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Watch for the outstanding romance just not between the leads
Before you decide to write off this drama due to the bad reviews, hear me out.This drama suffers from a case of split personalities. It is both very very good and absolutely awful at the same time. But do I regret watching it? Not at all.
The bad:
The drama started off decently with a best friends to lovers trope and it was engaging enough within the first half of the show. In the second half, the chemistry between the leads fizzled out. As a fan of Lee Da Hee, it pains me to say that her character was incredibly frustrating. Also it takes special talent to make someone as gorgeous as her look terrible, but this show managed to do it with the awful fashion choices. As for Choi Si Won, his character was too selfish. In short the leads were very unlikeable and over time I completely lost interest in them.
The good:
While the reality show aspect was fairly engaging, there was an unexpected couple that developed and they really stood out far more than anything else in the drama. Individually, these two characters showed the greatest growth and together their love story was swoon worthy. While they had limited screen time, their presence is what kept me obsessed and coming back for episodes week after week. Maybe the actors aren’t well known but they had great chemistry, engaging character development and an interesting background that could easily be expanded into a full series. I would give anything to have these two get a spin off show . If not that, then at least to see their crackling chemistry again as in Goblin/ Touch Your Heart.
To summarize, this show is mediocre at best if you consider the story of the leads, and most of the supporting characters. They show limited growth, and have few redeemable qualities. While they tried to tackle a lot of concepts, eating disorders, obesity, trauma, etc, I don’t think it was presented very well. Poor writing is ultimately the source of the show’s downfall.
This is also where the concept of split personalities come in. While the main story is so dull and poorly written, the story of the side pairing is so amazing that I would gladly fast forward through the rest just to watch them over and over again. Even if you’re not won over by how adorable they are together, you would still enjoy watching them. The two actors have a great screen presence and their characters evolve throughout the story. The male character ‘s arc in particular deserves special appreciation. To me these were the most interesting and fleshed out characters. It’s a shame the show didn’t give them enough screen time. Had they been the focus, the show could very well have ended up being a 10 for me. The writers have missed out on a brilliant opportunity to show something unique and special.
My parting thought is the following: give the show a chance and make your own opinions about it. There are few dramas where the romance has gotten me this excited in recent years. I really did enjoy the side pairing and will continue to rewatch their scenes whenever I feel the desire to watch some sweet romance. It was an unconventional pairing but absolutely delightful to watch. If you need one reason to watch this show, it is to watch these two characters as they grow and to see how their romance blooms. I promise you won’t regret it.
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The lead characters come from a place of great trauma and carry dark shadows within them, but the feel of the drama is far from gloomy or sad. It is the beauty of the characters that they find happiness and comforts even with a background of pain.
I really liked the character graphs of Chen Ling and Qi Lou. The actors too were perfect for the roles. Every other character in the drama too is well written and real. There are no fluffy or pointless characters.
The drama handles many serious issues in our society and characters with mental instabilities/psychological problems, and it does so with great sensitivity and care.
I liked the music, because I felt it was used appropriately and enhanced the beauty of the scenes. The happy moments had a track that made you feel the happiness, whereas in the more tense scenes, the background score completely stopped, adding to the intensity.
The first half does remind you of Devil Beside You- probably because of the character of the male lead and having been shot in the same campus, but MARS is definitely more intense and on a broader canvas than DBY.
I can't think of any drama that I've as completely appreciated as MARS. It took me in completely, and I will happily re-watch it any number of times.
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I specially loved the lead actor and found many stro,g points in his acting unlike the lead actress whose acting was a little disordered especially at first but things get along well as the movie goes on.
I loved this film despite its sad atmosphere, it was a great because its true story that was made to honor the Korean student for his noble act, I won't say what's the story of the noble act you have to watch the film and find out yourself .
If you're looking for something different then this is recommended; you will understand my cryptic last lines when you watch it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Where do I even begin with this drama... Probably one of the most stressful and frustrating dramas I've ever watched, in a good way.. Sort of. I was kind of skeptical of watching this after I saw the number of episodes, I mean 50 is a lot and before this I had never finished one so long. But now that it's finally over I'm really glad I stuck around for this. I did like the darker route this drama took, showing a lot of more serious matters and not just developing romance over the course of 50 episodes. I do have to say though that everything that happened in this drama was just SO convenient. I mean this drama was just one disaster after another, and it got real annoying after a while.The acting was pretty mediocre. I think Eugene and Lee Jung Jin did pretty well in portraying their characters. I wish the writers hadn't made Eugene's character to be such a pushover though, I mean you would think she'd have a tougher backbone after all the ill-treatment she received, but nope. Never made an effort to change that. (That wasn't a spoiler, you'll see that in the 1st episode) And I kinda hate to admit it, but I think Yoon Ah Jung was probably my favorite actor in this drama even though I HATED her character. If she was able to portray a character as evil and wicked as she was, I think she has got some serious acting skills. I mean I hated her with a passion so that says something. Well besides her, everyone else was just okay. Except for Jung Bo Suk... I'm sorry, but I just couldn't take him seriously when he was in more serious scenes. Definitely the weakest link of all the actors.
The music was okay as well. "Living is Not Living" by Jo Hyun Ah and "In Your Eyes" by Jang Hee Young were probably my favorites, but other than those 2 nothing else really stuck out to me.
Overall... While part me is happy this drama is FINALLY over, I'm still kind of sad because I have been watching this from the very beginning. Ever since when it first premiered in January, and I never dropped it or forgot it was on one weekend so I'm proud of myself. This is a drama you definitely have to be patient with to watch. You'll definitely find yourself getting frustrated with the characters choices, but in the end you may be happy you stuck around for it. And just so you know, the ending was the best. I'm so happy with how it all wrapped up. I will probably never watch this drama again, maybe certain episodes, but not all 50. Too much stress.. Definitely check this out if you're ever in the mood for a longer drama, and who knows. You may end up liking this one!
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And let me tell you about the acting, it's beyond incredible, you'll basically forget you're watching actors doing a terrific job. Not just Mitsushima Hikari, but everyone involved, especially Suzuki Rio because damn this little girl's acting is so great oooooh man.
The music is fantastic too (if you're waiting for something negative in this review, well I can't think of anything really), there were many moments where I got goosebumps because music and cinematography worked so well together.
I give this a very high rewatch value because due to its high quality I could probably watch this years from now and still be blown away. I'll have to let this one sink in for quite some time, though I feel like this is a drama where I can go back and rewatch and discover so many new things.
But first I have to watch more dramas written by Sakamoto Yuji because oh man ooooh man oh man.
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About the life of ordinary people, who have their past, with which they are not proud of. About the boomerang of life, when it brings back all the dead back in 100 times worse ways...
About a guy who is trying to forget his past life, and live on honestly and maybe averagely happy, who has experienced many hardships as a son of a lonely mother who drank and took men home, leaving the child on the porch...His way of coping? Smile...a kind and genuine smile...
About a girl who experienced human cruelty and lost her voice only because she was unfortunate enough to be born in a family, where the father was not honest person...
About a Korean lawyer who works in Japan under a Japanese name, just so he can be accepted...
These three people meet, start helping each other, fall in love, try to overcome the hardships...
Again...a brilliant drama.
The score is perfect, by the way, it was composed by Yamashita Kousuke...and if fits the drama just perfectly...
I have watched this drama last year in winter, and I still listen to it score...
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After watching many Korean suspense thrillers, I became surer that there’s no other genre that can top thrillers in Korean cinema because they’re simply too good at making those and Parallel Life belongs to the good ones. This film starts off a bit slow and may not captivate your interest ever since the beginning, but all of those introductions were necessary for the film’s latter events and developments.
Parallel Life analyses the “Parallel theory” where two people have the exact same life with an amount of years apart. Of course that may seem unbelievable at the beginning and can always be considered as a coincidence but as the film develops, many facts come to light and surprise us. In order to conclude whether a thriller suspense film was good or not, you need to ask yourself this simple question: “Was I surprised and entertained”? If the answer is “no” then the film was a failure for its genre but if it was a “yes” then you know that this film can be considered a good one out of its genre. Parallel Life fits in the second category.
This film’s suspense and mystery were tight and intriguing, they always manage to attract you in and make you suspect every single character that appears on screen. What makes this film even more captivating is the final outcome, you can hardly predict who was behind it all even if the “why” was a little obvious to me but it’s intriguing how can the “Parallel theory” interfere that deeply in one’s life.
The acting was pretty well done. I am ashamed to admit that this is my first time seeing Ji Jin Hee in anything. But this first successful encounter will allow me to pick many of his other productions because he was truly amazing in this as well as many other actors. The characters were nicely written, it was interesting to find out the similarities between Kim Seok Hyun and Han Sang Jun as well as their destinies and the way things will turn out to be. The characterization is written in a way that will oblige you to relate to them.
In a line, I would mention that the cinematography was good enough and the music was fitting for the thriller/suspense mood.
Watch if:
-You’re looking for a good suspense/thriller.
-You like the Korean way of making thrillers.
-You like surprising plots.
Do not watch if:
-You dislike the genres.
-You’re looking for a bloody/violent thriller.
Parallel Life is a well-crafted suspense thriller which appeals to the fans of intriguing plots.
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It's only near the end of the movie or after 10+ dishes we learn that there's a conflict between the main character and her mom and her mom leaves without saying a word. This story is 4 parts (4 seasons) and 2 movies worth so you need to see these two movies to see how their conflict get resolved but that is not what important because end game is not this movie is about. I think that the director wants to show the human factor in this movie, human needs to adapt in order to survive. I think that's the main point here so I wouldn't mind if it has no plot.
It's a nice watch even if you don't consider this a movie, it's so relaxing, and it was like yoga but using your eyes. That fantastic cinematography and soothing music and that camera work make such a scene epic like that bicycle scene which is my favorite. The huge part of the dialogue is the narration it's a nice technique to make you live the life of the main character, you will experiences what it feels to live alone in a house surrounded by fields, mountains, trees and stream and how the changes in season affects her way of living. The main appeal of this movie is the cooking as she gathers each ingredient every season, I don't know how to cook but you might get some technique if you watch this, I love the music they used in each cooking scene btw.
I am not impressed by the acting but at least it's natural and convincing. The character of Ai Hashimoto here is different from her usual roles so it's nice to see a different side of her. It's a must watch if you are her fan. It's an Ai Hashimoto movie which most of the scenes she is there and you will realize how pretty that girl is without makeup, the camera really love her face, her screen presence is her best asset. Lastly one of the reasons why I love this movie is the song. I am a huge YUI fan and her new band sing the song in this movie, her vocals really fits the mood of this film, it's fantastic.
Watch this movie if you want something original and especially if you love cooking. It's also a relaxing movie (great music, wonderful cinematography, masterful camera work which is honestly one of the best camera work I've seen in a Japanese Movie).
Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
https://thatjapanesedramaguy.blogspot.com/
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I pick up this drama after I dropped SITR, since I was starting to get interested in Jung Ha In. Even to this day I still find myself going back to watch clips of One Spring Night. I was so invented on each episode and fell for both leads, as they're so into their role that I feel like watching some real-life event in front of me.
One Spring Night tells the story of two people who fall in love at the wrong time. It was as if the whole world telling them not to. They had to bear their own internal struggles, and also the pressure from society that comes along. This is not your typical romantic story as it also touches some social subjects, especially in Korea's culture. Not to mention they both have their own insecurities to start their relationship. I'm not a fan of slow-burn romance, but somehow OSN managed to make me crave for more with how realistic the story portrayed and how lovable each of the characters is.
What can I say about the characters - I freaking adore them. Lee Jung In is one fierce girl. She knows what she wants, she knows where she stands and her happiness lies beneath her independence. Ji Ho is a down to earth single father living inside this conservative society bubble. He is a man who never put himself first and always deciding things wisely by considering the people around him. Combine both and you got this mature relationship that dialogues their way into knowing each other. I also love how the 3 sisters always have each other's back through thick and thin. Especially the youngest one!
Arguably there are some mixed opinions on how the whole picture acts as a romanticization of cheating. But honestly, I think feelings can't be seen as black and white, there are gray in between and sometimes the lines are a little bit blurry. I wouldn't blame Jung In though, there must be some reason why she can't make up her mind on going the marriage route - although she's been in a relationship for so long. When you can't see the person you're seeing now exist in your future, I think that's one flag of no good in pushing marriage into it.
The OSTs are good, they're not distracting and somehow just fit into every scene. There were not a lot of songs in this drama, but Rachael Yamagata's No Direction stuck in my head for a long time and whenever I listen to the song I feel like the whole scenes played before my eyes.
Anyway, One Spring Night successfully gets into my all-time favorite drama list, and I would still happily re-watching it over and over again.
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This review may contain spoilers
the queen of the stiff face
I was so excited about this drama, especially about Lee Jae Wok because I love how he acts but I ended up very disappointed in the story in general and especially the performance of the main actress.Her gestures and emotions were at 0% at all times, even the bathtub scene where she almost drowned, her terror or fear was not even felt, that's how bad she is. I was expecting more from this but I had to leave it because I can't stand to see it to the end, I guess it's not the story for me.........
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I honestly love this story. The ghost girl Sadako is... excuse me- awesome. She's a cool ghost! :D I love the kinds of events that take place in the film. The protagonist's character is excellent. The writer of the novel is nothing short of a genius because he twisted the original folktale in his own way. The director also adapted the novel in a different way and made it stand out. The direction is great. Kudos to the screenplay writer too! Most of the horror films made never make sense, but this one does. The backstory almost feels deep.
It has a nice piano tune in some of its scenes. The rest of the film is comparatively quiet and moves at a consistent pace. The ending was left in such a way that it was fulfilling as well as it left room for infinite sequels.
For me- this film is one of the few masterpieces in the horror genre. I can watch it any number of times and not get bored. Highly recommended!
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This review may contain spoilers
Cute bromance with a hint of BL
'Youths In The Breeze' is an anthology of three bromantic tales from Mainland China. Each of the stories takes up eight short episodes and is unrelated to the others.'The Boy and the Cat' is a fantasy about a boy who comes to stay with his older sister in her apartment and gets drawn into a rivalry with the cat who also lives there. It turns out that the cat has the ability to transform into a human whenever he wants to. He does this only when the sister isn't looking, so only the younger brother becomes aware of this secret power.
A bit of territorial combat ensues between the human version of the cat and the younger brother. This culminates in a final test where the boy and cat agree that whoever ends up the loser will leave the apartment forever -- either the boy will travel outside the country to study abroad or the cat will go with one of his cat friends to some sort of cat kingdom that is never fully explained.
Once the winner of this face-off has been decided and the loser is ready to leave, both the boy and the cat realize that they really don't want to separate, and that they really don't dislike one another either. They each decide to keep living together in the sister's apartment so that they can continue their cozy friendship while keeping her company at the same time.
'People from the Story' is another fantasy tale, this time about the author of an adventure novel where the main character suddenly emerges from the book into real life. Since the author has intended for this character to die at the end of the book the two men get into a disagreement over his ultimate fate. At one point the author goes back with the character into the world of his own novel, and while there he comes to realize the story's painful parallels with his own life and losses.
'Full-time Sworn Enemy' is the one story in the trilogy that doesn't have a fantasy element. Here, two athletes attending a special training camp for elite runners clash repeatedly with one another, but they gradually become closer as the roots of their rivalry become clearer and a past misunderstanding is resolved.
All three of these stories have happy endings, although the one for 'People from the Story' was a little confusing to me for other reasons.
There are familiar BL tropes sprinkled throughout these three tales, giving us occasions to wonder 'Are they or aren't they?' For instance, at one point two main characters both fall to the floor and accidentally end up with one on top of the other, gazing into each other's eyes -- which of course is a traditional sign that their relationship is headed toward romance. There's also a bit of side-by-side sleeping with a wayward leg draped over one's companion.
For me, the best confirmation that more than friendship is intended here is the sneaky appearance in the final episode of the movie poster for 'Brokeback Mountain'. This occurs about two minutes into the episode and could easily be missed, but I don't doubt for even a second that it is there with a specific purpose.
'Youth In The Breeze' doesn't stake out any major new ground but is cute and engaging, and the main cast is quite attractive. It's also nice to see a Mainland bromance that is gently testing the boundaries of the genre.
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This review may contain spoilers
Big disappointment after first 2 seasons
As expected, the Chinese managed to destroy what started out as an absolutely superb historical Rom-Com. Season 3 lost ALL of its hilarity/humor and settled down into a depressing, angst-filled finale. The book officer shows up and tells her that she has to disappear for 'misfortune' to stop plaguing ML so she plays the noble idiot role, and we have to go through 3-4 episodes of him forgetting her and taking up with the former FL (the doctor). All I can say is that this interlude was thankfully short due to the short nature of the drama. To resolve this separation, the screenwriter has ML 'break the rules' by remembering her, and everything goes back to how it was prior to FL doing the noble idiot thing. Everybody remembers her again, and the doctor is no longer ML's love bug. Because ML broke the rules, book officer says that FL can now stay without having to confine herself to the cold palace...but no, in the final episode, she has to leave again because misfortune has still overtaken ML...even though the rules had supposedly been broken 5 episodes ago. What the heck?!Ok, I get it. You've got to get FL back to reality because she can't remain conked out forever in front of her computer. I knew there was always going to be a problem with her staying in her imaginary world, but by golly, couldn't you have come up with a better way to resolve it? Ok, you have ML show up at the end as a real person in the real world, she signs his book and he just walks away?! AND SHE LETS HIM!!!!????? You can't say 'hey, let's go get a cup of coffee' or something? What kind of ending it that? It's not like she knows his name and can go find him later. If they'd just had had them getting together in real life then I wouldn't have given this drama such a low rating.
Take my advice - watch the first two seasons and forget about this one (except for maybe the first 1-2 episodes when MC finally get together). End the drama in your mind after season 2 and don't bother letting the writer end it for you because the ending was completely and totally unsatisfying. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. They need a season 4 to fix this awful ending.
UPDATE! Good news - or at least I hope it is - I saw that there's a Season 4 on WeTv. Hopefully, it will mend this awful ending!
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