. The truth is that it is scary to face the truth and we got showed that so many times in Gaya, but what is most important is that we move our own pace, we shouldn’t be forced to rush.
5. I don’t know if I can point to a specific quote to Anna and her child but I felt the need to mention, I think I would probably discuss it with Santi [contrasting Santi with Karl and Vlad]
Anna represents when a change comes into your life, how to accommodate that new change but at the same time not lose yourself, trying to balance out the new change to your entire life while maintaining you, cause sometimes, when you lose yourself, you start to hate that thing or person who changed you. Anna wasn’t abandoning her child with her getaway but making sure she was intact herself, that she was complete as a human, because how do you raise a child if there are parts of you that are fundamentally missing a part, you cannot give what you do not have, hence her actions would impact her child more than mere words [as we see is the pattern with so many families, kids tend to pick up the traits of their parents whether intentionally] and honestly I think every human deserves that tiny bit of greediness and self-love.
For Santi, he mentioned something about not growing up with love in the finale and it reminds me of the privilege that LGBT youth like myself that is in their 20s or younger enjoy. Things were not always like this, we genuinely need to appreciate that people fought to get to where we are and that’s why it bothers me a lot when my generation wants to throw away the work the older generation has done to get to where we are, I know they aren’t perfect, they have messed up majorly but we must also respect and recognize that people before us got us what we have not. I think that’s the problem we face majorly.
I genuinely loved that they didn’t waste any character, each character portrayed a lesson to me.
6. I am going to merge a bunch of statements from the finale
a. I know I am not doing anything wrong but why am I still afraid – Karl
b. I’m gay but I still can’t tell papa, I love Vlad but I am not as brave as him – Karl and Santi replied – Soon
c. I don’t want to be silent about my love, I want to be out there, I deserve it just like you deserve to take your time inside – Vlad.
d. Can we just stay here forever – Karl, I want to take you everywhere – Vlad
I think these statements basically carry the most basic story of the entire series and maybe the most important, everyone deserves to move on their own time and I think that is what made me love Vlad in the end realizing that Karl deserves to move at his pace while he himself didn’t have to give up what he deserved to fit someone else. I know a lot of people were a little disappointed by that ending but I think it was a beautiful ending because it appeared to me that both parties actually loved the other person but they truly were not on the same wavelength in terms of growth, the both realized they both had to make a compromise, not necessarily to the other person but to themselves. Karl listened to Anna to be out there, not ‘OUT’ but we get to appreciate that he is making an effort on his own term to be out there. This symbolizes he is taking baby steps until he’s ready to be out there.
Vlad on the other end also understood her deserved not to be someone’s secret [that is genuinely damaging sometimes, speaking from experience] but the most important thing was that he did not force Karl either, he chose to look out for him and be with him, not necessarily in a relationship but being there gave Karl the right support and strength to push forward and for me, that is what love actually is.
As I said, I love Gaya because it didn’t just give me two handsome guys and a lot of skinship, but everything was so well planned, I don’t know if there was a second of the series that was ‘irrelevant’ to the overall story and experience, everything came full circle [or is it cycle] at its own time, no story was rushed, no action was left unexplained, no scene was accidental or without purpose, which I think goes to show great writing on the side of the script. To be able to masterfully explore your script to its full extent and make sure, every single part was explained, the audience wasn’t left hanging on why a specific character acted a specific way, like Judith trying so hard to be there for Vlad because she was lowkey terrible to him as a child, the fact Vlad hated his hair being touched, honestly, I was just as surprised when they explained that it was because it was the last thing his dad did to him before she permanently left which made him feel like he had failed his purpose of saving a marriage, I WAS KUDOS TO THE WRITER, THIS MIGHT BE THE BEST WRITING POSSIBLE. As I said, no character, scene, or moment was wasted
They perfectly complement each other in the cast and characters, they somehow all just felt like the perfect balance, and the fact they never really left that single Unit/building is another mind-blowing thing, like, minus the car scene with Judith, I don’t think they left the building.
OST
I have never been someone that really cares about OST, I am rarely big on OSTs, they don’t really move me, but Gaya’s OST is the first series asides UMWA, history 3, where your eyes linger and the effect, where the OST perfectly fits every part of the series, it makes you feel their joy, pain, and every emotion... Like even if the series was utter trash, which it isn’t, the OST would carry it for me, like 5 songs from the OST made my top 200 songs of 2020, that’s how good it is. Several times I found myself just sobbing or in tears listening to the OST.
The people in charge of the music department were as brilliant as the actors, directors, producers
This was a series that was made with a purpose and they executed perfectly I am so grateful to everyone who was a part of this movement because you truly took us on a beautiful journey, one I would never forget, you made me care for people, made me happy, made me laugh, cry with someone in their pain if that is not arts at its best I don’t know what is. Thank you for bringing this to the world in a year as dark as 2020
IF YOU ARE READ THIS FAR, I WOULD LIKE TO END WITH THE ENDING QUOTE OF GAYA AGAIN
‘LIBERATING LOVE AND EQUAL RIGHTS, TO EVERYONE OF US, THE REAL FIGHT IS ON THE OUTSIDE. WE WILL WELCOME YOU WHEN YOU ARE READY’.
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE REVIEW AS MUCH AS I LOVED WRITING IT
BYE FOR NOW
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The drama is special in the sense that the gab is our heroine and the eul is our hero, which is refreshing in the kdrama world. Naturally, the main draw of the drama is the female lead Ok Da-jung. Ok Da-jung is a fast-rising employee at Gold Chemicals and this led to her being the subject of many malicious rumours. In reality, she's a righteous person who does not stand for things such as the abuse of power. She's extremely principled, and believes in having pride in her own work. On the flip-side, our hero Nam Jung-gi, who is a timid employee at a small company, avoids responsibility like it's the plague. The contrast between their characters makes for a very interesting (and comedic) watch.
Ok Da-jung is such a great character that it's impossible to not love her. Lee Yo-won is perfect as the immaculately dressed heroine. It's almost as if the role was tailor made for her! She was spectacular in all of her scenes (the stoic ones, the emotional ones, and even the downright ridiculous ones). Yoon Sang-hyun turned in an incredible performance with his spot-on comedic timing as Nam Jung-gi. In fact, all of the cast delivered splendid performances. The only exception is Hwang Bora, whose crying scenes appear forced and unnatural at times.
Ok Da-jung's relationship with Nam Woojoo (Nam Jung-gi's son) is also something to look out for. Cute would be a serious understatement. Their chemistry is off the charts. Some may even argue that they are the OTP in the series.
The directing and writing of Ms. Temper are all good. The key point being that the drama maintained a consistent pace throughout the 16 episodes, meaning that it does not suffer from the same problems most kdramas do - waning after the mid-point. This is really impressive for a rookie writer. The use of CGI and various sound effects in the drama also adds to its hilarity.
On the other hand, the drama is not flawless. One criticism would be that there are some overly simplistic plot points. Ok Da-jung seems omnipotent in the series, always coming to the rescue when there is trouble. And the Lovely employees always manage to get into trouble. Some may also be bothered about how unrealistic it is that she's had three husbands, and all of them want a reconciliation. That being said, we can hardly complain since that put Lee Jung-jin and Yeon Jung-hoon on our screens.
Overall, this is an enjoyable drama which should appeal to anyone who's looking for dramas centered around a strong female character. However, if you're looking for a drama with more realism with respect to the business side of things, this is not it. In fact, most dramas don't do business correctly. The good thing about this drama, to quote a knetz, is that there is a right blend of realism (the issues that they tackle) and fantasy elements (how everything gets resolved, albeit a little too easily). Also, the bribery and cajoling may not be something that happens in your society, but it is something more relatable to the Korean viewers. So do take that into account when complaining about how unrealistic this drama is.
DISCLAIMER: My unusually high ratings for this drama is because I rate dramas base on the rating given by MDL. In the sense that if I think a drama is underrated, I'm going to give higher ratings for it. A more objective rating would be an 8. But there are tons of shitty dramas getting 8 here and I don't think that gives enough credit to Ms. Temper.
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This review may contain spoilers
Sweet drama with no melodramatic scenes and in-law problem
This drama is really cheesy type. The acting and cast is superb. The music seems to be sweet (I don't really understand the OST lyrics as there are no eng subs for them). If you're searching for "no melodramatic rom-com" with "no -in laws problem" then this is indeed worth watching. Their love progress is not very slow but not too quick. It developed as they lived under the same roof (in hospital, his family house and then his house). Their chemistry is toooo sweet to handle. The amazing part is when the Jinbei chases Shiyun and how the romantic moment progress graph goes to 100 and suddenly drops to zero with a joke in the beginning episodes. Ryan perfectly carved the personality of Zhou Shiyun, a cold man with warm heart whereas Yuxi's cute act is irrestible. Whenever a drama have 24 episodes, the leads confess and start dating by 16 but in this drama they start official dating in 10 only. Their kisses are indeed extremely steamy and we can hardly distinguish which one was the best but the most emotional one is in 15, "The Mud Kiss" and there's a "coffee bean shower" instead of flower shower.Was this review helpful to you?
Don’t expect a fairy tale. Don’t expect a boring sad story full of fake tears and violins. Don’t expect any average acting. This drama is telling us the story of people you can identify with. This is a story that could easily be true. There isn’t one character that doesn’t fit, not one "black sheep" actor. The dialogues are written as if in a theater play, and each line is perfectly mastered (Sakamoto Yui got the Best Screenwriter Award for this drama). The palpable tension captivate us and makes you hold your breath and wait for the next move, the next line.
(The three directors also got the Best Director Award.)
Eita (who got the Best Actor Award in the Television Drama Academy) and Hikari Mitsushima are simply incredible. Both seems at the end of their tether starting from the very first episode, and this is one more reason why their dialogues are so enjoyable and captivating. But, as I said, even the supporting actors are are talented (especially Otake Shinobu, whose performance got her the Best Supporting Actress Award, and Kazama Shunsuke, who also got an Award)
As for the music, there isn’t much to say aside from it being beautiful and well-balanced. Very different from some sad dramas that need sad music to make the audience cry because the actor aren’t good enough.
6 Television Drama Academy Award are 6 reasons why I gave this drama a Overall 10 and a 9 in Rewatch Value.
In short, it's a must-watch..
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this had everything:
+ a slow natural "friends to lover" relationship.
+ no cliches, or better yet realistic twists to the cliches (like the girl "rivalry")
+ a normal 2nd ml that didn't secretly love the fl
+ a cute friendship
+ female power
+ dimples everywhere!
+ a male lead that apologized and didn't over step his boundaries, ie a real "nice" male lead
+ girls taking care of their own "problems"
+ and the best part, the nice healing plot development~
I kinda wish it was longer though ;(
the ost highlighted the strong female characters well, and I rarely rewatch things so it's either 1 or 10 ;p
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If there is only one word that could describe this drama perfectly. That is 'Awesomazing'. From the A to the Z it is the most funny, dramatic and almost realistic drama I saw.
The most funniest drama I had seen ever. Ever.
Don't believe me? Let me tell you why you should.
The cast is Perfect. I don't think anyone could had done those characters more justice then people who played them. Though I am not familiar with any of the cast members but I am glad that I still tried it. Because they were perfect.
Nam Gung Min is the funniest actor, I know. Then there is Lee Jun Ho with him. And it's just perfection on it's own.
There are lot's of other people too. And You are going to like each of them for their characters. You just have to.
The story is amazing. I'm not going to say anything about it, except that you will love every single second of it. You will love, scream and cry (for all the good reason). In the end you will just wish if there was more, more and more.
Funny & crazy lead. Smart women characters. An antagonist that you will love. A corruption story told with the right balance of comedy. And with a few lessons for life (Don't do corruption!).
There isn't a bucket load of romance in it. But there is this one couple that you will be shipping from the first episode. *hint* hint* And if you are me, then there will be two or more.
The bromance...
You are probably hearing a lot about the Chief Kim & Director Seo's bromance. And none of the things you heard is a lie. If you thought Goblin & Grim Reaper's (From "Goblin" ) bromance was epic. Then this one is just a step farther. It is funnier, cuter and seriously has that felling that just makes you go 'aww' at them. TQ's Psycho & Gluttonous Sociopath, they are just to CUTE to resist.
Every time they were together, there was Bang bang bang. Every line, every scene, every time their eyes meet...there was Bang.
This is the most romance I have ever seen in a bromance. And there are kisses. Yes, kiss but in plural!
The music. The songs are amazing. Beautiful and light goes perfectly with the story and the scenes. You will be humming them all the time.
Rewatch - 10/10. I am so going to re-watch this. Actually I'm already re-watching it now.
So if you think 'Ah, it doesn't has romance in it. It probably isn't good.' Then I will like to tell you, "You are so wrong. It does has romance in it. Just not a bucket full of it. The story, cast, music, the bromance, comedy everything else makes up for it. When you reach the end of the first episode you won't even care about the romance anymore"
It's an amazing drama not to mention a hilarious one. One of the best of 2017.
I'm hoping for a 2nd season.
For all of you my advice is, "Watch it! Watch it! Watch it!"
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This review may contain spoilers
More interesting than it seems
At first episodes seem to have no connection at all, but if you follow with attention you see they are actually CONNECTED.The catch here is that the episodes are in reverse order. There are hints here and there to this. But if we watch from Episode 8 back to Episode 1 it makes more sense.
Also Episode 8 is the longest and provides the story, and the others are shorter and no story is explictly told, but they build up on each other.
Taking into account the details I will point out bellow, I think Goedam is a work of a GENIUS, and that is why I liked it so much.
Made me curious enough to see if my theories are right.
But in order to point out those awesome details I need to explain what happens in each episode.
** SPOILERS **
Episode 8: Birth
It starts with the tale of Yeommae hex. We find out that shamans abduct children, starve them and kill them to capture and use their spirit.
We can see then how the shaman kills a child.
Afterwards we see a customer whose husbands has and affair, and she wants him dead so they won't divorce. The shaman gives her a talisman to be put in the pillow case.
- Director spends here a lot of time focusing on her jewelries, especially on her ring, showing her (or her husband's) wealth. This is strongly connected to Episode 7.
Then we see a mother asking the shaman to find her child. Her child must be the one that shaman killed at the beginning of the episode and whose feet were buried near a tree, as in the end we see the mother hanged above her child's feet.
But before that, we see the birth of a monster baby.
The talisman plays important role both in Episode 8 and Episode 7.
Episode 7: Threshold
It starts with a boy tripping. He is going with his mother to visit his grandmother.
The woman tells her husband not to take off the talisman from bedroom wall because it brings bad luck. Also informs him a boy and a cop went missing.
While being home alone the man steps on hair, and after pulling the hair out he hears a scream.
After he comes back home he takes down the talisman and a monster appears while he sleeps.
The monster looks like being made from cut pieces (like the feet from Episode 8), and also looks like a grown up version of the child born in Episode 8.
Some important details here are:
- The monster was there even though the house was "protected" by talismans (at least 2 shown, one above each door) .
- In the house you can see the child's and wife's items, like toys and make-up, but no items belonging to the man. There are also no wedding photos. It gives a feeling that he doesn't belong there.
- There is also only one bedroom and only one bed.
- The woman has a cross, a gold necklace, showing man is wealthy enough, but no other jewelries, not even a wedding ring. Why would she wear the cross, but not the wedding ring? Also if her faith in Christianity is so strong, why would she need talismans?
Maybe the reason for all these is that the man is the husband of the woman from Episode 8. We know for sure the woman from Episode 8 wants him dead, before they divorce, but what if the apparent wife from Episode 7 works with her to kill the man? A talisman like the one from Episode 8 might be hidden in the house.
Episode 6: Dimension
We see a video from an elevator where a boy lies down scared by something. However, the police found a dead body that is too deteriorated to belong to the boy and also the clothes are different.
Then, the detective in charge finds that the boy posted online about interdimensional travel.
While going up and down according to the list posted by the boy, the detective sees himself and then a woman appears out of nowhere.
The woman asks him to press number 1, but the elevator goes down without stopping. Afterwards, she kills him. However, she does not appear on camera.
When the police finds the body again it looks much worse, but they can conclude that the clothes look identical to the detective's clothes.
At the end we see 2 girls getting in the elevator. But if you pay attention you notice that the 2 girls are actually the girls from Episode 4, Min-yeong and Se-hui.
Here, Se-hui is scared something might go wrong, while Min-yeong is the more curious one, mocking her friend for being so scared.
Episode 5: Red Shoes
In the classroom 3-2 students talk about Jin-gyeong that jumped in front of a truck, having her lower body crushed.
The teacher then comes in and tell them not to tell anything to police and not feel guilty (because they bullied her). She also wants o make sure everyone deleted the evidence of bullying.
The teacher asks then for class rep to draw attention of her colleagues. The class rep is Ji-ye KIM that appears in Episode 1.
The one but last that leaves the classroom is Seo-hui PARK that also appears in Episode 1.
We can see that at this point in time both Seo-hui and Ji-ye are alive and well.
The only one left in classroom is Hye-su SHIN.
At 9 PM the teacher receives a messages from Hye-su asking her to come to classroom to talk something about Jin-gyeong. (75% battery left)
When the teacher gets in class she finds Jin-gyeong upper body that complains that Hye-su lower body didn't fit and asks the teacher to borrow her legs.
Episode 4: Curiosity
We see the 2 friends, Min-yeong and Se-hui, that got in elevator in Episode 6 watching a video from CAM 6 (this is a REFERENCE to Episode 6) in which a monster appears.
Se-hui is sure the video is a hoax, while Min-yeong gets scared and wants to go after their books.
Knowing Min-yeong gets easily scared, Se-hui already prepared a prank on her and stops between floors 2 and 3. On wall it appears at 3/2. Remember about classroom 3-2? And she asks Min-yeong to bring her books too.
In her friend's cabinet Min-yeong sees the scary doll.
After getting out of her classroom Min-yeong sees a scary woman from which something is getting out, similar to the birth from Episode 8.
Min-yeong runs down the stairs, but she is in an infinite loop between floors 3 and 2. But she never meets Se-hui which we can see waiting between floors 3 and 2.
Min-yeong trips and sees the 3/2 sign and realises something is wrong.
The monster aproaches and we see the eye division.
Seeing Min-yeong is not coming back, Se-hui goes to look for her. And we can see monster coming down.
The difference from Episode 6 is that now Min-yeong is the one that gets easily scared.
This might be a sign that Dimension changed (in Episode 6).
Episode 3: Special Guest
This episode is about Sae-rom's virtual housewarming.
She is doing a live vlog and wants to trick viewers into thinking that house is haunted by letting a plush toy fall.
Santokki donates 30,000 balloons.
Then the book is moving and falls off the shelf.
Some of the viewers worry for her, while others think it is just a hoax.
She wants to end the live but she leaves it going on by mistake and everyone finds out she faked everything.
While she wants to take the thumbnail for her video, she notices that phone sees more persons in her room.
She then gets smashed by someone looking identical to her.
The way of killing is very similar to the one in Episode 6.
The one killing Sae-rom replaces her.
Episode 2: Destination
In the intro we can hear the news that tell that a shaman was found in a shrine in Gyeonggi. The victim is SHIN, a shaman in her 50s. The shaman must be the shaman from Episode 8.
The news are heard at 2:20.
Now if we go back to Episode 8 and check minute 2:20 we can see something similar to a voodoo doll with a nail sticked in it. And this means death.
Being tired the taxi driver stops.
We see again the clock turning from 3:29 to 3:30.
If we check again the Episode 8 at that minute we see the shaman killing the child.
This is clearly a sign of what is going to happen to the taxi driver.
He wakes from sleep when a woman dressed in white gets in taxi and asks to go to Samjeong Motel in Ilsan. However, GPS show no result for Samjeong Motel.
She asks many times to turn right, but there is road to turn onto.
Next frames show that the taxi has no passanger.
He feels her fingers on his neck, looks back and does not see her, then she appears in front of his car.
He stops, but when he looks again the road is empty. He looks back, she in his car, but her eyes are missing. He gets scared, and she shows him her eyes.
Next frame shows the radio: FM 6.4.24.
Then we can see she took out his eyes, probably to replace her eyes, similarly to how Jin-gyeong replaced her legs in Episode 5.
Another theory about 3:29 is that it is a reference to class 3-2 and hour 9 at which the teacher received the text message in Episode 5. It also the thumbnail of the Episode 2.
Episode 1: Crack
In intro we see Seo-hui PARK, that also appeared in Episode 5. She is anxious and is biting her nails.
On the desk in front of her is a white flower.
She asks the teacher for permission to go to bathroom.
On the walls we see is no. 2 in her school, while Ji-ye KIM is no. 1. We can see that Ji-ye's moving in her photo. This is a hint something is wrong with Ji-ye. The pictures also appeared in Episode 5, since it is the same classroom, but there the pictures are just normal ones, because back then nothing wrong happened to Ji-ye and Seo-hui, being also shown alive and well.
On her way to bathroom Seo-hui notice the lights turning on and off repeatedly.
After she gets in bathroom, we can see in background a presence disappearing on doors.
In the bathroom she heard strange noises and when she looks she sees hair getting in toilet. Then she is pulled by dead Ji-ye only her legs being left in bathroom.
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The acting is absolutely incredible, the story is heart wrenching, and above all the story is believable.
If you're not sure if this movie is for you watch the first 10 minutes. By the time the 10 minute mark rolls by I think you will realize how touching this movie will be. :)
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