Most realistic presentation of how manga's a re made.. plus an adorable leads that take you on a wonderful and heartwarming journey - one of the reasons why I first started watching Jdrama, and why I keep coming back for more.
And, yes: I am a HUGE fan of the art!
Seeing "How it's made" was an honor.
WHY I LIKED IT?
The premise is an easy one: our FL is no longer able to compete in judo and therefore was pushed into blue collar world, yet somehow (oh, and you'll see HOW exactly, that was delightfully done!) ended up in a world of manga editors. From there, we're embarking in a journey of episodic tales of "how manga is made", and for me - that was a great ride!
I loved how Show portrayed each and every character, not leaving anyone behind, giving all the backstory, and made everyone push toward an end goal (also the title of the Show): "additional printing". Both sides are covered elaborately: the mangakas and the editors, even the sales department.
Hey, and I absolutely LOVE that they actually WORK in this Show (unlike a lot of kdrama, where ML, thought he is a chaebol working in a million dollar company spend 90% of time chasing FL, where does he get the time?!). This is a Show about WORK and work it gives us - the struggles to get the "name" (something like a "blueprint" for the following issue), the personal issues, the reasoning behind decisions that are being made to push the sales up.
You learn from this Show: about some terms you never knew, and never bothered to know - not many of the fans of manga actually care to know HOW exactly they are made - this Show gives us that. Just that.. plus, the quirkiness of Bear Cub. :)
(ehmmm, yeah, *caugh, caugh* and there's Odagiri Joe, so... yeah)
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE
I'll leave this one empty.
I wouldn't give this a 10,0 unless I was purely amazed by it. And moved. And inspired to give myself another push toward doing my own job better.
THE MUSIC
The song is called "Echo", performed by Unicorn. (to me, the music in this one was Bob Dylan's "Blowing in the wind, for some reason - maybe because they do sound alike, so my mind was instantly pulled in that direction). To say that was fitting would be an understatement, since the music was a perfect portrayal of what this Show was all about.
OVERALL
A shining GEM!
You love manga - then this is a MUST SEE.
You need inspiration - then this is a MUST SEE.
...damn, I need to read some manga now. Bye.
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Adorable Kid and Family but not perfect
“The Love You Give Me” is an easy-to-watch light drama about family, second-chance romance (and other romances) with a small business plot. Wang Yu Wen and Wang Zi Qi teamed up together again after the success of “Once We Get Married” in 2021. It’s evident that they have a great working relationship and feel very at ease with each other. Their chemistry is good.What I Like:
Quan Quan - Adorable child actor, Cui Yin Xin, is the star of the show. Playing the role of Quan Quan (QQ), he is integral in reuniting his parents together. He is sooooo cute and smart. You never get bored of his scenes and at times, he acts more mature than his parents. I believe this little guy dubbed his own lines post-production (unless DramaWiki is wrong). I can’t believe he is one of the very few actors who uses his own voice, not even his parents did that! Quan Quan's adorableness rivals that of Xiao Bao in “Unforgettable Love”.
The Family - All the scenes of the family together are gold. QQ is such a sweet and caring boy and I love the interaction he has both individually with each of his parents, and also together as a family. I think the scene of QQ with Xin Qi (ML) together with their hair tied with little rubber bands is the cutest scene ever! What a lovely way to bond and introduce us to many more cute scenes of this father/son duo.
Main Chemistry - I enjoy the bickering of Min Hui (FL) and Xin Qi (ML) quite a bit in the first half of the drama. The chemistry between them is great. There’s quite a bit of natural skinship towards the end of the drama. Many kisses, hugs and hand/arm holding. The kisses are OK and for some reason, I thought they would be better. The drama actually gives us a lot of kisses in the last few episodes, and makes me feel like they are fanservice. I also enjoy the storytelling of their romance 5 years ago, via epilogues at the end of each episode. It’s a good way to use flashbacks yet not disrupting the flow of the present-day timeline.
Main leads acting - I enjoy Wang Yu Wen and Wang Zi Qi’s performance. I think working together for the second time and being familiar with each other helps. Though their characters are the usual rom-com role, they performed to my expectations. I am actually surprised they did a pretty good job with the emotional scenes, especially for Wang Zi Qi in the last episode.
What I have Mixed Feelings and Don’t Like:
2nd Romance - I initially found the Cao Mu/Chen Jia Jun romance kinda cute. I appreciate that the drama does not go into the whole older woman/younger man discussion and criticisms. However, there’s not a whole lot of substance to their story. In the beginning, it was adorable how they both tried to find ways to see each other more. Both were shy but wanted more. But once they got together, Chen Jia Jun became an accessory. He doesn’t do anything aside from following Cao Mu around. I got bored watching them. Moreover, how come Cao Mu changes her thoughts of wedding all of a sudden in the last episode?
3nd Romance - This one is even more head-scratching. I can’t see how Zhou Ru Ji, a highly respected cardiac surgeon would fall for a spoiled princess. How can his taste change so much from liking a mature, independent single mother for 4 years, to a clingy and stalkerish little girl? Zhou Ru Ji and Yao Zi Zhu’s scenes are cringey and definitely not cute and fluffy. I would have a little more respect for Zhou Ru Ji if she was portrayed as a serious ballerina and the drama develops her character more than a lovesick, stalkerish puppy.
Plot/Pacing - The pacing of the first half is really good. In a blink of an eye, I was halfway done. But then, it slows down with unnecessary side plots of the rehashing of the accident 4 years ago and the leads’ misunderstanding. The drama spent too much time in Xin Qi pursuing Min Hui again and trying to prove his love for her in a childish way. And then, the transition of Min Hui accepting Xin Qi again is abrupt after she puts up a big fight. Furthermore, the last few episodes are business heavy and I miss the scenes of the adorable QQ. I also miss the CEO character of Xin Qi in the second half. He showed up in the end, but for most of the second half, I don’t see the cool, somewhat mean and powerful CEO. As much as I enjoy his sweet scenes with his son, I hate to see a cool guy turn into a fluffy mess after he’s in love.
Dubbing - I am quite disappointed that for a 2023 modern C-drama, most of the actors are dubbed. *sigh*
Overall, I had a good time watching “The Love You Give Me”. I was craving for a romantic comedy and this satisfies my need + Quan Quan is too cute. Thus, I am giving this an 8.0 rating.
Completed: 10/2/2023 - Review #361
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The best miniseries to binge watch.
I just finished watching it and I can't stop thinking about it. It had a very short length. I could watch 30 episodes of an hour to be honest. The actors are so good, I wonder why the male lead, despite being a great actor and good looking, has not gotten other big projects. He was 10/10. The FL is also cute and perfect for her role. I binged watch it. Tbh I really like dramas from Chinese republican era, they always have things to do with military and those costumes are also fantastic. I am a fan of the actors now and it's sad that they have not starred as leads in other dramas. The story was so good. The male lead might seem ruthless and annoying in start but he had reason to do that. He was sincere and protective of the FL. It felt bad how he was pretending to be rude and murderous while in reality he was a sensitive and caring person yet again he thought he had to do that to protect his loved ones. I understand why some people find it cliche but to me it was fun. The ending was bittersweet but it was also fine. Many people speculate that there will be a season 2 but I don't think so. I am glad that I watched it and I would recommend to those who can bear to watch love story that might seem overdone but is addictive.Was this review helpful to you?
I can't take it after 9 episodes
There is way too much stupidity in the plots and after 9 episodes I couldnt take it anymore and jumped to episode 15 and it was still bad so jumped to the finale and still seemed kind of weakI thought somewhere in between the 16 episodes is a really good story but it got killed by the constant weak characters who seem powerless to do anything even though they possess a lot of powers.
You have this group of people who can heal, jump tall buildings, read minds. And all they can do is keep getting outwitted and outsmarted by idiots at every turn.
The biggest waste is the girl with ability to read minds as well as read any history via an object. With her in the team, you would think anything can be solved. Instead, they run around like idiots and constantly let the bad guys go with warnings and constantly look for clues even though they have the most powerful person who can find answers to anything. It's just so stupid.
And at the beginning of show, the restaurant is so popular there is a 2 hour wait outside. But after that, the restaurant is empty everyday
It's brain dead things like this that just drive me crazy. This show is not for people who want intelligent characters who can think or act with some sort of intelligence. It's for people who like exaggerated stupidity and powerful good characters that allow criminals multiple chances to try and kill people over and over again.
After watching this, you really have to watch something like Equalizer 3 or Die Hard or Taken just to see how a real person would deal with someone who hurt their family or friends.
Acting is good. Action was good. Just stupid characters unfortunately. What a waste of talent.
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This review may contain spoilers
A few good men
This is a dark yet poignant tale of the frailty of human nature - the loss of innocence in the effort to survive in a world where justice is hard to come by.The drama starts off seemingly like any straightforward murder-crime-mystery series. You are drawn into deciphering various clues and studying each character to determine who is the murderer. By the show's end, however, even though it pulls out a "surprise" reveal, the power in that moment is not so much the shock factor of who is who but more so the underlying sadness of seeing two friends end each other's lives. There is no mustache-twirling psychopath villain here. It's a hauntingly realistic tale of greed and deceit that explores the lengths to which someone will go to obtain what they want.
The entire ensemble cast give great performances - my favorites are Ning Li as Song Chen and Yu Yao as the young Lu Zhi. Great atmospheric music and realistic sets/props/costumes make the world of Du County come to life in all its dingy glory.
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There were definitely plot holes... but trust me you will come to love the interactions between the main leads so much that it won't matter :)
Finally, without revealing any spoilers I just want to say that the "handwashing scene" will definitely go down in skinship history...
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Power Rangers: In Korea
This was almost exactly like Start-Up for me but better in some ways. Let me explain. This drama started out strong with good dialogue and action-packed scenes much like how Start-Up started out with the greatest of all time pilot episode. Both were pretty good till the middle-end part of the series where the dialogue and plot fall to nothing. I also want to mention that I started both dramas very early on when it was airing (I think ep 4 for both), so I felt the drop in quality every week. I feel like the writers of The Uncanny Counter just focussed more on the action aspect rather than the dialogue part, which was sad as there was way more dialogue than action. The characters in the drama became static and the action scenes became more predictable than ever. Hopefully, the second season changes some of this because I don't think I can stomach another power rangers episode at this age.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
My bittersweet memories
This is gonna get kinda personal, I'm letting you know upfront so you can decide if reading my review is worth your time.When I first read Utsukushii Kare synopsis I didn't thought it was that special, but I decided to give it a try because I really liked the poster, they look so pretty surrounded by flowers. So you can imagine I was quite shocked to find myself relating so deeply with its characters and story.
Hira and I have a lot in common. I once met someone who I feel deeply in love with, but I was too young to understand or deal with my feelings properly, so I would just do everything the person I liked asked me to and try my best to make them happy. I saw myself as inferior to them, and thought I was so lucky to be allowed to walk by their side. Nobody was more important to me, nobody could compare, I was so enamoured I became blind. Now that I'm older, I know I was kinda stupid (but who isn't right). I also know loving like this can make you suffer. You can't put people on pedestals and turn them into Kings, they are just human, they are flawed, and seeing them as more than that will be painful for the both of you.
I am so happy and touched we got to see how Kiyoi felt about all this. I know many people can't understand him or connect with his character, but I wish we all could see that it's hard for him as well. He had his own problems to deal and then Hira showed up and even without meaning to, changed everything. One of the most important moments for me is when Kiyoi says to Hira "You will never understand my feelings". Yes, Hira cares a lot about Kiyoi, but he created a version of Kiyoi based on what he sees on the surface and doesn't let himself get closer, to really know Kiyoi as a person, because he's afraid and has a negative image of himself.
I think I saw someone say how Utsukushii Kare is a story about two people who struggle, each in your own way, with connecting with others and receiving/giving love, and I couldn't agree more. Kiyoi wishes to be an idol, to receive love and be adored, even recognizing that being famous can lead to a lonely life, because at least then he will be loved. But over the years he realizes what he really yearns for is human contact and the attention of one person in particular. Hira uses his camera to distance himself from everyone, he's socially awkward and prefers to keep to himself, believing that's the way the things are and there's nothing he can do to change it. Still he yearns for connection, so when a person so beautiful and interesting as Kiyoi enter his life, he can't resist. But he can't handle changes, and the possibility that Kiyoi and him could be something is too wild to even consider. When confronted, and after a lot of angst, he starts to change his way of thinking and finally the obstacles they created to keep the other apart are destroyed.
I don't know if the drama portrayed this part as well as it could. Speaking from experience - it's very difficult to overcome low self-esteem, and it can takes years to deconstruct the hierarchy you built in your mind. I think we will probably see more of this side if we get a season 2, I'm very curious about how Hira and Kiyoi's relationship would evolve. I also am not here to say that it's a "healthy portrait of a relationship", but most relationships in real life aren't, so I don't see the problem on someone wanting to tell a story about 2 complex men having a complex relationship. The "is this toxic or not" discussion doesn't lead anywhere, and it's getting boring to be honest. If you don't wanna see something that may cause you discomfort, stop watching. Your feelings are valid and you should take care of yourself, if Utsukushii Kare disturbs you that much, go watch something else.
I guess it's pretty clear I'm happy Utsukushii Kare exists. I saw myself in Hira, and I think many others will too. Knowing that there are people who understand how I feel makes me feel less alone. I understand just a little bit more how someone in Kiyoi's place would feel, and I learned how I was in a way not respecting the feelings and thoughts of someone I used to love. It's harder than it seems, to love and be loved. I just hope someone feels as comforted as I after finishing this drama.
Ps: if it's hard to understand something, sorry, English is not my native language.
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At the start I was excited knowing some of my favourite actors were in this.
I found it almost impossible to finish watching this drama.
The acting was outstanding. But the storyline was horrid.
This drama has several triggers in it.
It almost looked like the writers were trying to romanticise r_pe.
The fact their was a happy ending even though he had tried to r_ape her more than once was just unimaginable.
Definitely will NOT watch this drama or recommend it to my friends.
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Intriguing main characters and original side stories
The story did not have anything extraordinary, but the acting made it live. The drama is the type with a calm intrigue, which I usually avoid, but I felt like this one was different from the usual excitement of Thai BLs.Like I said, the story is about a guy who meets a guy, very basic. But the characters themselves were really original, which did not tire me (over clichés). And something they REALLY well are the side stories. Original characters AND stories, in the first and second couple. You haven't figured out what is going on until you have. Of course, sometimes I felt bored and I skipped whenever I was not interested (I'm a skipper), but I liked the majority of the drama, main couple or not.
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Cute and Fluffy romance, but too much going on for a short drama
"Destined to Meet You" is a short drama with a very complicated plot. With only 20 episodes at 10 mins each (about 3 hrs runtime), it tries to cover too many tropes. - love at first sight, contract relationship, tragic past, amnesia, fight for inheritance and more.If the drama sticks to 2-3 of these tropes, the story would have developed more coherently and there would be fewer plot holes. But if you don't want to think too much and just want to enjoy a sweet romance, this is a good watch. The chemistry between the leads is pretty good, and the acting is decent. I have always liked Yang Ze and would like to see him in fewer web short dramas like this or "The Killer is also Romantic" but in bigger productions like in "No Boundary".
I have a hard time with the dubbed voices and find the FL's voice slightly annoying in the beginning. Nonetheless, their interaction is cute. It's nice to see a girl taking the initiative in a relationship. I thought she would be a little more experienced in love since she's 5 years older, but she acts like she doesn't know much in the beginning. Their relationship progresses well throughout the drama. The secondary couple is OK to me. A few comedic moments of 2FL's clumsiness but not much depth to their storyline.
Overall, it's a quick and easy watch to kill time, and I like the songs.
Completed: 1/18/2023
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This review may contain spoilers
Story :It’s such a good drama. Really. Not just because the actor is Kimura Takuya who I adore the most in my teenage day. LOL. It talks about the traumatic in the brain which caused Ieji lost his memory and saw his present wife and son in a mask. I don't know if that possible in a real world or not, but the idea is interesting enough for me. Well, the lack of detail for me is just that they don’t really explain why Ieji saw a mask on his wife and son face (even the silliest explanation). I know it's the side effect of the accident, but why mask? Why not something else? But after all, it’s good movie ^_^
Acting/Cast :
Kimura Takuya acting is not something for debated or questioned, he can be anyone he told to be ^_^ As for Ueto Aya, I can't clearly seen her acting in this drama because most of the time she wore a mask.. ^_^;
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More Than What You Think
First A Warning. This drama contains a fair amount of triggering/sensitive content (other than just the student-teacher relationship.) It can be incredibly cringy at times but if you can get past the cringy-ness then this drama can be quite the entertaining ride. Shocking and cringey but entertaining.It's a bit difficult to write a review about this drama without giving away any spoilers because the description would have you believe this drama is just about a teacher and her student and their taboo relationship but there’s really a lot more to this drama that is revealed as the story progresses. There's bullying, revenge, scandal, past secrets, deception, and obsession/stalking, and not all from people you would normally suspect.
If you were to drop this drama in the first few episodes you would completely miss out on so much more story. There are many moving parts and storylines that trickle out all the way until the last episode. While the first couple of episodes seem a bit ridiculous in terms of how the ML acts towards the FL and how the FL reacts to him, about halfway through this drama things take a big turn.
I was not expecting so many little twists and turns. At times I was thoroughly shocked but no matter what was happening I could not stop watching and I'm glad I didn't because things really weren't always what they seemed to be. It's been a long time since I've been so surprised and entertained.
The romance was okay. It wasn't x-rated by any means. There were some very satisfying kisses.
As for the acting, I've seen Tiffany Hsu's acting before. She's a good actress and her performance here is very good even though her character had to be quite cold and somewhat stoic. There are reasons she acts the way she does. I didn't quite understand why her character didn't react the way I would think she would but again, there's more to her character's story...
The acting by Edward Chen wound up being very good. I found him so annoying as a teenage spoiled brat. At first, I didn't like him at all, but then I realized that a teen boy can be like that. Annoying, obnoxious, and immature. Sometimes he may have overacted but that was mainly in the beginning and sort of phased out as the story played out.
If you're looking for a story that has some unexpected turns then this is a story for you. There is a cringe factor here but I think it was all worth it. Overall, this drama is quite a wild ride.
I doubt I would rewatch this drama again because the shock value is gone but I definitely enjoy watching.
Would Recommend
Would Not Re-watch
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CORNIEST BUT FUNNIEST BL DRAMA
The core strength of this series originated from its shallow yet comedic scenes. What did I drink to make every silly lines laughable? If I could remove one character here, then it is Nueng. I don't want to be rude but his existence is pointless. All of the characters have their share of funny/worthy scenes but his scenes are too problematic.Seeing how low the overall rating is, I could say a lot of people watched this expecting that this will be a serious and complicated series jampacked with romantic scenes. Try to do some quick research first. Well, there are some unreasonable instances that I remember which I can't stand though (not even resolved properly):
1. The use of a rape victim to rape someone
2. Selective discrimination
3. Physical assault
4. Identity Crisis
Homophobic scenes are not a concern for me. In my point-of-view and although we are living in the modern era, it just shows that we must still face the adversities while the world is trying to change. Raising awareness to this kind of issues comes with facing the reality.
Referencing SOTUS series is a YES for me. I just finished it a few days ago and it is a good series for me too.
The casts made this a very watchable series. I never thought I would see Khaotung (as Chonlatee) who acts a cutey childish role. He really nails it and I realized that he's a versatile actor. There is Mike-Top-Ciize with their lovely flirty relationship. Neo (as Na) has the corniest execution and lines I've ever seen but the weird thing is I find his role funny that I still laugh on his corny jokes. Kapook (as Amp) portrayed well as a wicked evil soul. They all did a fantastic job!
There are minor scenes that I hate a little bit but overall, this was entertaining. I've never laughed so hard in a series since I watched Bad Buddy before. This is such an underrated series. I never expected to be this low. It should range from 7.8-8.0 out of 10.
IF YOU PLAN TO WATCH THIS WITH A SERIOUS AND COMPLICATED MINDSET, THEN DON'T! This is a series with 70% Comedy and 20% Romance and 10% Drama mixture.
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