Ongoing 12/12
The Eclipse
3 people found this review helpful
Aug 28, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.5

A curse? What curse?

The story in itself is promising but the execution is a bit messy.
Three episodes in and there are pieces of the plot I wished were more installed and others I wished we'd discover later in the story to keep things fresh and make us feel like everything is planned out.
I'd have enjoyed the idea of a very present threat, of a curse every student believes in, to create a real tense and heavy atmosphere. As for Dika, I'd have liked it better if he was introduced a bit later, thus making Ayan look even more mysterious since we don't know his true motives.

A lot of things are put out there and it creates a bit of a messy development: the curse is mentioned but it's hard to know if students strongly believe in it or only think of it as a kind of joke or unrealistic threat, Ayan's uncle has come into the picture thus revealing Ayan's presence in Suppalo, Khan and Thua's relationship is unclear too since they both give each other the cold shoulder but at the same time, they seem to care about each other... and how can a powerful and elite school like Suppalo feel threatened by three students who aren't even that rebellious (they're only shown once or twice with casual clothes in school and end up complying with the rules even though they dislike it!)?
I think the further we go in the story, the more everything comes into place but it's a bit of a shame that the title of the series and its premise feel like it's just a mere detail of the story.

Of course, I do enjoy the "cat and mouse game" between Akk and Ayan. One teases the other, consequently, the other gets flustered... it's cute and quite well-executed (though it drags on for a long time). Akk and Ayan's actors have nice facial expressions and lively eyes.
I think Khan and Thua's relationship evolves nicely too (that scene when they're sleeping next to each other and Khan's owning up to his feelings...absolutely adorable!). It's a good thing that they've changed the dynamics they had in Fish upon the Sky, this way, it doesn't bring a sense of deja-vu.
Dika's story is, in my opinion, what is the most interesting aspect of the plot, and I found myself looking forward to knowing more about it while the curse is just a plot device that is not well used (at least at the beginning of the drama, the "mystery" behind the curse unfolds later and gets clearer).

Some dialogues and some scenes feel a bit stiff, nothing too cringy but there are silences that drag on weirdly between two sentences or the way the dialogues are delivered is not very natural with some actors.

No matter my criticisms, I've not dropped this series and it was a rather pleasant drama to watch!

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
The Love by Hypnotic
3 people found this review helpful
by JulesL
Oct 19, 2020
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

Wonderful love story enhanced by the fantastic chemistry between the OTP and an awesome OST

I started this drama expecting a light romantic comedy but was pleasantly surprised by the emotional roller coaster ride towards the end. The comedic moments were certainly there, and there were many times when I laughed out loud. When I re-watched some scenes, I found myself already giggling and laughing before the scenes even began. This show was not perfect, but I like the writing because it managed to make me sympathize with the villains. I even shed tears for them, especially for Li Xun (Zhang Bo Ham) because they were portrayed so well by the actors, and no character felt one-dimensional.

There were many kissing scenes, rare for C-dramas, and so nicely done (no stiff pecks on the lips for the leads)! I love how the male lead's natural reaction was always to kiss the female lead, and the skinship made the romance felt real. I enjoyed watching the interactions between the OTP, and the progression of their relationship. Some scenes unexpectedly became memorable to me, like the wedding dance and the arrow shooting ceremony.

Li Qian is now one of my favorite male lead characters because he was never foolish, even as he fell head over heels for Ming Yue. Throughout the challenges and hardships that they had to go through, he was thoughtful and smart. He was so devoted to Ming Yue and remained steadfastly committed to her and their love. Also, unlike the male leads in other shows, he makes it clear from the get-go, his lack of interest, and has no qualms about rejecting the second female lead. Plus, he had such good lines when it came to romancing his lady! Fang Yi Lun did a great job, playing the fine-looking, intelligent, fair, but initially emotionally unapproachable 9th prince. He was able to display a range of emotions when necessary in the various scenes. I hope to see him in more lead roles. He is multi-talented since he also sang some of the tracks for the OST. As for Ling Mei Shi, I believe this is her first lead role as well, and she shined as the cute, mischievous, and street-smart Ming Yue.

I was also impressed by Ni Han Jin. He is certainly sexy with a great body but it was his acting as Yun Si that kept me invested in his story with Ming Yue. One could feel his pain from losing his one and only so unfairly and understand why his broken heart drove him to desperate measures. I had less sympathy for Hui Xin and her obsessive unrequited love, but Zhou Zi Xin portrayed the lovely but conniving character well. Another character I liked was Si Kong Zhen, played by Dong Yan Lei. His bromance with the male lead provided many entertaining scenes, and his dedication to their friendship made for some heartwarming moments.

The OST made its way onto my regular playlist - that's how much I liked it! Overall the songs complemented the scenes so nicely, and the instrumental pieces fitted the moods well.

I rated the re-watch value pretty high since I will likely watch this show again when I am in the mood for romantic kiss scenes, hilarious moments, or heartbreaking tear-jecking parts.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
The Penthouse Season 3: War in Life
3 people found this review helpful
Sep 10, 2021
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Ridiculously addicting

I am at a loss for words after finishing the last episode and writing this. I've watched this from the beginning and honestly, it's an extremely ridiculous and absurd drama but still, it's lowkey addicting. I think I really enjoyed the chaos and will be missing my weekly dose of craziness but at the same time, I really hate the storyline and the way some characters are written!

I definitely wasn't a huge fan of the ending and not even the whole s3. Sometimes it was dragging and the other times it was pacing so fast! The pacing was very bad and the butchered storyline was so annoying but I just have to say one thing which is I've never seen any drama like Penthouse before so props to Penthouse for being one of the craziest kdramas in existence!!

In the end, the writer literally killed off most of the liked characters and the ones who were alive had a character development(?) I really loved our Seokrona couple - was one of my favourite things about this drama and I'm glad they got a good ending.

There were a lot of plot holes and explanations undone such as 'Where is real Dantae/fake Junki?' 'How did Kang Mari see Suryeon in the last episode? She saw a ghost?' 'How did Seojin get out?' 'Where is Hyein?' I think they could've done this way better and the ending wasn't satisfactory but I guess it is what it is.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
A River Runs Through It
3 people found this review helpful
by mh20
Aug 12, 2023
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

fell in love with the ML

Honestly, i would love to consider the entire show a waste of time but the first half was genuinely great, the character development and friendships were amazing 10/10, i loved the cast so much and the male lead was perfect, he was everything i wanted him to be, he was the only reason i watched all 36 episodes of this,
there is a "love triangle" in this which is basically a mess created by the FL, she just cant seem to see what's in front of her and she's so dismissive of the ML when he confesses to her, i found her plain rude too,
she wants to protect him but shes the one hurting him the most, i couldnt stand that.
i dont know what the directors did to the ending of this show, i'd assumed with it being so long we'd at least get a couple of episodes worth of content with the main leads being together but we dont, we dont get a single proper episode of them just being in love, the FL was overly frustrating for the last 10 episodes and the ML was a bit of a jerk in the last couple of episodes (although i do understand why he wants her to go through it after the way she treated him, but still)
overall, this drama was frustrating, the ML became one of my favourite characters, hes so considerate and sweet, he anticipates what the FL wants and does everything to make her happy, shes just emotionally stunted and blind to whats in front of her, i lowkey wished he'd fall in love with someone else just so i could stop seeing him pine after someone that barely saw his worth anyway,
the second? leads (the biker couple) were super cute together and i wished i could have seen them mature and grow in their relationship but instead they break up??? and she ends up with a childhood friend that i had all but forgotten about till he turned up last minute,
Cheng lang and his gf were super sweet together too, till they weren't- i do not know for what reason the writers decided that no one would be happy together? you could see how much his gf loved him but they had to bring the pianist back into the plot? and then she doesnt even end up with him???? we just see cheng lang unhappy at the end like, tf?
I also dont remember anything about the soundtrack so im it definitely wasnt memorable
this barely made sense, but thats what the drama was like, will not be rewatching, but i also dont really regret watching, it was definitely an experience

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
My Day
3 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

It's good, it's bad. Highs are high, lows are low.

Has there ever been a drama with this amount of bad, yet the good parts were epic? Surely not. Has there been a trainwreck that was actually beautiful and redeemed itself? Surely not.

The good:
Eventually, the chemistry was there.
The scenes which were intimate were done memorably well.
The orchestral score of the main OST was epically spliced where needed.
It was so not fully focused it wasn't predictable.

The in-between:
The acting was hit or miss.
The plot holes were enough to swallow much of South East Asia.
There were some directing directions there may have worked if they were, actually, directed. I'm looking at you improvised episode.

The bad:
What the hell is up with those fantasy scenes? Ms. Becky spent a good 10 minutes in some fairy tale dusting?
Certain scenes were just cringy and seemed to lack proper direction, eg. in the pool where Ace was trying to avoid Sky. It just looked like bad acting.
It was so not fully focused it wasn't predictable.

The show started with such a wonderful premise: a university student needing an internship gets one of the least picked and hardest ones then is forced into a competition taking on the name of the company and national pride. This theme was explored somewhat well in the beginning. The boss being a harsh taskmaster was explored, but not enough. Ace just became too nice too quickly. The one good thing is the direction of the story never had the viewer foreseeing what will happen next. It was so all over the place that it wasn't really predictable, just as with Ace just becoming nice.

Ace's relationships and interactions with the other characters were well done at times. We get such a good development of this "rich kid" who seems to have it all but actually has deep-set issues. The comparison to his life with Ms. Becky and Sky's family was done well. Could have been better, but was alright. His coming out scene with his "best friend," Kim, was one of those well-done scenes.

There were so many plot holes! The kidnapping of Chux Chux did not feel like the few days which the story suggests. There was also no real motivation for Celyn going against Moira in this issue. Let's not talk about the trope mad, ex-girlfriend getting "revenge!" What are her motivations? What was her background? We get none of this! We had some of Sky's classmates being bullies, then, suddenly, in another scene we see them begging forgiveness. What?

Melodrama was definitely defined in this series! Over the top crying, shouting, fainting! Indian and Korean stories would be taking notes!

All in all the series is definitely a guilty pleasure as defined by an MLD member. It was bad and cringy, but still had you looking at what was next, even if it was just to hate it! The series is not for everyone, but will still keep your attention if you like having a suspension of disbelief. Not really a trainwreck, not really all on the tracks, but hit some stations, stoped way past some, and just ran through some. I can only hope Oxin, the producer, will grow from here seeing that it was their first real outing into drama.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Return
3 people found this review helpful
by chi
Mar 22, 2018
34 of 34 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.5
This drama is so far one of my favorites so far. The amount of thrill and suspense this drama has is off the charts and I cannot stress it enough how I enjoyed this drama loads.

What made this drama so worthwhile was the acting, especially the Bong Tae Gyu who played Kim Hak Bum in this drama. His acting was phenomenal that it made me hate his character so much throughout the whole drama. Shin Sung Rok acted perfectly to show Oh Tae Suk's psychotic personality and it made me scared a little.

This drama delivers the message of decisions, and how each decision comes with a responsibility. The drama was able to deliver how bad decisions can not only affect you but also your surroundings. The drama also depicts the saying of how 'History repeats itself' and the way they cover up their bad decisions is constantly repeated even when they were young.

At the first the character Choi Ja Hye was played by Ko Hyun Jung which is then replaced by Park Jin Hee till the end. Although I was a little afraid that the change in leads may ruin the drama, but honestly the way the introduced Park Jin Hee in the drama was really good. Park Jin Hee's acting was also amazing and she is extremely beautiful.

The most upsetting thing about this drama is the lack of screen time for the leads. Throughout this drama you get to see a lot more of the elite group of friends instead of Choi Ja Hye and Dokgo Young who are the main characters. But their screen time increases more towards the end especially when Park Jin Hee comes into play.

The ending of the drama is quite sentimental, I got a little emotional to be honest. But the ending was quite vague and it doesn't show much of what happened to the other characters in the drama.

For those who can handle violence, this drama is one I would love to recommend. I really enjoyed the intensity of the whole show and how it made you want to know what is next.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
6 from High&Low the Worst
3 people found this review helpful
Oct 4, 2022
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

A Star of Hope

In a world in which movies and series have come to revolve around sex and toxic relationships, there still are precious gems glistening in the dirt for you to pick up. One such gem is 6 from High&Low The Worst – a beautiful, thought-provoking story of friendship and love, and their power to heal and uplift even the most desolate of us.

If I could give this series eleven stars, I would have done so because it deserves way more recognition than it has got. Most importantly, it deserves to be watched not only by fans of the action-packed High&Low franchize. Taking a step away from the fighting that the franchize is famous for, it explores the human nature and the transformative effect that the kindness of others has on it.


If you are a newcomer to the world of High&Low, you can enjoy this story as a stand-alone, although my advice is to skim through the movie High&Low The Worst first to learn helpful background information about the characters, especially about Arata. This will give you insight into their personalities and make you like and understand them more. You might also stop reading my review because it contains spoilers from the previous instalments.

For established fans of the franchize, this series will be a joy to watch.
High&Low The Worst left me craving for more information about the six childhood friends. Their tight-knit group endeared itself to me immediately, and their readiness to go through hell and back for each other made me admire them even more by the end of the movie. This series traces their lives in the aftermath of the Hope Hill massacre that brought Arata back home and fleshes them out as characters while again testing their love and loyalty for each other. Individually and together, they are good-hearted people with relatable dreams and struggles, and it is almost impossible not to root for them.

A tasty omelette leads Arata, who works as a welder and is slowly but steadily getting his life back on track, to a surprising discovery about his family that inspires him to pursue his childhood dream and maybe even help another youngster gone astray find a purpose in life.

Seiji, "a star of hope for a desperate community," still excels at his studies and is on his way toward a bright future – or at least he was on his way. Amidst the joy of reuniting with his closest friends, tragedy strikes, threatening to take away the life that he has known until now from him.

Strong girl Madoka is preparing for a clarinet competition that means more to her than her friends know, while cheerful Masaya and quiet Shinya deal with the challenges that love throws their way.

Finally, good-natured but hot-headed Fujio, the narrator of this story and the heart of the group, who brings everyone together, fights against the waves of life with both fists and heart, learning and maturing in the process.

If the principled delinquents of Oya High are the ones who have charmed you, do not worry: cool Tsukasa, jittery Jamuo, and their friends Shibaman and Tsuji are also here, and although they do not have much screen time, their story is memorable. As an old friend suffering from loneliness and poverty returns to town, it is up to them to open their hearts to forgiveness and save him.


There are so many things that 6 from High&Low The Worst deserves praise for that it will be difficult for me to mention all of them, so I will underscore those that left the biggest impression on me.

The representation of women in this series is laudable. Madoka with her fearlessness and kindness is not the only one who shines. Maho, Zumi, and Fujio's mother, while being physically weaker than the guys, are more than a match for them in spirit. As a girl who grew up with boys for friends and lost her father, I relate to their struggles and feel inspired by their inner strength way more than by the "strong, independent woman" archetype that Hollywood has been promoting in its movies.

The two budding romances are cute and healthy. Tough guys Masaya and Shinya's becoming shy and mumbling in front of their crushes is funny and delivers an important message: a real man is not someone who abuses the weak or refuses to show vulnerability, but someone who is reliable, gentle, and strong when the situation requires it.

As is typical for this franchize, the bromance is both subtle and obvious.
Tsukasa and Fujio are going strong despite their limited screen time together. The more cool-headed Tsukasa steps in as a voice of reason when quick-tempered Fujio is about to do something stupid without thinking it through. They are a great duo, whose respect for and devotion to each other is admirable.
The sweet bromance between Seiji and Arata, which was hinted at in High&Low The Worst, was suggested in this series too. I hope that it will be developed more in the subsequent installments because they have great chemistry.


Overall, I think that this series is more than worth the watch. Heart-breaking, healing, and uplifting, it teaches that friendship, love, and forgiveness are the greatest force for good in life.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
365: Repeat the Year
3 people found this review helpful
Dec 1, 2020
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
if you want to watch something not very rushed and clearly thought out drama about time traveling this might be a good choice . i started watching this because of one of favorite actors lee joon hyuk , but this drama was a very good shot.
up until the things get revealed , it has a good watch value , contrary to some opinions , i think that the last 2 or so episodes were amazing as well, and in a kdrama world where they always mess up the plot for no reason , this drama held out well. in first few episodes you might be baffled what is going on , but its not that hard to keep on track . in the later episodes things will get intense ( but no dragging ) . it was a clearly well written and directed drama , almost no plot holes and even if things get predictable , there are hardly any cliches. this is not the most mind-blowing time travel drama in the sense that its not that complex, if you hold into some key points then its enjoyable to watch. there will be many twists , so many twists but you won't regret them , none of them are unnecessary.
the acting was on point. there were no overdrawn cliches and despite having dynamic leads there was no romance at all , which in a sense helped the drama to get into another level , because there were no other variables involved, for which i really liked the drama. i can't deny that i wanted to see their cute moments but the pace of it really over shadowed my desire for it haha . each of their acting was natural and when i say it felt natural i mean all of the lead characters and side characters . their portrayal really felt so real. aside from the main leads , i really liked the acting of the actress who was se rin 's character she was very good .
the drama had a very good ending and i am glad that they didn't drag it for making 16 episodes and ended it at 12. i always felt like time travel or mystery dramas can be very well made into 12 episodes or 14 at least , then there remains no unnecessary dragging involved. my review might not be very articulate , but i really want to people to watch it if they read this review. it was one of the best dramas i have ever seen in terms of time travleling , which never felt out of line for one moment , it started good , continued good and ended very good. a very well written , directed and acted drama.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Black
3 people found this review helpful
Oct 8, 2018
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This is by far the best tv series I've ever seen in entire life. The level of drama, plot twist and adrenaline-driven is almost out of this world. Every scene is beautifully executed without redundancy nor typical meaningless Korean style. It is also emotional and has multiple level of meaning which drive me empty after finish watching. I rate 10/10 and would recommend it to anyone intelligent and fond of action-mystery-thriller-slight romance movie.
The series is quite long with me finished after 3 consecutive night, but it totally worth it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Secret Mother
3 people found this review helpful
Dec 6, 2020
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

A Serviceable Thriller

I've skipped past this many times thinking the synopsis sounded unappealing, rich mommies mentally abusing their children - no thanks.
Yet in reality this is a perfectly serviceable Kdrama Thriller suffering from all the usual problems but with some great performances and a compelling enough story.

The story whilst interesting and (at least in the beginning) a little difficult to predict soon settles into something a bit more predictable. Fortunately the trip to the eventual dénouement has a plethora of twists and turns to keep you interested.
As usual for Kdrama thrillers the need to spin things out throws up situations where logic, police procedure, common sense and occasionally the space time continuum go out of the window. I never found it to be immersion breaking though and was dragged along with little effort.
The side characters stories I found to be less compelling at least after the first few episodes. The mystery vanished leaving fairly pedestrian relationship plots behind. Nothing you haven't seen before in some form or another though it was nice to see how supportive all of them turned out to be.

Acting: Some fine performances from Song Yoon Ah and Kim Tae Woo made up for a slightly less accomplished one from Kim So Yeon. Song Jae Rim I found disappointing. Everyone else did a good job with the parts they were given with a special mention for Kim Ye Joon.

Music: I actually enjoyed the music in this and whilst it was overplayed I never really tired of it.

Rewatch: Probably not at least not until I have forgotten all the twists.


TLDR: An enjoyable thriller with enough to lift it above the norm without it being a classic.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
The Legend of Zhuohua
3 people found this review helpful
Sep 24, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 4.5

A happy couple ending to make us forget the lost plot @_@ (well guess what I didn’t forget-_-)

This drama had so so very much potential but alas in the final hour we the viewers received a major upset and letdown. I originally chose to watch this because of how much I loved Feng Shao Feng in Minglan as well as the storyline it was intriguing. He plays a totally different character in this drama and I think he did a splendid job and his versatility speaks to how good of an actor he is. As well as the female lead and the rest of the cast everyone did a pretty great job acting their roles.

This drama is classic case of what I have been seeing with many new dramas of the writers being too clever for themselves and wanting to have their cake and eat it. Too many times have I been watching a newer drama and the most chaotic and unhinged arc happens only for the audience to find out after many wasted eps that it was all a ruse planned by the main leads. It’s a bit silly no? Then we get these long ass flashbacks of how they did everything. It’s lazy writing to me and shows that the writers could not commit confidently to a single storyline and I despise it. They think it creates gag worthy iconic moments when it really just undermines the entire drama’s plot as well as kills any future viewer suspense. We lose trust in the story and its credibility moving forward.

This drama had me cackling and giddily kicking my feet at all the hilarious and cute moments for a good 25ish eps and then it really just went downhill after the king passed! To say I had whiplash would be an understatement such an enjoyable drama turned into a snooze fest of an unhinged raging bratty villain who claimed they were doing it for the citizens but really they were just as bad as those they were “fighting”. I found it very hard to understand the villains motivations as I believed what happened to them did not warrant all the people they killed. This led me to be frustrated and bored while watching the last 10 eps.

This is also called the Legend of ZHOUHUA not the legend of zhouhua and crew lol. I felt too many unnecessary side stories were focused on too damn long and I don’t mean of our favorites those were fine but you know which ones. The ones that had you thinking “hmm it’s been awhile since I have seen the mains leads, where are they?”. I think that the story kinda gave Zhouhua’s main story the cold shoulder in the second half which I didn’t appreciate bc that’s what we all were here for. Focused too much on monologues and how the villains basically villained if that makes sense lol. She rises quite high in rank but if you ask me what she did to get that high well I wouldn’t really be able to tell you. I think per usual the writers wanted to pad a female character with a fantastic armor of a story but not really take time to make sure the story was properly carried out and handled.

The music for this drama was pretty good I enjoyed it a lot and will be saving to my playlist. Now y’all know dang well this drama don’t deserve no 8+ rating lol. But all in all if you need something in a bind to watch I guess this is okay but lower your expectations and don’t take it too seriously. Seriously or you’ll be in for a world of frustration lol. Enjoy.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Krong Kiattiyot
3 people found this review helpful
Nov 7, 2022
15 of 15 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
This was actually really nice.
First : one of these rare lakorn where the male lead is just a GEM ! Not only he is nice, he’s also very funny, charming and head over heels towards the female lead. His charming, humorous and carefree personality are one of the best assets of the drama and I cannot help but think that no one could have played this better than Andrew ! His relationship with the female lead is so pure and loving and this feels like a breath of air amongst all of these angsty lakorns : I was especially surprised as the author who wrote the original novel is specialized in toxic, unhealthy relationships being romanticized in the worst kind of slap and kiss and as a result, I usually hate her stories (I can enjoy some slap and kiss but only at a certain degree ; and the author really seems to think that there’s something okay about a man physically abusing you). So I was surprised to see her pulling off a healthy and pure romance between two leads and even a male lead who behaves like a gentleman and not a monster in human shape. Come to think, it’s a bit of a shame that she didn’t write more stories like these since she’s obviously doing a better job than at writing slap and kiss)
Also, the story never stops moving on : we have a good pacing and the story doesn’t uselessly drag.
Another very good asset : the supporting characters. I liked the fact that all of the supporting characters had their own stories, their own struggles, their evolutions and had as much (or almost) screen time as the leads. I think that lakorns that succeed giving a good writing to their supporting characters are pretty rare so it makes me appreciate this one even more.
But just like I said, what I love the most is the « innocence » of the story : we laugh and we smile with the leads and other characters, who show great acting skills, and this feels like such a relief.
Of course, there are some flaws. I’d say, the biggest is that it’s hard to define what is the triggering factor of the story itself or the main focus : the leads met and they fall in love. Hmm, a big light ? I mean, when we watch the series, it is good but I would hardly know how to make one want to watch that or distinguish it. I think that they tried to focus on the fact that Fluke, the FL, lived in a « cage », unlike Kett, the ML, but it was clumsily conveyed. It didn’t feel like the FL was imprisoned or overpressured by her parents, but simply that they were overprotective with her and a bit narrow-minded, but to call it « being caged » feels exaggerated.
Also, although FL is cute, sometimes, she really felt TOO naive and innocent like a child, like someone who gets caught in the flow but doesn’t take control on her own. So if you hate naive, stupid, weak FL and wants a strong, badass girl… sorry but you better back off.
Also… I know i said their romance was one of the best assets of the drama and I still think it is, especially in the world of lakorns, full of angsty, frustrating, toxic relationships : but it sometimes felt clumsy. We don’t really know what makes it that Kett is so crazy about Fluke and we don’t really feel either that she fell for him but more like once again, she got caught in a flow and followed it without questions. When watching the leads, I sometimes felt that rather than looking at two grownups, I was looking at two kids playing lovey-dovey.
But these last point can be easily overcome, I think.
So I think it’s quite a pity that this lakorn wasn’t subbed as it probably was, in my opinion, one of the best lakorns at the end of the 90s.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
My Mister
3 people found this review helpful
Nov 22, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 10

important to me

This review is highly personal, but to the effect of how personal My Mister was to its two leads, and to the characters surrounding them, I can only extend the same.

There are so many things I want to say about 나의 아저씨. I want to say thank you to the writers for believing in the resilience to find what makes one happy and not walk along streets without sighing every few steps what makes us wake up each morning to get into our clothes. What makes us smile and say thank you and think we are good.

When I was in my freshman year of college, my first semester, I was in the lowest place. What got me out wasn't people. It wasn't my family, the few real friends I had, or even the faint dream I had been conjuring, which is now my foremost motivator. It was anime. It was the illusory friendships and the strength of "nakama" found in a silly adventure starting from a barrel. But what it really was, and what I've realized steadily with the kinds of shows and stories I draw to, is a semblance of the real, human closeness that to this day I hesitate to extend to my siblings, much less my friends. I realized that first year that I couldn't open up to others which remains key to my identity, which in the past few years I expressed more in writing or other artistic works I would share with others.

In this sense I related most strongly with Park Dong-hoon, although I am not well into any career nor married, I don't really talk to people when I have problems. I hold it in, and try to resolve it on my own. Occasional stories empower me such as this one, and the most significant preceding, Lucifer. Stories tell relationships and conversations between old friends. 나의 아저씨 is a "Korean drama" then in the truest sense of the word. I have not seen a work on the screen, while still young to it, as close to common and familial Korean manners of interaction, from the many Koreans I interacted with during my childhood and through today. 나의 아저씨 is not your standard "K-drama" although it is intensely emotional, incredibly emotional, one of the most emotionally powerful works of television I have seen ever since I started watching these pretenses. I don't think I've seen my eyes as red as they were, looking at myself in the mirror, after the last episode. That of course is a personal sharing and many K-dramas are emotional, that is what they are known to be. But this is different. How do these three people act as if they've known each other for over forty years as brothers? It's not too easy to describe their mannerisms well but as a Korean who grew up with a Korean brother, while these three were in their forties, I saw it. I saw it when their mother, a halmoni, reprimanded them and made their box lunches; my mother did the same for my education all until college. The screenplay more broadly was, especially for the drama, impactful, realistic in the manner of Korean speech, heartfelt, memorable, and grounded. There were many moments throughout where, sensitized as I have been to the tropes of storytelling, I had certain expectations, and they were simply ignored for a more realistic or compelling to-character decision and event. I am almost surprised that the land of Korean drama has works such as these, from my limited exposure, and particularly for why I even watched this one in the first place - IU, or her real name, Lee Ji-eun, my favorite artist.

I sampled some of the first episode of Hotel Del Luna and didn't much like what I saw of IU's character there. I started 나의 아저씨 and pretty quickly saw that Lee Ji-eun is, well, a pretty good actress, way better than I expected, perhaps I bent too much into her singing voice than her acting voice. While of course this was not watching a part of Lee Ji-eun's life, but a character she portrayed, some aspects are shared, such as her childhood being raised by her grandmother. I thus felt not only watching the character of Lee Ji-an, but also a part of Lee Ji-eun, whom I only knew as IU; I feel like she put a great part of herself into her performance. Having listened to her discography in release order prior to 나의 아저씨 and reading about her career, I saw some of what she put of herself in her music, in 나의 아저씨. An artist-to-person experience that I feel honored to have watched. One could say that this entire series is about waiting for IU to smile; and while certainly that is the case, there are many other things. Lee Ji-an is closed off to others for parts of her past, and doesn't trust others; doesn't think she's necessarily a "good person." Park Dong-hoon isn't happy as a general manager at a large corporation, and doesn't tell his family and friends what he's feeling. It is when these two meet, amidst the political machinations of the corporation, that spring a subtle, particular, special, under-explored relationship. The word "ajeossi" (아저씨) is not quite "mister" as it's used in America; it's not even the way the girl sees the older man in Goblin, which plays for a potential romance between the two, which is not the case here; or the anime After the Rain. While as with the Goblin who plays a "guardian" role, here the two grow to simply need each other in their lives. Do I have someone in my life that keeps me strong? and when I couldn't really think of anybody, I cried. Another way to put 나의 아저씨 is that of two depressed, miserable people who comfort each other in their shared pity. More broadly, "My Mister" is about being happy; and about how you can learn how, from those who keep you strong, those who tell you, "fighting," those who know you, really know you, so that no matter what you do, they don't care. The extent to which you see the characters on 나의 아저씨 be unhappy about their lives is significant; pretty much everyone hates themselves. But they keep living. A group of friends from a town who live together for forty years, is still living there, and they're OK.

행복하자. Let's be happy. It's not an easy thing to do but I hope you find someone who can encourage you to get there. I hope I do.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
En of Love: Love Mechanics
3 people found this review helpful
Jan 6, 2021
4 of 4 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers
there are many parts from the novel that weren't included in the series. I think Vee's character is more better in the series. Since this is a short series wherein they pushed 30+ chapters into 4 episodes, there are parts that are not shown. I am actually amazed on how the actors portrayed their characters especially Yin and War. When you look at War, you could see the emotions overflowing. Yin is so good for a first timer too, I could see the emotions from their eyes. I really love their chemistry too. It felt like they were real. they are so into it. The soundtrack comes in a right timing and scene in the series, but it's too sad. I really love Yihwa's and James' character here too, they know Vee is wrong so they did not side with him.

I've read some reviews about this saying it's all about toxicity and they said the story is bad too, well we have different views/opinions on things.

there are things I would like to say.
1. Vee
- many people are mad at Vee because of what he did to Mark. There are times when we are confused of our feelings. We want them to stay even though you are not clear. We keep being jealous of them because we want them for ourselves. Vee finds comfort from Mark, a feeling where he wants to stay but he is still confused because he has a girlfriend that time, he never felt something for a boy before that.

If we are confused of our feelings, we should not lead other people on. We must be clear before saying things that would make them fall for you more. It is also hard for Vee's part, he had to make decisions he had never done before. he needs to be clear.

Also Vee and Ploy's relationship is not that good anymore. Yes, they still love each other but I guess that's the only thing that's left. They both have "someone" who they found comfort with. but Vee is still a btchass but I kinda understand him though.

2. Mark
-Poor Mark, he fell hard for Vee. It is hard to stop yourself from feeling something. He waited for Vee for a long time. The worst feeling of all is being hurt. You keep asking yourself what you did wrong, why is it like that? You will keep overthinking about it. well love hurts doesn't it? I really felt pain for what Mark has been through.

I think the story facing is just too fast that Mark forgave Vee that easily.

Well I think this series is like from reality that happens around with relationships.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
I Promised You the Moon
3 people found this review helpful
by SweetV
Dec 7, 2022
5 of 5 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

They promised us nothing

As much as I absolutely adored and enjoyed I Told Sunset About You, this sequel disappointed me.

Frankly, Teh’s insecurities and self doubts from ITSBY never resolved and he became the biggest villain of this sequel. HE NEVER ONCE FOUGHT FOR OH. They broke up because he decided he was bored and wanted something new. He cheated (yes, cheated) He got rejected by his coach and then came back to Oh. Then when they broke up, he dated a woman while claiming to Oh that he’s never forgotten him. WHAT?! So while Oh focused on his career, his life, his confidence and himself, Teh decided to ho around. I honestly would’ve liked it if they didn’t end up together at the end.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?