This review may contain spoilers
It's a good drama overall, but not the best and most productive use of time
So at the beginning of this drama, I'm talking the first 15 or so episodes, it was certainly a drama that any historical-drama lovers would want to binge. The plot, romance and setting was fresh in its own little way which made it easy to watch. With the addition of an amazing cast, it really incited the "butterflies in stomach" feel.The reason as to why I am rating this show as only 4 stars is simply because of the noticeable discrepancies within the series. The biggest one of note is the inconsistency of the romantic relationship between the leads and their sudden change in personalities after the city setting switched from Song to Wei. After the setting was switched, it felt like the series was split into 2 separate storylines and the memories of the both the male and female lead were wiped or something even though there were no signs of such a thing ever happening. Whatever romance occurred between the two leads seemed to have disappeared entirely, making the second part of the drama difficult to comprehend since they had to rebuild their romantic interest for each other from rock bottom.
Furthermore, the series was dragged on for a tad bit too long. Stopping the series around the 30 episode mark would have been perfectly fine because everything from there onwards was repetitive scheming formed from greed and political power struggles from the antagonist and male lead.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this drama if you're looking for one that's worth your time and if you're looking for a fluffy, romance-fileld drama, because unfortunately, this drama won't be able to provide that. However if you're still interested in this drama even after reading this review and other reviews, I suggest watching the episodes before the setting changes from Song to Wei (you'll understand what I mean when you get there 😉) coz those were really good.
Happy Binging!!
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Chaotic, complex, and eye-opening.
First things first - watching this film was an experience. I thought that I was watching a documentary rather than a film - this is probably influenced by the fact that this is based on true events. I got sucked into its delivery and realism which was quite heavy to take in. If you aren't used to watching heavily-themed films, then this will be a difficult one to watch.MOTHER reminds me of a Nojima Shinji kind-of story wherein the 'negative sides' of humanity, the complexities of human relationships, are laid bare. They aren't shown in a showy manner but as they are - dirty, difficult to comprehend, and even psychotic. The relationship between Akiko (the mother) and Shuhei (the son) is anything but what society sees as acceptable, yet to the latter, it is his norm and accepted reality. This film isn't just about murder, abuse, and casual sex - it's also about how twisted 'love' can be, how manipulation and violence can play heavily into a person's sense of dependency and reliance, and how things aren't always understandable on the surface, especially one of a relationship between a mother and son who have been together all their lives, one that's for better or for worse.
Impressive acting by the cast, especially by Nagasawa Masami - a natural, I must say - and Okudaira Daiken, whose eyes and expressions tell more than what he says. Hats off to Gunji Sho's Shuhei as well. The story moves from one timeline to another yet with consistency that doesn't leave you completely hanging. The music and the silence came in at the right times, adding to the heavy atmosphere that the film has.
If you're looking for a film that's gonna make you feel blissful, this is not that. MOTHER is gonna leave you with thoughts to ponder on and with an ending that doesn't inspire - it's simply a naked cut.
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Underrated Gem - Amazing Lead Chemistry and Acting
7/18/2021After watching almost 200 K-dramas and C-Dramas, I am compelled to write my first review of this amazing show. This show is so underrated compared to shows like "The Long Ballad" (which I like as well, but not as much as FuYao). It took me a while to pick up this show and I was probably deterred by the 66 episodes, because long C-dramas tend to drag in the middle. I am glad I decided to finally watch this.
Lead Characters/Romance: This is my second Yang Mi drama after "10 Miles Peach Blossoms" and my first of Ethan's. Their acting was sooo good. I like Yang Mi's (FL) acting here more than in 10 Miles. Ethan (ML) is a surprise and I can't see any other actor playing this role but him. He reminds me of Chen Kun in "The Rise of Phoenixes". Such amazing acting for a character with so many layers. He is not what I would consider a typical handsome lead, but his presence and charisma are so there. FL and ML have amazing chemistry. When they are not on my screen, I miss them. They both have great character development throughout the show. FL is not the annoying, naive little girl, even when she was younger. She is smart, independent and a badass! ML is funny, flirty, sly and mature. They are such a great pair. The romance was developed nicely and they have such a mature and open relationship. There is no silly misunderstanding and they talk to each other openly about their feelings. It's not just ML declaring his love, but FL also expresses herself, which is rare in a C-drama. They supported each other's decisions and stand by each other. The love carries throughout the drama through actions and words. I love this pair so much.
Story/Plot: The first part of the drama is great. You are introduced to the 5 kingdoms and the world building. The first 35-40 episodes went by so fast and kept you engaged throughout. It has a good combination of comedic moments, wuxia fighting, palace politics, wars and romance. The second half of the show definitely slows down. There's more talking and less action, and the lighthearted moments reduced (probably due to a more stable romance and less flirting from ML). I feel that they could have cut down a little bit on the TianSha arc and also the love triangle/family angst of the King/Queen/Queen's Brother, and spend a little more time on the actual ending. The ending felt a little rush after the big "fight" at the end. There are some more minor plot holes in the second half. The one I remember the most is when FL needed to take a poisonous pill to save ML and the bride. They made a point to show the flashback of the pill and pan the camera to the facial expressions of FL and Little 7, yet the show didn't say anything about the after effect of the pill at all when the crisis is over.
Acting: Aside from the great acting of the leads, the supporting cast is just as good. It's no surprise that the more seasoned actors and villains are good. But the younger ones are not bad either. I do have a problem with the 2ML (Vengo Gao) always opens his wide really really big when he's angry. The 2FL is ok and I did find her a little annoying in the beginning but she got better. I like her acting here than in "Love in Between". Lastly, AMAZING acting for the lead characters in the last episode. Just WOW!!!!!
Production/Costumes: The sets and the costumes are amazing. You can see how much money they spend on the building all the sets of the different kingdoms. The leads have so many different costumes and I particularly enjoy the color themes of each kingdom. At first I was wondering why ML's emperor outfits are so "black" and then I realized the white comes when he's back becoming the Crown Price. You can distinguish each arc/kingdom by the color of the costumes - from white, black, gray and red.
Fight scenes: For a wuxia drama, I expect good fight scenes. But with a C-drama, I also expect slow-motion fight scenes with a lot of spinning (which I dislike). This drama shows some good fighting choreography, but I still find the fighting to be a little too "slow mo". I like live fighting speed, esp. when it's a serious wuxia drama. The fight scenes are not bad here, but I wanted more. However, there's no wimpy fighting. All characters acted well, even for the female characters. They are no weaklings and I enjoy seeing them saving themselves and putting in the effort to contribute in fight scenes. I do think FL gets knocked out by others secretly a little too often in the first half of the show, when she's supposed to be such a badass.
Overall:
Positives - great acting, amazing lead chemistry, strong/mature romance, good pacing (esp first half), beautiful costumes, good cinematography
Negatives - minor plot holes in the second half, too much time on certain plots without the leads, not as interesting secondary romance, rushed ending (last episode)
p.s. can't believe I write such a long review. Thanks for reading till the end.
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But once again, if you are NOT looking for something very subtle, gentle, and slow, this show will be a huge disappointment. I personally found it to be a ready break from the rush of my daily life and the other shows I have watched, and I thought it was a masterpiece. This being said, I wouldn't recommend it to someone who would not enjoy such a quiet and gentle drama.
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I realize I'm in the minority with this rating
After having good luck with my last couple of C-drama choices, I was hoping to keep that luck going with this drama that was recommended to me. Unfortunately, this show did not work for me, in so many ways. There was good, and then there was the not-so-good.THE GOOD:
1) An Ge as Fei Da Chuan. To me, he was the highlight of the show. The tough guy was willing to put his heart out there. He really commanded every scene he was in. As an actor that is not the typical "pretty boy", he was just wonderful, and I felt that his character would be a terrific and trusted friend to have.
2) The second lead couple - Ma Li is just downright beautiful and Eden Zhao's character was immature and had some flaws, but you could understand once you knew the background of the family. Their love story was full of humor and longing. I loved that they were friends long before they were a couple.
3) The step-father. What a wonderful character! Typically in Asian dramas you have the standard evil parent that spends the entire show trying to keep the main couple apart. Seeing how he came into this family, and the role he happily took on as the kids' father was so special to watch. He was supportive and wanted what was best for them, always.
4) The friendships. The friendships and the family relationships in this show were stellar. The bond between the twins was never more evident than when he picked his sister over a girl he was interested in. His family would always come first. The friendship between the female leads was strong, and touching at times. There were a lot of different families and family dynamics portrayed in this show, and I felt that they were all realistic. Mistakes were made, people had to atone, scars developed from some things.
5) The music. I was so bored that I was spending an inordinate amount of time reading the subtitles to the songs, and when one of the songs said she was "marginally beautiful", I just had to crack up!
THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
1) There was a LOT of dead time in this show. There were full episodes that, I felt, could have been cut out. Slow! If the editing was tightened up and this series was shorter, it would have been a lot better.
2) QiaoYi - as an actress, Janice Wu must have done a good job, or they would have hired someone else. That leads me to think that the character was written the way she was for a reason. Unfortunately, I didn't care for her. I didn't connect with her being lazy/stupid in high school. She was weak in relation to YanMo - every time she talked to him her voice got all quiet and her chin sunk down to her chest and she couldn't look at him. This also happened when she became an adult. When she wasn't doing that, in the current time she was either trying to be "cute" or pouting. I found the adult QiaoYi to be very immature. I didn't find her character appealing.
3) YanMo - some of the problem with this character, in addition to the writers, must be attributed to Zhang Yu Jian. The character's mother said at one point in time that she had worried that he was autistic. He would probably be considered to be someplace on the spectrum - no social skills, doesn't make eye contact, no filter for what he says, can't read cues from people, extremely intelligent, etc. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that sort of character, except Zhang Yu Jian was not able to ever imbue any warmth into the character. His eyes always remained cold and distant.
4) Lack of chemistry between lead couple. They seemed more like brother and sister to me at times. There were a couple of times, when he was thinking about the past, or when he was speaking in voice-over, that were touching. For the most part, however, I wasn't buying them as a couple.
5) Cinematography - they used a filter whenever the female lead was on screen. The filtering process was very abrupt. The first couple of times when the screen got really hazy, I thought I might be having a stroke or something, but then I realized that the technique was being used to soften the female lead. I don't think the effect was necessary at all, there was no doubt that Janice Wu was beautiful anyway.
6) Overuse of flashbacks - they kept switching between three time periods and it got really irritating, not to mention, somewhat confusing.
7) Track suits - the high school kids wore track suits. The high school theme went on for many more episodes than I thought it would and let's be honest, no one looks good in a track suit.
8) Overuse of drunk scenes.
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This review may contain spoilers
Best Watched Without Minding the Original Material
This is not a 'genuine' adaptation of Sweet Home. More like a 'loose' one but yes this wasn't anything like the webtoon with how they selectively only take the idea of monsters appearing out of nowhere, with people surviving amidst of it and a boy who's happened to be able to resist the monster inside his head, and turns it into a 10-episode show. They lose the essence of original material when they decided end this show with that ending. It's pretty obvious that they're planning to further utilize the core story of the original material to create a seasonal work, judging how different the route it takes throughout the story. You'll be disappointed if you read the webtoon because many characters are not the same, some are added for no reason, and suddenly this turns into a usual apocalyptic story with a supposedly hero to 'save' humanity. What the webtoon tries to rely is beyond that. Both works are straight up different in terms of characters' growth & plot progression.Not to mention the way the show placed its background music is just plain disastrous. The webtoon gives off suspenseful & eerie vibes whenever the monster's around, while at the same being unsettling in peeling out the layer of the main question of the whole thing: what does it mean to be a human, or a monster?It talks about greed, desire, and everything beyond that. The music (and the plot, I might need to say) fails to deliver that, and instead turn on the ever-repetitive song to made the whole scene more 'exciting' when it's supposed to elicit fear and anxiousness from ones who watch it. Not only it disturb the mood the whole scene was particularly going for, it also ruined the suspenseful vibes it tries so hard to build by suddenly making this more looking like an entertaining action-focused story. Which is wrong (and ridiculous) because the monster's supposed to be a real & full-blown horror to all the survivors. It's supposed to make you feel afraid and nervous, which it ultimately failed to be at the end.
This is best watched as a separate work, rather as an adaptation. Because it's clearly not being faithful to what the original material aims for, and it will further prevent you from experiencing it to its best quality. Once I let go my expectation that I've long had due to my deep attachment to the webtoon, Sweet Home as an entire piece is still a good watch for what it's worth. Song Kang was impeccable as Hyun-soo despite the minimal effort the show put to build his personal growth. Go Min-si & Park Kyu-young was great, the entire casting line-up has been nothing but incredible, really. And Lee Do-hyun!Brilliant as ever.
Speaking of directing, considering it was done by Lee Eun-bok who also brought Mr. Sunshine & Goblin, I think there's not much to worry about. Everything's exquisitely done and the action scenes are well-executed to say the least. Although I feel like the nosebleed scenes are too much sometimes lmfao. A lot of gory scenes are shown here, but nothing explicit. I wasn't a fan of gore, but still handles this just fine. Really loved the bits where they shown the 'monstrous' version of Hyun-soo near the finale, by the way. Short but impactful for sure.
Sweet Home is, all in all, a decent show. It's fast-paced, thrilling, and heartwarming at times it need to be. Admittedly there's a serious lack of character development shown toward several major characters, but this is an action drama at its best. You'll enjoy it better if you treat it as something it tries to be, that's all. Anyways, if you haven't read the webtoon, please read it, before or after you watch the show. It was that good. Enjoy the show nonetheless!
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This stupid law serves as the plot device for the character development of these characters, it taught them a lot about themselves, what they want in a partner and also what they lack as a person. It also raised a lot of question on peoples view on marriage, how it affects their lives and especially the role of minorities in a society where this law is implemented such as people who don't have Japanese citizenship, people who are sick and members of LGBT, so in some way this law is not pure negative but there is also positive like the awareness this law brought up. With so many layers and prejudices in this 8 episode drama, it may sound so ambitious but in my opinion they pull it off quite brilliantly.
Romance is not the main point in the story, it is the philosophy of marriage, but it doesn't mean there is no couple we can root for in this story. Acting is quite good from the actors but the stand out is definitely Nomura Shuhei, who brilliantly portrays this character who suffers from OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). Music by Yu Takahashi is so good and damn catchy that it always managed to hype every episode.
The ending is cute and you can tell this law is the best thing that happen to our leads. They grow up to a person they wanted as their partner, which makes them suited for each other in the end, and I love the phrase "Marriage isn't a human obligation, but you also have the right to get married".
Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
https://thatjapanesedramaguy.blogspot.com/
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Acting/Cast: Full marks for acting. All veteran actors and actresses; so you can expect mature and professional acting.
Music: Sombre, sweet but most times, reminiscence of love won and lost. The music reflects nicely the feel of this movie.
Rewatch value: Personally, I am the sort of romatic who would go for comedy romance as I love to de-stress while watching a movie or drama. This movie is a wonderful movie; the re-watch value simply reflects my personal preference for only re-watching something that is light and sweet that helps me to relax. This movie makes me cry out like a baby; so I won't be re-watching it anytime soon. However, for those of you who loves tragic romance type of movie, this one here is a winner for you!
Overall: A good movie. Certainly worth the recommendation. However, I would include my recommendation with a warning for keeping a box of tissue next to you before you hit the play button. Trust me - you'll need it!
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What If It Had An Actual Ending!?
Overall: I initially rated this short and sweet series an 8.5 and could have even rated it higher, but what was that non-ending??? Aired on WeTV.Content Warnings: none
What I Liked
- young actors did a good job
- the transition/time jump was clear and well done at the end of the first episode
- cute and sweet moments
- I like that the hyper/younger one is more studious
- the subverted trope in ep 2 when they were celebrating and alcohol was present
- outro song (there isn't an intro)
Room For Improvement
- wish they didn't play other music when the guys are learning/playing guitar so we could hear the original sound on those scenes
- for the short run time they spent their time poorly, that whole jealousy thing could have been cut out and they could have actually had Peach confess/do something non-platonic...
- Peach and his friends are idiots, they really didn't know who that song was about???
- this almost seemed like an acting workshop instead of a series
- it's odd that the production company released this at the same time as My Only 12% as they have very similar plots
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Dont compare to Thai Original
Having seen both the Thai and this Version i love them both but for completely different reasons. The Thai Version was steamy and full of sexual Tension. I adoreeed Tutor and Fightor and they will forever be my faves. Thai Why R U? Was all about finding your sexualty, denying your feelings and still not being able to resist. Fighter was constantly teasing Tutor bcs there was no other was for him to show his feelings.The Korean Remake starts out similar but then goes a different route by making the main conflict not theyr sexuality but the fact that yoo Gyeom and Doo Yeon used to date. So Sun Woo feels like he is betraying his friend. That being said i enjoyed them both. They are both fluffy and sweet and just really feel good shows.
Also bonus point for the korean remake bcs i really enjoyed Lee won and Ji Oh‘s story line. They were adorable. Where in the thai version i just skipped over saifah and Zon‘s parts.
Also You cant compare the kiss scenes to the sizzling chemistry zee and Saint had in Thai Why R U? But thats also a ridiculous high bar The thai version set right there. Like Zee and Saint were 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥where Korean version is just cute. Not bad kisses but gentle and sweet.
All that being said if you dont compare it to the Thai Version and see it as a stand alone its a cute enjoyable drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is one of the drama second seasons that I've waited and rooted for. And they didn't disappoint me! I'm not going to throw in any spoilers, but I must say, even if I was a bit concerned about the road the drama would follow after the end of the first season, the ending was both(un)expected (depending on the viewer, here) and truly heartbreaking ... in a good way. I must say I am still obsessed with the story - not so much the manga because I don't really like the style of drawing they used. I weep every time I hear the main theme and Itoshiki hibi yo...All in all, maybe a doctor would be a bit suspicious of the medical part of the drama, but the story itself is beautiful and it's worth watching. Not to say that Osawa Takao, Ayase Haruka and the whole cast do a wonderful job!
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This is an honorary 10/10
Listen up Korean producers, writers, editors and creators of the entertainment industry (specially the ones involved in the massacre of A Shoulder To Cry On): THAT'S HOW YOU END A GOOD STORY!It is a simple yet well done series that earns an standing ovation
The actors and the acting are a yes, the great chemistry is also a yes, so good that they make you feel you're right there, so close that you you feel or you wish it was happening to you instead, and finally the way they smoothly tell you the story back and fort is a yes too, I can't recommend this series enough
Definitely has a high rewatch value
10/10 in every single category for me, yes indeed!
And those couple of kisses? BRA-VO!
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This review may contain spoilers
It was a full package drama if you know what I mean.It started off really well and I found myself being hooked in the first minute. Zhang Han has honestly become one of my favourites because of his role in this drama. The two main leads got together really fast without any delay and throughout the whole drama there was no breakup. Every relationship has some misunderstandings and fights but they got over theirs maturely. There were tooo many sweet moments that I could die for. He was so good to her!!!!
I do think that there were sometimes where the female lead was a little childish and I agree with the fact that her acting could have been a little better in the sense that she could have matured a little more. The focus in this drama was about fashion but I feel as if the ending was a little rushed. I mean Mo Fei's show could have been showed properly at the end since she did so much to study and they should have shown her career life more. Anyhow, no one could have suited her role more than Xu Lu Lu.
Moving on to all the other characters. I really liked Fang Xiao Yu at the beginning but he got annoying in the middle when he went to Paris for her. He clearly knew she liked him but he always tried to create trouble for her. However, after his sister's incident, I started liking him again.
Mo Fan was a good brother and Lu Zhu was so sweet as well. Fortunately, she wasn't a evil sister-in-law and was on the FL side from the start.
I have to mention the ML dad was so funny. Not like other dramas where the dad is always against poor girls and such. In that aspect the mom was annoying enough.
I really really liked this drama and I can say it is one of my favourites. I wish they could come in another drama together.
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Great story, and I need more!
Honestly, I am a fan of Zhu Yilong and I came to support him. That said, I am so very glad that I did and have zero regrets!! I've actually started to rewatch it with a few friends who I got interested in it, and they are loving it too! I'm still enjoying it the 2nd time around while I get them caught up to me.The first few episodes kinda set up the story and it gives you a few puzzles to start piecing together. After that, it’s just full speed ahead from one puzzle to the next! I often find myself thinking, why did that happen or why is X person doing that?! It really keeps me interested in what is going on and waiting for the next clue to pop up.
The acting is amazing, and you can tell the main characters had fun together shooting this, and they have great chemistry! They, also, keep things very interesting with their character's different personalities and long time friendship. The characters have made me feel every emotion you can think of and I never get bored watching an episode.
I am fully invested in this show to find out what, exactly, is going on and episodes can’t come out fast enough! The special effects are wonderful, the story is complex enough to keep you interested, but sprinkles in humor, sadness, horror-esque moments, and some tense scenes. Some of the settings are just amazing to look at, and overall it’s a beautiful show.
Some of the places where they left off, and the credits come, in have me clamoring to click the next episode to see the continuation, and it’s awesome watching the main characters start to put together all the pieces of the puzzle. I 100% recommend this if you enjoy a kinda historical, tomb exploring, horror, adventure! :D
Edit: I have completed watching this whole season and I'm not really disappointed in any of it. I'm just really sad that we don't have a date for season two yet. Overall, I really enjoyed every episode. I was always excited to get to the next one and I just have a great time watching it. I hope we get back to what's going on with the other group in the next season, and I hope the next season is very soon.
TLDR; I really enjoyed this whole season and can't wait for the next one. I feel it's worth a watch! :D
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