Story of this drama is very serious. Writers brought up very unusual and sensitive humanity related topics like child abuse, abandoning child, foster parents and adoption. Story is quite realistic and has strong sub plots of background of some characters. Story is strong enough to keep you glued to screen from very first moment to very last moment. It’s soft and warm. It’s slow but to enjoy beauty of this kind of drama slow pace is required.
It has one of the most beautiful endings I've ever seen. Writers gave best possible ending.
There isn't overacting like other Asian dramas. Matsuyuki Yasuko is great as Suzuhara Nao. Wonder kid Ashida Mana is incredible at such young age. She is charming and cute. Chemistry between her and Matsuyuki Yasuko is really beautiful. Supporting cast is great too.
With amazing sensitive and moving topic, great acting and superb music makes this drama one of my most favorite dramas.
Mother is a drama which won’t suit many people’s taste. So if you’re bored of sappy and unrealistic dramas or looking for a drama related with humanity and realism, watch it!!
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10/10 EVERYTHING!!
This drama mainly focuses on the aspect of a broken relationship of a mother and it's child after the loss of their husband/father, and its healing journey. it has many emotional scenes as well as uplifting and bubbly comedy that is well executed. I liked the touched-on romance in this drama as well, as it's not really shoved in your face. ALSO TO MENTION!! the revenge plot was just SO GOOD!! it made sure every person got what they deserved!the whole drama is amazing!! this drama is a pure example of how talented lee dohyun is, his character is very broad in this drama from acting as a student to a professional cold-hearted prosecutor to then a 7-year-old, is just so good. The relationship between the son and mother is so pure and emotional, and the wholesome atmosphere of the neighborhood makes you feel as if you’re part of their family. everything was so well made and shown!!! every cast member did amazing!!
if I could I would 100% watch this drama again if I had no recollection of it.
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This review may contain spoilers
The best BL drama out there!
I have always avoided BL dramas. The only BL watched in my life was The Untamed because BL wasn't it's main theme. After seeing many good comments and the high rating, at last, I decided to start my first Thai and fully BL concentrated drama - Bad Buddy.The main reason why I avoided BLs was that I feel that it is toxic. There will be many odious scenes and dialogues. But, after watching this, I reaslised there can be healthy BLs too. I have never seen any BL like this before. So cute, well written, has good lead chemistry, and overall, it's HEALTHY. It kept on getting better and better from beginning to end.
This drama is based on the Thai novel Behind The Scenes by Afterday and -West-. As you have read in the synopsis, this is a shory about two boys, who were forced to be rivals because of their family problems. They had to compete against each other for almost everything. As they grew tired, they became really good friends and then, without even realising, lovers.
Although primarily looking like a comedy drama, it becomes an emotional roller coaster and takes us through all kinds of emotions including happiness, anger, surprise and sadness.
As this is my first Thai drama, I was utterly unfamiliar with the cast. But, this problem didn't last for long. In the first episode itself, I concluded that I am watching a drama with amazing actors.
Nanon Korapat Kirdpan (I still don't know how to say the name) plays Parakul, nicknamed Pran, a neat and tidy perfectionist who always loses his earphones (lol) and Ohm Pawat Chittsawangdee plays the masculine Narpat, nicknamed Pat, who is an impulsive, cheeky guy. They nailed their characters very well that it was very convincing and lovely. Their relation was a kind of love/hate relation at first and they had good chemistry between them. Their kisses were awsome. I have never seen any kiss so pure and true in any BL.
And about the supporting characters. I must say Pa and Ink make an amazing pair. Also the actors who played Pat and Pran's friends also did an amazing job.
The music is nice. I especially liked the songs sung by Nanon himself, 'Just Friends?'. I really liked the lyrics of the songs that implied the relation between Pat and Pran from friends to lovers.
Top soundtracks :
Just Friend? แค่เพื่อนมั้ง by Nanon Korapat Kirdpan
Secret (Won't Tell Anyone That You Like Me First) จะไม่บอกใครละกันว่าเธอชอบฉันก่อน by Kacha Nontanun
Our Song เพลงที่เพิ่งเขียนจบ by Nanon Korapat Kirdpan
The rewatch value is very high, which is rare for any dramas. I will certainly rewatch this drama at any point of time in the future. This is an ideal watch at depressing times. Pran and Pat will help us to relieve our stress with their cuteness.
As I said, I don't ususally watch BLs, particularly the ones with intimate scenes and kisses. I am glad that I did not avoid this one. Bad Buddy is a unique BL production that would change the perspective of BL series. I really appreciate all the cast and crew members who contributed in producing such a fine work.
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Story: [8/10]
I gave the story an 8 because this story lacks a complex plot. It's another one of those drama where the rich upper-class are the villains and our poor (very literally poor) Dr. Heo is the main protagonist.
Dr. Heo Im meets Dr. Choi Yeon Kyung when he time-travels to the present. At first they are constantly at odds with each other. The two begins to get closer as they go on various time traveling excursions into the past. They begin to understand and fall for each other as they spend more and more time in each other's respective time period. The writer and director then sprinkles a little bit of time travel and medicine here and there. This drama is as simple as that. Don't get me wrong though. I really really really liked the drama for its comedy, but the plot (in terms of memorable events ) just doesn't have enough impact. The comedy was also at its best at the beginning of the drama. I was excited to watch the new episode every weekend. Sadly this feeling begin to wear off in the last 4 episodes as the drama was wrapping up.
Cast: [10/10]
The writer and director makes up for the bland plot by creating a drama with very memorable character interactions! Oh man! I completely fell in love with the two main characters in this drama. The actor that plays Dr. Heo is hilarious! I especially loved the hilarious moments at the beginning of the drama when he was trying to adjust to 2017. When the two main characters are together their actions feed off of each other creating some pretty funny moments too. The romantic moments in the shows are pretty great as well. There seemed to be a lot of chemistry between the two. Their kissing scenes were pretty realistic. It's not like some other dramas where it seemed like one of the characters didn't want to be kissed or be there. There were some funny naughty innuendos sprinkled throughout the drama too haha. Overall I'm glad these two were paired together because it made the drama that much greater.
Music: [8/10]
I have nothing much to say about the music and the OST. This drama's main genre isn't music so the music anything new or overly great. Overall I liked the music. It wasn't too memorable, but at least the music didn't seem out of place.
Rewatch Value: [8/10]
This show has a middle of the pack value. It's not on my "must rewatch" list, but at the very least I plan on rewatching it in the distant future .
All in all, what the story lacks in plot, it makes up for with great character interactions. The plot was essentially driven by the two main characters. There's not really much to say about the other characters in the story because they didn't have a major affect on the story. I really enjoyed the good laugh that Live Up To Your Name Dr. Heo provided.
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This review may contain spoilers
Was Love Worth It in the End?
Where do I even begin with this hot mess.The drama centers on Hao Yu (Lu Zhao Hua), the police commissioner's foster daughter, who goes undercover in the criminal underworld for revenge. Along the way, she gets romantically tangled with mafia heir Ji Zhi Jie (Fan Zhi Xin). Her ex-lover, police officer Zhou Zi Heng (Li Jia Bing), conveniently reappears to "help" her. Or so it seems.
First of all, Hao Yu is the worst undercover informant I have ever seen. The signs were practically glowing neon for Ji Zhi Jie--she was not on the "up and up" with him in any way. Her excuses were weak, lies were weaker, and anyone with common sense could see she wasn't telling the truth. But he chose to ignore all of it. Because he loved her that much.
Seriously. No matter what happened, he always took her side.
1. He gets beat down who knows how many times.
2. He gets whipped for her.
3. He crawls on his knees on broken glass to get a key and save her when she's kidnapped.
But of course, she has to "keep up pretenses." She even takes a bullet for him, which convinces him she's fully committed. The signs were there, but he ignored every one of them. Even his closest confidante told him Hao Yu couldn't be trusted. So many people warned him, but he kept choosing to believe her.
And the ridiculousness continues--Zhou Zi Heng is a dirty cop working both sides: feeding information to the police and to the mafia boss who raised both him and Ji Zhi Jie. Naturally, Ji Zhi Jie knows absolutely nothing about any of this. Shocking right?
Finally -- finally -- when his man brings him photos and proof of all Hao Yu has done; he completely breaks down. He kills Zhou Zi Heng, pushes away everyone close to him, and turns into this dark, hardened version of himself. You'd think Hao Yu would exit stage left at that point. Nope. She sticks around because now she wants to bring him down.
Hao Yu had me on my last, last nerve. I don't understand why he didn't just leave her alone. She was truly pathetic. Her infiltration attempts were laughable -- she always got caught, and he always had to save her. That whining, the crying, the clothes, those nails...I simply could not.
Now let's talk about Fan. I love me some Fan. He acted his heart out. But how many times did he grab her by the neck and threaten to kill her? Countless. And yet, he never followed through. He told everyone to leave him because he wanted to take down the councilman, and he begged her over and over: "Don't believe what others say. Trust me." She never did.
He was never the monster they thought he was. He just wanted to end everything so the people he loved could finally live freely. If only she had trusted him -- no matter what.
To finally end things, he chose to become a kingpin because he needed everyone to believe he had turned into the world's worst villain, even though he hated the lies and the cruelty. Behind the scenes, he was working with the cops to make things right. He even met one of the officers to coordinate with Hao Yu. Eventually, the truth came out, and she finally learned who he really was -- someone trying to do the right thing all along.
He gave her so many signs and gestures...but in the end, he still died, saving her. He left so much to her. All his properties. Swiss bank account with money for the children from the orphanage he created for them to go to college.
She did finally understand how much he loved her when she read a note that fell from a book.
"I've knelt three times. The first time, I begged him to let you live. The second time, I begged for the right to die by your hand. The third time, to give thanks for meeting you."
Fan needs to start choosing better scrips. Go back to those Lethal Man style dramas. These recent ones are not doing him any favors. His acting is always solid, but this FL brought nothing to the table for me.
The turbulence never stopped -- because this relationship was doomed from the start.
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The first thing that caught my attention, or should I say that later it totally drew me in is when I found out that our main protagonist is a villain and that he helps bad people and cleans after their dirty work. It was very unusual for me since we are all used with a hero male lead right from the beginning. But, once he finds out that he has a couple of months to life and after his most precious people got infected with the evilness of those bad ones, he changes and fights against them. He's not fighting with fists, but with his intelligence and every episode makes you excited wanting to see who will throw the next 'punch'. How much I was happy and cheering for him at the same time I was angry and furious because how much punches he thrown thinking it will lead him to the winning that much punches were pushing him back. But, I can say that this guy is a true hero and even though he's playing dirty, he's doing it for his beloved ones, for a better tomorrow. I can say that I was maximum invested in a story and I can guarantee that you'll too. If not, you can freely yell at me and get angry.
Another thing that makes this drama strong and deep is its characters. What I loved the most is that every character is not black or white, what more they're all grey with its own faults and mistakes. It was really interesting to watch what character and to what extent he/she can becomes either evil or good. Our main villain, Tae Joon is one of the best and most fascinating villains ever. In fact, I wouldn't consider him a true, pure villain, hmm I'd rather call him a villain with emotions. He knows for a loyalty, respect and love. What this drama makes more special is the relationship he and Jung Hwan shared. Their relationship is some kind of special, filled with respect. I think that he considered Jung Hwan as his own son and that's why their bond never breaked even after Jung Hwan's death.
Our main hero, Jung Hwan as I said before is a man of words, a true hero. I loved that progress in a drama how he was turning from a cold-blooded and ruthless villain to a strong man and a fighter. Since the story is in fact all about characters and their life I don't want to spoil anything about him more.
And the woman I loved the most in this drama is Ha Gyung. Even though everyone around her are playing dirty she's the only one 'clean'. The only one who's following law and principles. She's not stupid nor idealistic. Ha Gyung knows that world is a corrupt, but she took the oath to make a world a better place and she's sticking to it. In a progress of helping Jung Hwan to correct his mistakes and to take care of his responsibilities they slowly learned and felt that their passion and love they had for each other once is not extinguished yet. She's the the female lead I dig and respect most in dramaland: strong and independent.
Oh how much I love when the writing is brilliant and smart, especially when the drama has smart, life lessons dialogues! And this was a case for this drama. Every thing they said, every sentence they sent each other are so smart, clever and well said. Hehe, the funny part is how most of them are related to food giving this drama a great metaphore and comparasion. Actually, using words they throw punches to each other's face.
I have so many words for this drama, but I don't want to ruin the excitement for you. I'm just going to say that it's one hell of a drama, full of suspense, thrilling, intensity and most importantly it'll keep you glued to the screen. I didn't get bored for a second, it's fast pacing with twists and turns on every corner leaving you behind an unforgettable enjoyment.
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This review may contain spoilers
finally completed this series. first of all, i never thought i would randomly start watching this on a tuesday afternoon and end up finishing it immediately. after how season 1 made me feel, i honestly didn’t expect myself to continue this fast. but somehow, here i am, already done with it.this series was genuinely so good. it perfectly portrayed toxic relationships, manipulation, misunderstandings, reconciliation, emotional baggage, and the way people hurt each other when they are overwhelmed by their own emotions. there were friendship betrayals, unresolved feelings, selfish decisions, and so much emotional damage throughout the story. every single character made mistakes, and honestly, all of their feelings were valid in their own ways. what disappointed me the most was how they handled those emotions and situations, but that is also what made the series feel realistic. people are not always rational when they are hurting. sometimes they become unfair, selfish, impulsive, and destructive, and this series captured that perfectly.
first, jack. he is a good person, yes. his feelings were valid and he had every right to be angry at dean. however, the way he handled everything was completely wrong. he treated raffy like a replacement whenever things were not okay between him and dean, and that was honestly selfish because he knew raffy would always come running whenever he called. he took advantage of that vulnerability. jack did not just hurt dean, he hurt raffy too. what made it even worse was how emotionally confusing everything became because he kept holding onto people while simultaneously hurting them. thankfully, he eventually realized the damage he caused and took accountability for his actions. i appreciated that the series did not try to paint him as perfect because it showed that even good people can make terrible decisions when they are emotionally lost.
next, raffy. he was honestly bratty at times and reminded me of boston in some ways. i was especially frustrated during the part where he wanted to ruin jack and dean’s relationship because that was completely wrong. i am not going to defend him for that. there were moments where he allowed his emotions to consume him and became too selfish. however, despite all of that, i still understood him. i am glad he eventually realized that he did not want to become someone like dean. his character development was honestly one of the best parts of the series for me. i understood the pressure he carried as the son of a well-known actress because constantly living under expectations must have been exhausting. he grew up craving validation and affection, which explains why he became emotionally reckless at times. despite all his flaws, he is actually a good person, and i am happy he slowly learned how to grow and become better. seeing him become more self-aware made me appreciate his character even more.
third, rome. i genuinely love him so much. he was completely down bad for raffy, but at the same time, he knew his worth and understood that there is a limit to how long he should wait for someone. that is what i admired most about him. he and raffy honestly deserve each other because they truly understand one another in ways other people cannot. rome can get on your nerves sometimes, but he never crosses the line and he still genuinely cares. he is the type of person who stays honest even when the truth hurts. i also loved how emotionally mature he was compared to everyone else. he knew when to stay, when to wait, and when to protect himself too. i am really thankful raffy had someone he could finally be vulnerable and honest with because raffy clearly needed someone who would understand him without immediately judging him.
fourth, timmy. i am so proud of him because he became everyone’s pillar throughout the series. whenever there was chaos or conflict, he was always the first person trying to calm things down and help others. he is the type of person you can always rely on and depend on no matter what happens. he was such a great friend and producer to all of them. what i admired most about him was how emotionally present he was for everyone even when things became messy. he never made situations about himself. he genuinely tried to understand people and help them fix things instead of making everything worse. every friend group honestly needs someone like timmy.
fifth, arnold. i liked him from the very beginning. he is calm, comforting, and always there whenever tua needed someone. what i love most about him is that he actually communicates with his boyfriend whenever they have problems instead of avoiding difficult conversations. he listens, reassures, and tries to understand instead of immediately reacting emotionally. i genuinely love this character because he brought stability into the story. amidst all the chaos happening around them, arnold remained emotionally grounded.
sixth, tua. no words can explain how much i love his character. he is just too kind that it hurts sometimes. there is something so comforting and genuine about him that makes you want to protect him. he honestly does not deserve to be hurt by anyone. however, despite how kind he is, he is still human, and that is why his flaws felt realistic too. i really did not like the way he acted toward dean after the video of arnold and dean got leaked. they were best friends, and i wished tua had listened to dean first before reacting emotionally. i cannot justify the things he said because he truly hurt dean with his words. at the same time, i know tua never genuinely intended to destroy him. he was hurt too, and emotions got the best of him. that entire fight honestly broke me because you could feel how much love and pain existed between them. seeing friendships fall apart because of misunderstandings and emotional reactions is one of the saddest things ever.
lastly, dean. honestly, i do not even know where to begin. as much as i wanted to stay angry at him because of how he acted, i just could not. deep down, i understood why he did those things. he was hurting so much and trying to figure everything out on his own. dean felt like someone who constantly carried emotional weight by himself while pretending he was okay. what completely broke my heart was the fight between him and tua. i genuinely cried when tua said those things to dean because you could already see how broken dean was even before that moment. it felt like he had reached a point where everything around him was slowly falling apart. the world was honestly so cruel to him. all i wanted was for someone to finally understand him and be kinder to him for once. despite his mistakes, i never saw him as evil. i saw someone who was emotionally lost and desperately trying to survive his own feelings.
overall, i really loved this series. tua and dean’s friendship means so much to me, and i am so happy they eventually talked things out and reconciled. friendship heartbreaks are honestly one of the most painful things in the world because losing someone you considered home hurts differently. romantic heartbreaks hurt, yes, but friendship heartbreaks leave a different kind of emptiness because those are the people who know every version of you.
also, i genuinely did not expect nick to appear, but seeing him there made me realize how much boston had changed. boston used to be such a terrible person, and even he became aware of that. i honestly did not expect nick and boston to end things peacefully this season, so i am thankful they were finally able to communicate properly, even if it was only for one last time. i am especially proud of nick for finally choosing himself over everything else because he deserves so much better. honestly, so does boston. yes, he hurt many people before, but at least he grew and became self-aware. growth does not erase the pain someone caused, but it is still important to acknowledge when someone genuinely changes and reflects on their actions.
everyone in this series deserves so much better. they all deserved love, understanding, healing, and people who would genuinely choose them. one line from the series that really stayed with me was: “choose someone who chooses you.” that line hit so hard because it is true. people should never have to beg for consistency, reassurance, love, or basic respect.
please never lower your standards just because you are afraid of losing someone. know your worth. you are enough, and you deserve people who will never make you question that. never settle for someone who constantly makes you feel unloved, unwanted, or difficult to choose.
also, huge kudos to all the actors who portrayed their roles so well. all of you did such an incredible job and made every emotion feel real and natural. the acting honestly made the entire series even more impactful because you could genuinely feel the pain, tension, comfort, heartbreak, and vulnerability in every scene. nothing felt forced. every character felt alive because of how well the actors carried their roles.
special mention to MIX SAHAPHAP because wow. i honestly never expected to see you in this type of series, but you completely surprised me in the best way possible. your acting was genuinely amazing and emotionally convincing. you portrayed your character with so much depth, and there were scenes where your emotions alone were enough to break my heart. this role honestly showed a different side of you as an actor, and i am genuinely proud of how well you did.
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Thank You does not have the glitz of the popular kdramas but it is a wonderfully well scripted, and well acted production. This is also one of my few favourite kdramas where the female leads are the stars of the show. I fell in love with eight year old Bom and her mother Young Shin. I watched in awe at the incredible acting skills of both.
Yes, it is a tear jerker but it is exceptionally well done, not overly melodramatic and it has its share of tragedies versus realistic outcomes; a perfect balance between sadness and happiness.
It has many of the staples of a kdrama; triangle love story, birth secrets, and serious illnesses but all woven beautifully together. It is a drama about family, love, conviction, and perseverance. It is a gem and is well deserving of my 10 rating.
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2) Storyline/Plot: The continuation of the story and like the 1st season they followed the manga; this season had many important events along with many side stories; cute, romatic, sad, happy,heartwarming moments: it was all there.
3) Acting/Cast: In the first season's review I gave it an 8 but this season I gave it a 9 simply because this season's cast risen and there were cool actors especially those nurse team so cute^^ I totally loved all of them.
4) Music : Just like 1st season's music; it was nice.
5) Rewatch value : it totally deserve to be rewatched over and over again.
6) The ending : I felt sadness when it ended not because it was a sad ending but because I bid farewell to "Itazura na kiss"'s story; there was a total blank after it ended.
7-Overall : Well, I believe this is the best adaptation of Itazura na kiss comparing to other incarnations, "Playfull kiss" was nice but it was short and didn't continue until the end.
Between 1st and 2nd season there have been 50 episodes but I still want more. Apparently, The 3rd season's rumor isn't coming to life but i will never forget this drama : for real it's one of the greatest ever!
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Brotherhood, Self-sacrifice, Touching, Funny, Great Acting
This is an uplifting youth drama. It is humorous and heartwarming with amazing story telling and fantastic acting. There is no romance, which I’m very pleased because I’m tired of the tropey romance that has been churned out repeatedly. This story is about brotherhood and friendship, set in the year of 2005 when flip phones were in use, in a third tiered city north of Beijing close to the border of Korea where the Korean language is widely spoken.Ye Xiaowen (Chen Youwei) is a 17 year old orphan living in the orphanage when Gao Yang’s (Xin Yunllai) father, Gao Bin (Lu Fangsheng), a divorcee, finds him and takes him home to live with them, without telling Gao Yang Ye Xiaowen's background. Gao Yang is also 17 years old and both kids sit together in class and sleep in the same bedroom. At the beginning, Gao Yang cannot understand why his father has taken home a boy whom he has never known, to live them and he’s pretty unhappy about it. In every way, he tries to make life difficult for Ye Xiaowen. Ye Xiaowen is an introvert who doesn’t show his feelings easily and endures all the abuses Gao Yang throws at him. Through misunderstanding and rumors, both Ye Xiaowen and Gao Yang had thought Ye Xiaowen a bastard child of Gao Bin, and this has created hilarious events until Gao Bin proves that he’s not the father. Gao Yang later finds out that Ye Xiaowen is an orphan and since then, he vows to take care and protect Ye Xiaowen with everything he can.
Gao Bin is a PE teacher but he’s not very well disciplined and Gao Yang has no confidence in everything his father does. Ye Xiaowen is a competent long-distance runner and Gao Bin becomes his coach and he aims to help Ye Xiaowen compete and win scholarships to get into his dreamed university. However, due to Gao Bin’s lack of discipline, his son becomes Ye Xiaowen’s second coach and both go through ups and downs together, never abandoning each other. Their relationship grows over the days and brotherly love for each other is solid and genuine. They encourage each other and want the best for each other.
This drama gives the viewers very strong character development, from an undisciplined teacher to a responsible one whom everyone loves and respects, from a lazy and rebellious boy to a hardworking compassionate young adult, from an introvert to a bright, hopeful, striving youth. All the other side characters also undergo strong character development and achieve their dreams.
My Verdict
This is a great story of compassion, selflessness, courage, and brotherhood. It is touching and yet very funny. All the characters are relatable as they are just like your everyday neighbors with similar flaws. There is a lot of genuine care and love with community spirit; everyone watches out for each other. The acting is very natural and believable, the directing and the editing are close to perfection. All the scenes are delightful, and the sad scenes can draw tears because we, as viewers, can relate. Every character has a story to tell and a dream to fulfill. The selection of actors is appropriate and the chemistry between the main leads is wonderful.
There is nothing BL about this drama. To me, the relationship is not even bromance, just simple brotherhood and trust, like a family.
This is a fun drama for the whole family. Don’t miss it!
Strongly recommended!
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Cliche storyline, but fluffy and impeccable chemistry
If you are looking for something lighthearted, fluffy, and something that gives you butterflies on your stomach whenever you watch this is the one!! This drama has the cliche storyline: childhood friend, bright fl, and so on. However.. what makes this drama special is the main lead's chemistry and the dialogues + scenes in the drama.Most of the scenes in the drama are well-executed starting from the angle, editing and so forth. And I really appreciate the scriptwriter and the novel writer, the pickup lines and love story are just GENIUS!! especially the wifi name and password, that blew my mind. This drama is probably one of my fav rom-com drama of all time, this doesn't have annoying 2nd fl or ml, and all of their problems are solved maturely. Shao Qing and Cong Rong solve their problem maturely, they understand and support each other, they don't put shackles on each other (if you know what I mean)
Also, the second couple is also really refreshing, it is rare to see a nice second couple storyline, even though the second couple kinda overshadows the main lead storyline, but it is still okay. The OSTs in the drama are also catchy and pleasant to hear. and of course, I shouldn't miss out the kissing scenes, DADDI TANG IS INDEED A DADDY, HE'S SUCH A GOOD KISSER .... With all of that, I don't see myself moving on from this drama anytime soon.
I am not the type of person who rewatches dramas, but I can definitely see myself rewatching this drama in the future. Even now I have rewatched some clips (esp. kissing clips..) several times :")) This drama really warms my heart and makes me smile like a total fool istg!!
With it, MY LITTLE HAPPINESS IS DEF RECOMMENDED
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STORY (No spoilers)
Actually, I read the manga (also helpfully entitled "Seven Days") on which this short 2 episode series is based on, long before I realised that they actually made a live-action version of it. Having enjoyed the short but sweet manga itself and having never seen a proper live-action Boy's Love series prior this one, I was curious enough to check it out.
I will get into the acting for this series in another section but story-wise, both episodes were amazingly faithful and accurate to the manga itself. Here is a short list of just how accurate it was:-
a) The manga itself consists of 2 volumes. The 1st volume being the Monday to Thursday sections, and the second volume having the remaining Friday to Sunday sections. The way the series is split is exactly the same way.
b) Dialogues from the characters are almost word-for-word from the manga.
c) Scenes and events that happen also mirror very closely to those in the manga.
d) What impressed me the most was that even the styling - from the hair, to the way they wear their school uniforms, to even their school bags and the way they carry them, mirrors that in the manga.
It was really as though the manga itself came to life - there were hardly any deviations of it in the live-action series. So, for those who read the manga and enjoyed the story, you would be surprisingly satisfied with this production.
Story-wise, the synopsis is a pretty good summary so I am not sure if I have anything further to add. It really is a simple premise of what started out as a high-school tease between 2 boys to date for a week (seven days), ended up creating feelings which neither were prepared for, and their various insecurities and misunderstandings arising from that. Like the sound of it? Then do watch. If not, then feel free to give this a pass.
Another thing to note is that the pacing of this live-action short series is rather deliberately slow. I believe that the production team and the director had in mind a pace that was meant to deliberately focus and pause onto the main characters, either to emphasise a scene or an emotion, because this is done consistently throughout the show. It's almost manga-like: you know, that scene where the 2 main leads stare at each other and the wind and leaves just keep blowing by... yeah, that kind of manga-like feel. If you're not prepared for it, it may sometimes appear as if the scene is being paused, but it's actually a deliberate drawing out of the scene. Some people might find this draggy or boring or weird, but I personally see it as an artistic approach and directorial style, and quite enjoy the slow, deliberate pacing of the show. Most Japanese series tend to be rather snappy and excitable so a mellow, calm-almost-to-stillness show is rather interesting and refreshing as a change.
ACTING/ CHARACTERS
I've mentioned how the whole setting, down to the styling and the outfits, were practically a mirror to that of the manga. Now how about the actual portrayal of the characters?
JAMES TAKESHI YAMADA as Shino Yuzuru - the senior whose cool looks apparently seem at odds with his playful and unpredictable personality. Looks-wise, I think James does have that cool look befitting the character but I had hoped that he could have acted a bit more "fly-away" or ditzy just to emphasise the dichotomy between his looks and his personality which many people around Shino keep banging on about. It would have made some of the comments from supporting characters a bit more believable and understandable. As it stood, I felt that we had to just accept what we are being told i.e. that Shino's personality is very different from the way he looks. More tell, rather than show, in this aspect, for me. Having said that, I thought the rest of how James portrayed Shino was well done. The curiosity, the internal dialogues, the progression of feelings and its by-products of uncertainty and jealousy - I thought these were all expressed pretty well by James in his role.
PS: I also liked the way he holds his bow and arrow, and his shooting stance. It did look very cool and natural.
TOMOKI HIROSE as Touji Seryou - the good-looking junior whose inner desire to find The One has led to an appearance of being indiscriminate when it comes to dating and partners. Looks-wise, I personally found Tomoki to look too old for the junior he should be portraying - and not a little older, but quite a lot older, which was was initially rather jarring when I first started watching. Looks aside, Tomoki did not do too bad a job in bringing out the emotions and the feelings of Touji onto the screen. His acting did not come across as natural or as at ease as James playing Shino, but neither was it so bad that it was too awkward to watch, so I would consider his portrayal to be serviceable for the role.
PS: Tomoki's shooting stance looked awkward, stiff and unnatural to me, compared to James and the supporting cast. Pity because he was supposed to be rather effortlessly good at archery and it does not really come across in this live-action adaptation. But this is a minor quibble.
MUSIC
Befitting the deliberately slow pace of this show, the background music is instrumental, mellow and rather poignant in tone. I thought it matched the mood and the pacing of the series well and personally found it to be a good enhancement to the scenes in bringing out the moment or the mood. Nice.
RE-WATCH VALUE
Seeing as it is a very short show of only 2 episodes or parts, this is easily re-watchable. Overall, it is quite a well done series, barring my minor quibbles outlined above. I can see myself viewing it again.
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Well, a lot of people didn't like this one, but I enjoyed a lot! :)
I think that this drama deserves more love and attention.
So, give this a try and don't stop at the fist episode, because everything progressed from episode to episode.
Romance between the two main leads was awesome and so cute.
I’m sad because they cut 2 episodes. The ending was a little bit rushed, but I still liked.
The acting was good, the plot was good, interesting and somehow warm, the actors did a very good job and OSTs were sooo good! :D
Yoon Shi Yoon was so adorable in this one. His acting skills are awesome. You could clearly see the difference between Kang Ho and Soo Ho! He can act a silly, cute and fun guys and serious guys with deep emotions!
Yoon Shi Yoon, see you soon, on your new project and Tv drama!!!
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On the other hand, for someone like me who is only mildly interested in vampires and the whole sarg-sleeping, cross-shunning, blood-sucking process, this drama was a lot more enjoyable than I had expected.
I liked the way the issue was approached, presenting the vampires as a decadent, declining, arrogant race who watches the humans with a mixture of desire and deep distaste, boarding on disgust.
It makes it all the more touching when the cards are turned on the table and the one who thought himself superior is treated with contempt for his being different, a "monster".
I confess at being invariably deeply affected by the issue "difference", and how people treat those who don't conform to the norm, either for their skin colour, their beliefs or lack thereof, their behaviour, their look. There are a couple of scenes in this dorama which are still vivid in my memory because they were intensely moving. They made me think once again of how cruel people can be when they ignore and how easy it is to be judged abnormal.
So, although the acting is far from stellar and the plot at times inconsistent, I do believe this show deserves more attention than what it got.
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