This review may contain spoilers
Spies and Assassins Amidst Perfidious Imperials.
This is not a simple love story but a dark complex world of court politics, power hungry Monarchs, treacherous relationship in imperial family amidst revenge, strategies and plots.
:::::::::::INTRODUCTION:::::::::::::
Since the fall of the previous dynasty there have been nearly a century of chaos, constant friction between Northern Province(Beipan) and Central Plains.
The nine kingdoms of Central Plains each hold their own territories but they have been in constant conflict for many years.
Among them, States of An and Wu are the most powerful. The Emperor of An - Li Zhun loves war and is greedy, he has annexed countless cities from neighbouring territories. The Sate of Wu is rich and people are strong. The Emperor of An covets States of Wu.
In the sixth year of Yongyou the Emperor of An launched a military campaign to seize the GOLD MINE in the West of Wu. The Emperor of Wu - Yang Xingyuan welcomed the battle South of (Tianmenguan) Tianmen Pass.
The army of Wu faced a major defeat at Tianmen Pass, they lost three cities(Xu, Cai and Jing). The Emperor of Wu believed in slander and underestimated the enemy. The Emperor of Wu has been captured and taken hostage by the State of An.
With the news of the Emperor's defeat, there is a major upheaval in the state of Wu and struggle for power has started. Prince Danyang the acting regent and brother of the emperor wants the throne, The Empress declares she is pregnant and may give birth to the future heir, The Prime Minister - Zhang Song doesn't care who sits on the throne as long as he can control them and retains his power.
Marquis Changqing of the State of An, Li Tongguang {Chang Hua Sen} sends a messenger on behalf of the State of An demanding a ransom of 100,000 teals of gold to be delivered by a person of The Imperial Prince Status in order to release the Emperor of Wu.
The ignored sheltered Princess Yang Ying {He Lan Dou} volunteers to go as The Imperial Prince Li, fourth son of the former Emperor Jin with the envoy in return of Money and Status conferred, that it would give her some independence upon returning back. She naively ignores the dangers of posing as a male prince, if discovered she is a fake, the consequences will be dire for her. Chief Clerk Du is the person responsible for negotiations, he is a loyal but inflexible person, later proves to be a knowledgeable and compassionate person.
The special team to join the delegation/envoy is formed of the few guards of The Heaven Path including Ding Hui and others as mentioned below:
1.Ning Yuanzhou(Hell path){Liu YuNing} : the former deputy chief of the Liudao Hall. His mind is full of brilliant strategies and unparalleled tactics. Now wants to lead a peaceful life away from court politics, agrees to join the convoy to protect princess Yang Ying and also to clear the good names of The Heaven Path men who were branded as traitors.
2.Qian Zhao(Heaven Path) {Wang Yi Zhe}used to be a former member of Heaven path was transferred to Yulin Army by special order due to his meritorious service. He is now the commandant of Yulin Army. Is very good at medicines and life saving skills. He is versatile. He appears stoic but is most invested in clearing the names of fallen soldiers of The Heaven path especially Chai Ming.
3.Yu Shisan (Asura Path) {Alen Fang}: former commandant of Asura path,who had been imprisoned for abduction of minister Liu's daughter, he seems frivolous and a person only interested in pursuit of pleasure and beauty but is the most emotional, caring member of the group.
4.Yuan Lu {Chen Youwei}, the greatest genius of hungry ghost path whose martial arts skill is average but is great in building mechanical devices useful is spying and warfare. Due to a congenital illness, it is predicted that he will have a short life. He believes in living his life in a carefree manner without worrying about his sickness.
5.Sun Lang {Li Huan} of Human Path is great at defense. A person with tough exterior but abundant love for furry creatures like rabbits, dogs and cats.
**6.Ren Ruyi/Ren Xin{Liu Shishi} - former top assassin of State of An, now a discarded piece on the chessboard, considered dead and believed to be a traitor of Scarlet Guards. She was directly promoted to Purple Emissary from a mere guard, later his Majesty personally named her Left Emissary of the headquarters. She is trying to find the killer of Empress Zhaojie of the State of An of whose assassination Ruyi was accused of 5 years ago. Ren Ruyi joins this delegation group to teach Princess Yang Ying all about the State of An in exchange for Ning Yuanzhou's help to find the real assassin of Empress Zhaojie and on a personal level to conceive a baby with him.
Along the way the group has to face many obstacles & treacheries. Their bonds are tested and new alliances are formed. The weak people have to become strong and The Strong people find others on whom they can lean on. New promises are made and some promises are broken.
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::::::::::::::Review:::::::::::::::
Each person going on this journey is on a QUEST. This is a journey of finding love, getting exoneration for the fallen comrades of Heaven Path of Liudao Hall who are accused of betrayal, hope for a better future and most importantly discovering Self-worth and Self-love.
This series seems so much different than others because all flawed characters are learning to embrace the reality and their shortcomings, all the while striving to live their life to it's fullest potential.
As per my perception, the story can be divided into three major storylines, the main love story, growth & development of Ren Ruyi's disciples and Internal Political struggle within the Sate of An and state of Wu.
The main love story of Ning Yuanzhou(Liu Yu Ning) and Ren Ruyi (Liu Shi Shi) is handled in a very mature manner. Both the protagonists' age in the series is about 30 years and they have been in a prominent position in their respective Spy organization for a very long time and are now tired as well as disillusioned by power hungry Emperors' using their organizations' members as disposable pawns in their political ambition. They find solace and companionship in each other. In spite of their contradictory future plans they respect the other's choice, endeavouring to find a common ground acceptable to both. Their love story is a perfect standard of mutual love and respect in a healthy relationship. Other minor love stories are also quite engaging, there is brief connection between Yang Ying and Yuan Lu; Chu Yue and Yu Shisan.
The other major story arc is the growth and development of two disciples of Ren Ruyi, A shrinking violet, Princess Yang Ying who had initially agreed to be the head of this rescue envoy to free The Emperor of Wu for some wealth and recognition in the court, during the journey under the tutelage of Ruyi gains confidence in her ability, discovers her self-esteem and wants power and glory instead of being happy with her previous mundane existence. Even though she realises the path to acquire glory and fame is fraught with dangers, she chooses to go out with a bang not a whimper if and when her death comes. First disciple, of Ren Ruyi was Li Tongguang. The story also focuses on his rise to power, surrounded by ambitious, duplicitous royals. Li Tongguang is depicted as a peace loving person wanting stability for the country, also is more efficient and capable than the two royal princes.There is brief sub-plot of Li Tongguang transferring his gratitude and affection for Ren Ruyi into obsession to possess. However Ren Ruyi wishes both her disciples' success and happiness like a true mentor.
Final and the most interesting aspect of this story for me was the jostling for power and the depiction of ruthless power hungry Emperors. The Emperor of Wu whose reckless personal expedition ended in the loss of three cities of State of Wu. Due to Emperor's gullibility a hundred thousand people died in the war. The original journey was undertaken to pay the ransom for the Emperor of Wu, however none of the teams members are keen on The Emperor returning back to the power the only thing that is keeping them in the righteous path of saving their Emperor is their honour and hope for the Emperor to exonerate their fallen companions of Liudao Hall. The Emperor of Wu is a selfish, greedy, tantrum throwing grown adult without any sense of responsibility. If the Emperor of Wu would be out of the way; the current acting Regent, Prince Danyang Or the Grand Secretary, Zhang Song would be better ruler for the state. On the other hand there is The Emperor of An who is scheming, plotting, manipulate individual whose soul is as dark as Erebus. He colluded with the Beipan people that led to the heart break of Empress Zhoajie who chose death in face of betrayal from her loved ones. The Emperor of An is a devious ruler who knows his two sons are incompetent and continuously balances power in his court to maintain his position. The only capable person to take on the future leadership is Li Tongguan but the Emperor keeps his ambitions in check by limiting his authority. Both the State of An and Sate of Wu would benefit from change in leadership.
Will the Central Plains get a stable ruler? Will the whole team survive the journey and live to tell the tale?...... That is for the viewers to find out. (If anyone is interested in end spoilers, see my post for episode 35 to 40summary and key points written as comment to THIS review)
Overall: A solid series with a good cast of actors, a minor criticism that I have is for the series is the unexplored direction of both the spy organizations. They were outlined in such detail that I was looking forward to their operations. However the spy organizations faded in the background giving way to the political intrigue.
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:::TWO spy organizations of States of An and Wu:::
FIRST SPY ORGANIZATION:
SCARLET (Vermilion) GUARDS of State of An
The recruited white sparrow members are controlled by the organization through poison, the members have to take an antidote every six months so escaping is not easy. The Scarlet Guards are called by their code names instead of their real names. Their structure seems more Hierarchical Organisational. Their tasks and roles are not quite clear.
_____________________
Hierarchical Structure
*Commander Deng Hui(ep 9)
*Left Emissary - (Ren Ruyi/Ren Xin), Chen Gui(ep4)
*Right Emissary- Jia Ling(ep9)
*Scarlet Emissary
*Red Emissary - Zhu Ji( Jia Ling's trusted) (ep9)
*Purple Emissary - Yue Sanniang (ep1 to 4)
* Flying Flower Formation - assassins (ep 20), According to Liu Li their south west position is the weakest.
*White sparrow(Baique) - adept at seduction and investigation. Ling Long (ep1) , Ren Ruyi/Ren Xin
*Shadow Scouts -
______________________
Organisational Structure(Branches/Departments)
*Head quarter
*Yuheng Branch to investigate police officers and Yue Sanniang's death (ep9)
*Kaiyang Branch (ep 4) sends messages through pigeons. (Has a secret chamber.)
*Tianji Branch (ep3) -
*Guideyuan Branch (ep 22) to carry out the order of murdering Ruyi and to inform Wu's delegation gas arrived in Guideyuan.
*Wu Capital Branch- (ep22) Guideyuan Branch received a message, Ruyi was a traitor from Wu Capital Branch.
1.Jumen and Lianzhen department - investigation of Wu delegation's background. (ep9)
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SECOND SPY ORGANIZATION:
Six Daoists, LIUDAO HALL - Wudu Six Hall(Six Realms Hall) of State of Wu
It was created by Taizu, it specializes in investigation and espionage. A total of SIX factions are there, THREE considered Good/Virtue Paths, their members called calvaries and THREE Evil Paths, their members called Scouts (chazi) .
:::::Good/Virtue Paths:::::
* Heaven(God) Path ; in charge of protecting Royal family.
* Human Path; monitors officials at all levels.
*Asura (Demigod) Path; engages in bribery and seduction.
:::::::Evil Paths::::::
* (The Way of Aguis) The Hungry Ghost Path ; creates mechanisms
* Animal Path; specialises in espionage.
* Hell Path; is known for assassination. {Ning Yuanzhou has turned this into an intelligence gathering unit, Palace of Hell(Senluo Hall).}
PS: If interested in more details, check out below mentioned posts:
1.Adding general information about the State of An political Scenario as a comment to this review.
2.Also included in the comment section of this review are the Clickable links to SOME of my comments for this drama, if anyone is interested they can read those as well.
3.For End spoilers of episodes 35 to 40, see the comment to THIS review.
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"I just need to balance myself once, and I'll be safe forever"
This film shattered me in ways I cannot describe.Absolutely breathtaking in every way and suffocatingly lovely with excellent cinematography, colours, script, and acting.
The English title of this film is linked to the novel of the same name that refers to the structure of the story. It tells the parallel time and space that the man encounters many years later (2020, autumn: daegu, seoul, and busan) and brings him many references and dialogues to stimulate his inner reflection, especially in every parallel time and space will be interspersed with the memories of the mother on the sickbed or the only friend he was in love in the past, but no matter what, the movie buries the most secrets or the big event between him and his first love, which caused the two to go their separate ways and meet again. Even decades later, this also caused the man to suffer from the mental torture of the incident and the repressed personality shaping in these decades.
What remains unchanged is the fact that his mother passed away and his sister suffered from cancer. He learned to accept the pain he must go through. The constant possibility and modified memory are intertwined together, bringing rich and unique meaning of the same nature, when pointing and is linked to the latest meeting from the last parting between the two, the man will finally take that step, rush to the person he loves, and go with him no matter what. He didn't want to hold back any more, that "see you tomorrow" was a long, long time.
A must watch for it tells us that you can just embrace the one you love, tap your nose with your fingertips, turn your wrist around and make a gesture of praise, even if all the stories end in the same way, the one you love will exist in every universe.
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Blue is the warmest colour.
Blue indeed is a colour of warmth and as an object, is a compassionate ode to the vagaries of the heart. The emotional honesty, precision, abandon and need; all summed up within the blue, have been the greatest force of love and benignancy. Letting the blue sky meet the blue sea could lead to bedazzling consequences, opening unimaginable possibilities. "Our Blues", the drama and it's stories illustrate as well exhibit the blues of a varied spectrums of lives and the arrays to which the life can haul us to.Produced by 'GTist' and developed by 'Studio Dragon', "OUR BLUES (우리들의 블루스)" is an omnibus-themed Kdrama created and nourished by none-other-than one of the best Korean writer Noh Hee Kyung jakka-nim. Joins her, her partner-in-crime, Kim Kyu Tae PDnim, assisted by Lee Jung Mook PD-nim as a debutant who's in fact been the executive producer of several qualitative hits. With a super-duper multi-starrer cast, the show was originally broadcasted on tvN whereas Netflix is in charge of international distribution. This also marks Kim Woo Bin's comeback drama after 6 years long hiatus and has been shot in Jeju Oil Feild, while a fraction of it has been filmed in cities like Seoul and Mokpo.
Established against the backdrop of Korea's Pureung-ri in the famous Seogwipo, the 2nd largest city on Jeju-do island or the southern part of Jeju Province, "Our Blues" is formatted as an omnibus tale of 14 characters, divided into 8 stories, told in a total of 20 episodes. While the term "omnibus" literally refers to different stories in a single book, the drama takes on characters living in the same neighbourhood who are interconnected and their path crosses on a daily basis, but the manner of presentation emphasizes only 2 of them at a time. In simple words, at a particular, time only a few characters are the protagonist of the story, having them at climax/peak, whereas others are simply extrinsic parts of their lives, coming in and going out of the scene randomly.
The drama is a true example of what you called a star-studded cast, filled not only with soooo many popularly acclaimed and skillfully talented actors but also with renowned makers who have always proved their worth. Among many, the major cast are: Kim Hye Ja, Go Doo Shim, Lee Jung Eun, Cha Seung Won, Shin Min Ah, Han Ji Min, Lee Byung Hun, Kim Woo Bin, Uhm Jung Hwa, Choi Young Joon, Park Ji Hwan, Bae Hyun Sung and Roh Yoon Seo. Special mention to the child actress Gi So Yoo who played Son Eun Gi and won hearts with her realistic acting of a 5 years old child.
In supporting cast, the familiar faces are: Kim Kwang Gyu, Nam Kyu Hee, Cho Hye Jung, Baek Seung Do, Lee So Byul, Park Jee A and Yoon Byung Hee. Again, special mention to Jung Eun Hye who played Lee Young Hee, a person with Down's syndrome, who, in real, is someone with the syndrome, and did a spectacular job. There are so many other known faces in guest roles, here and there in the show.
Rather than writing a character description, describing different stories without spoilers is a better choice. It's important bcs the drama doesn't have a particular plotline, and as told earlier, it consists of several stories.
# Eun Hi and Han Su: The wealthiest fish trader Eun Hi, who's loved by the entire neighborhood, reunites with her long-missed first love Han Su, whom she dated during highschool but grew apart due to individual situations.
# Yeong Ju and Hyun: These 2 highschool students who live in the same apartment, and been friends since childhood, secretly start dating and plan to fly to Seoul after graduating. However, an unexpected hurdle come their way, disturbing their entire wishes.
# Seon-a and Dong Seok: Thinking she's hit the rock bottom, Seon-a travels to Jeju, where she meets his first love Dong Seok, whom she'd abandoned years back. Still, uncertain about their feelings, both of them become friends again and help each other comfort.
# In Gwon and Ho Sik: Considered brothers from different mothers, Ho Sik and Ingwon had been there for each other through thick and thins, but as life happens to them, they grow apart, resenting each other for years. Now that their children are involved, they seem unable to turn away, rather fight it off.
# Young Ok, Jung Jun and Young Hee: As Young Ok and Jung Jun grow closer, Youngok's uncertainties have always bugged Jung Jun, and he's afraid of being left back. There enters Young Hee, bringing love to the city and to the relationship between the couple.
# Eun Hi and Mi Ran: The highschool duo, the rich Mi Ran and the poor Eun Hi, known as princess and maid, respectively, has always been there for each other. But there exists misunderstandings created due to own's sense, which has to be dealt with.
# Chun Hee and Eun Gi: The boss of sea Chun Hee samchun is excited for her family's comeback to Jeju to live with her. But as life becomes cruel, not knowing what's happening, she is left to take care of her granddaughter Eun Gi, who's adorable yet irritating.
# Ok Dong and Dong Seok: On the verge of death, Ok Dong samchun wishes to make up with her son Dong Seok, who resents his mother and has separated for long. As they set out on their first and last trip together, will they be able to clear the distance between them?
I do wish to elaborate a little about the topics the drama has attempted to tease and start conversations about, and doing this separately without character names, in order to avoid spoiler...... The most important element the drama tries to emphasize on is depression and related mental health issues; through a character, the drama shows how severe depression affects the lifestyle of one as well as their relationship with others. I believe it's one of those few shows, having the real symptoms of depression, that can be triggering. The 2nd most important placed is Down's Syndrome, a specially-abled person and the way of embracing them; I loved how well they have tried to draw basic notions about the normalcy of it, it was simply overwhelming.
Unprotected sex and teenage pregnancy are 2 other important elements showcased in the story, through which the writer might not have put forth the cons of it, but using it she's demonstrated the possibilities of growths in relationships and strengthening of love. Through each of the stories, the drama again, has emphasized the power of confrontation. Confronting one isn't always intended to bring down the rival, rather it provides a great mean of bringing out all the inner thoughts, helping in clearing misunderstandings. On that note, the drama also highlights greatly on self-realization and putting forward the flaws of all the character, which is follows by learning and growth, no matter their age, gender, situation and roles.
One of the many things that I loved about the drama is how they have also clearly shown that, our feelings and complexes about our friendships and other kinds of relationships are not childish or silly, because our thoughts and emotions always carry some values and could burden us to unimaginable levels. Both male and female friendships, the similarities & dissimilarities and the gravities of sentiments have also been pointed out by the writer.
Another thing I liked was the portrayal of real behaviours of the old people; as in showing how they could be irritating, annoying, demanding and adamant about anything, frequently frowning and getting afraid instantly upon being screamed on and still crawling back to their own people, etc. These are not something to really complain about but most of the kdramas do not show it. Rather calm, relaxed and postured sides are the only tools used in typical Kdramas. I hope people don't misunderstand what I am trying to convey, it's simply a way of praising how realistically the makers have presented it. On that note, the makers were able to create a typical suburb environment and bringing out typical village lifestyle and human values.
Additionally, the show throws lights upon many small to big elements like: financial mishaps, aggrandizement of love, fraudulent intentions, custody battles, love for kids, reminiscence of foregone days, secrets and lies, shades of parenting, grudges from past, holding back thoughts, conflicts in group jobs, terminal illness, accidents, being long-term bedridden, poverty, bullying, etc.
The well-crafted show is a proof that something can be fun, exciting, thrilling, emotional and touching even when there isn't much going on in our lives or even in the contrary situations. The intricate and intimate glimpses into a character's life immerse you in their very worlds, not through glamorous and flashy visuals and actions, rather a realistic and relatable presentation; totally wandering, hazy, witty and totally absorbable. The drama successfully captures tumultuous moments, all the joys and all the growing pains meshed together.
The drama marks the comeback script of Noh Hee Kyung jakka-nim after a break of 4 years, but we know she was busy creating another masterpiece yet again. With the experience of over 2 decades and a half and creating numerous popularly acknowledged slice-of-life stories, jakkanim has comeback with a piece that is unique for Kdramas. The drama itself is character driven and the cerebral & in-depth portrayals of life remains the key feature, as her usual signature. The simple yet lesser discussed topics, the elements used to narrate the stories related and the touching plus triggering outcomes from each of them, everything has been sketched with lots if care and sense, that it directly hits the core of thoughts of the viewers.
As the maker of numerous highly acclaimed and huge budget dramas with skyrocketed ratings, Kim Kyu Tae PDnim is one of the top10 directors of Korea. Using the experience of almost 3 decades, he creates stories that most of the viewers are able to live than merely relating with their own lives. The presentation is all that matters, as they say, PDnim has proved to have mastered that craft, which clearly shows. Tell me a point that you thought was off about the flow of the show? Nothing, right? From screenplay management to scenario setup, from script interpretation to scene execution, from screen editing to accessory coordination and finally the filming supervision, everything reflects on how well PDnim has understood his job of absorbing the essence of the script, it's narrative and the storytelling style intended by the writer.
Cinematography of the show, as priorly expected from the audience because of the announcement of story being primarily set up in Jeju-do, went beyond the expectations. The agricultural land of varied green accompanied by propelling huge wind turbines, the coastal vincent and deeper navy blues of the sea paralleling with the story, the mysterious yet mesmerizing bed of ocean-floor decorated with planktons, abalones and conches and the sceneries of sunset and sunrise with contrasting yellow and orange hues, everything had their own significance and provided with alluring sights to the audience. Choosing the gauge, managing the speed, setting the sensitivity with diffusing filters and adjusting to an aesthetic frame with appropriate lens, the director of photography surely has mastered the art of moving photography.
The silhouettes of single houses with rock boundaries, having flowers blossomed on them, did serve as an unusual visual elements to me. I think I can stare at them for hours and still won't get bored. The marketplace was another location frequented by the characters, a place where almost all of them crossed paths on daily basis and from our pov, every single day. It was the place where several peak moments took place and served as a buffered zone, typical of village scenarios (though the show is set up in a town). The profuse number of occupations, little details added to their jobs and their ample contributions to the trade and business of the region, even so subtly, it's been shown resplendently.
The exclusive Jeju dialect (제주방언: bang'eon) used in the drama makes it even more indulging, particularly for people like me who're into language. The larger and more conservative vowel inventory of the dialect and nouns ending with ㅁ (m), make it unique. There were few moments where the characters used pure Jejueo for which the makers have given subtitles with standard Korean language.
Putting the emotions and momentarily paused reactions in a "frame" is how they want to emphasize that how the beauty of art is more to do with the backgrounds, rather than the art itself, which implies the small yet bonny inputs into our lives.
'Building back broken houses' (Ingwon and Hosik) or parts of it signify how the living entities always require to be mended with love, care and warmth. It's always wise to restore back what we have than desiring to get what we don't have. Even when things like approach and apology serve as saviors of relationships that you want to hold onto, do it.
'Harvesting abalone and conches, together', as the hanyeos said "We move as one", tells how unity is the key to prosperity. Before the fruits of prosperity can come, the storms of life need to first bring the required rains of testing, which mixes with the seeds of wisdom to produce a mature harvest. The lives of hanyeos reflected that a lot.
'Painting walls' (Dongseok and Yeong Jun) as a sign of renewing the preexisting ecstasy of life with a different colours, as your situations suit. Painting both dreams and nightmares, with one step further, painting own's reality, might result in eternity.
'Writing down the curiosity and thoughts' instantly is a tool for many to relief their pain, more than just keeping tracks. Dairy-keeping is not as simple as it seems and turning your diary into your best possible story, could be considered a miracle. While maintaining one, when you've struck the right vein, tiredness goes. It must be an effort, thinking wrong.
'One stone at a time', for life and prosperity; rock balancing is not new in Kdramas but through Ok Dong samchun, Noh jakka has tried to present the ways to extract hope from balancing rocks, slowly and steadily.
The coming-of-age essences to the stories and the characters serve as a perfect device to nourish the vitality of the messages the writer desires to give away to her audiences. The psychological and moral growth/transition of the characters, from a point of misery to prosperity or vice versa, has been a mesmerising chronicle to witness and preserve. Personal growth and change of them, contributed by different others, signifying the importance of community life, particularly in village, where all of them are protagonists of their own stories, makes it gratifying, which is again feathered by the beautiful dialogues, emotional responses and sumptuous actions & reactions.
Composed by Choi Seung-kwon and Kim Ji-soo, there are 10 OSTs in total, all sung by very skillful vocalists of South Korea, bringing back the OST queens back to track. I love how amazingly the OSTs have been used in the drama.
# "The Last" by Heize is my most favourite which is a comforting track about the warm moments in love.
# "Remember Me " by Davichi is a melancholic song about reminiscences.
# "With You" by Jimin (BTS) and Ha Sung Woon is a softcore and mesmerizing track depicting desires and confession.
# "For Love" by 10cm is a jolly romantic track as an ode to blooming love.
# "Whisky on the Rock" by Kim Yeonji is a retro-styled song with gracious vocals is an ode to the old and care free days.
# "ONCE AGAIN" by Winter and NingNing is a song about assurance of staying beside.
# "By My Side" by Taeyeon (GG) is a melancholically healing song about regrets.
# "Bye Bye" by Punch is a mellifluous song about missed opportunities.
# "Happy Song" by MeloMance is indeed a song about happiness and hopes.
# "STAR" by STAYC is about the beauty of love, written with gratifying lyrics.
The opening theme at the beginning of each episode with aesthetic set ups, as someone picks up the record for characters meant for that episode, playing the record player and unfurling their stories, all these provided great joy and was ecstatic.
Apart from these, the drama also has many old songs, not only Korean but non-Korean along with classic jazz, that has been either used as a background, or played/sung by the characters. The 1962 Italian pop classic song "Quando Quando Quando" by Tony Renis as well as it's English version cover by Korean singer Moon Haewon (문해원) is the most mesmerizing. "Our Blues,Our Life" by Lim Young Woong is a beautiful track.
My most favourite dialogue is...
"I heard this typhoon will pass by. But again, all of them do. Just like this typhoon, everything will eventually pass by soon. Now get some sleep, Yeong Joo-ah~ I love you."
Final Remarks... And just like that, once again, another drama has made me question my worth for daring to judge it; it took a lot of efforts to put my feelings and experiences into words. Another masterpiece slice-of-life drama is OUR BLUES which will be placed in the deepest cores of our hearts and remembered, for it was beautiful, healing and profoundly heartwarming, making us to think, resonate, rationalize and acknowledge the determinants life throws at us. I would have loved if it were more, I mean, at least that's what I desperately wished for. I would like to offer my gratitude to Noh jakka from offering us another spellbinding piece of art. Thank you to each and every one involved.
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1This review may contain spoilers
Okay, this show does a really terrible job of explaining itself so imma clear it up for those who have watched it and are confused or those that haven't and are interested in doing so. I'm not sure if the issue lies in the translation or in the writing itself, but either way, I gotchu:Convoluted explanation:
Qing Chen utilizes a set of nine stones to reset the universe after the love of her life nearly comes to a fatal end. However, doing so is not without consequence. Firstly, no one will remember her, nor can she reveal her identity. Secondly, she'll only have a predetermined amount of time before the flower of life wilts, which loses a petal whenever the major players in that timeline die and/or as time passes. And thirdly, if she doesn't recollect the scattered stones before her time is up, her existence will be wiped from the history of the universe and everything she has done up until that point will be nullified.
Simple explanation:
The basic premise of this show is that a girl (Qing Chen) goes a year into the past to change the fate of the love of her life. It obviously can't be that easy because the writers have another 45-ish episodes to write, so there are rules: she only has roughly 6 months to recollect the scattered stones that acted as her time machine and return to the future. If she fails, she disappears from the universe (including people's memories) and, as mentioned above, everything she has done up until that point will be nullified.
(If you haven't watched it yet, stop reading now if you want to avoid spoilers)
So what does she do? She devotes all of her efforts to saving Ling, her true love, and basically blows off searching for the stones because... Selflessness?? I guess?? Honestly, when it comes to dramas like these, the overall consensus is that any "genius" character is just a brilliant fool... Mostly for plot convenience. When the writers need them to pull some miraculously impossible solution out of their ass, they do, and when the writers need them to play dumb and overlook something blatantly obvious, they do. And that about perfectly sums up Qing Chen. She's a brilliant fool and victim of cheap plot manipulation.
She SHOULD be concerned about finding the stones. She SHOULD value her life. Why? Because if she doesn't find the stones, or if she dies, everything she went through to save Ling will go to waste— he'll still die at the hands of his power-hungry brother from before she went back in time, she just won't exist to witness it. It basically invalidates everything she is putting herself through; it's like devoting tons of time and effort into a video game with the intention to just delete the save file halfway. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
There are so many plot holes, so many I've lost count. They pulled a J.K. Rowling "Prisoner of Azkaban" so many times. What do I mean by that? Well, the whole premise of "Prisoner of Azkaban" is that Harry and Hermione fuck with time to fix a bunch of shit, but that mechanic is never visited again in the subsequent books because... Well, because it was hellish to write about so J.K. Rowling just casually opted out. Plus, it would've destroyed her tragic plans for the the story (since everything could be fixed by time travel), making it boring, repetitive, and predictable. TL;DR? "Lost Love in Times," like "Prisoner of Azkaban," is another example of— say it with me now— PLOT CONVENIENCE.
Then again, they must've done something right since I did watch it until the end, which is rare for me these days. I gotta give it to China— they've got political turmoil and domestic upheaval down to a science. If you can keep track of all the characters and side stories, you won't be disappointed by the amount of detail that goes into the corrupt and ceaseless competition for power. WITH THAT BEING SAID...
What a cheap excuse of an ending. It's the epitome of "oh shit, we wrote ourselves into a corner and the characters don't have their happy ending. Whelp... SCREW IT. FAN SERVICE TIMEEEE."
Don't get me wrong, I love me a happily ever after, but I'd rather a tragic ending that makes sense than a forced and poorly executed happy ending. Period.
*deep breath*
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The Nine-Tailed Fox Tale With A Romantic Twist…
Admittedly whilst the quality of these fantasy dramas are often variable upon screenwriting ,‘ My Roommate Is A Gumiho’ surprisingly hits most of the marks by portraying well-rounded characters, strong chemistry between the main leads and an intriguing premise which felt enjoyable and surprisingly heartfelt for viewers.
Taken from the eponymous webcomic and adapted by screenwriters Baek Sun Woo and Choi Bo Rim , " My Roommate Is A Gumiho” revolves around Shin Woo Yeo( Jung Ki Yong)- an ancient nine-tailed fox ( Gumiho) who yearns to be human. Woo Yeo must turn his fox bead marble blue before reaching his 999th year, otherwise he will never be able to attain this possibility of becoming mortal . However, nothing ever runs smoothly for supernatural beings in K-dramas. When young and feisty university student Lee Dam (Hyeri) swallows his bead, Woo Yeo soon finds himself battling between his desires and a new obstacle of affections for Lee Dam…
Starting off his performance on a slightly lacklustre note, Jang Ki Young soon proved his talents to animate the sagacious and mysterious onscreen persona as Shin Woo Yeo to life through his surprisingly heart-rendering scenes of Woo Yeo’s complex past and sweet interactions with Lee Dam.
It is surprising how underrated Lee Hyeri’s acting talents are by truly delivering a resonant performance as headstrong Lee Dam. Lee Dam ( as a character) is arguably an evidently "down-to-earth heroine" than a lot of K-drama female leads out there- deadpan expressions, shamelessly honest comments and straightforward priorities ( not least the fact that she was more worried about not being able to eat fried chicken again with the bead) helping to epitomise this.
However to be more brutally honest with Lee Dam’s characterisation, it was evident to see some nuanced problems here also. This didn’t mean her sentience as a character was non-existent. Early on in the series, Lee Dam established she was no pushover when calling out the sexist remarks of second male lead Gye Sun Woo ( Bae In Hyuk)’s friendship group upon her body. She comments defiantly that she is a human being; ” not an object" in a moment which truly brought forward the taboo issue of misogyny in South-Korea . ( Kudos as well for screenwriters Baek Sun Woo and Choi Bo Rim for having addressed this issues overtly than burying them under the carpet also.)
In addition to this the screenwriters also used the opportunity to explore more with her interactions outside of romances alone, with her two best friends; Do Jae Jin( Kim Do Wan) and Choi Soo Kyung( Park Kyung Hye) . The " best friends" archetype in K-dramas is often used to present “animosity”( either through love triangles, lies or relationships) or as “unnecessary” ( they are used to fill-in time or for comical relief). At times, the duo were manipulated into both roles in order to heighten drama, however, they was something oddly sweet here ; they genuinely cared about Lee Dam.
However, the biggest problem occurred sometimes in between this development of " comical" and " serious" Lee Dam scenes, there was a opportunity to use this time to sketch-out more about Lee Dam’s sense of identity . Admittedly , this also fuelled more tedious interactions between our main leads in the beginning as we had little to truly grasp ( as viewers) about their characters.
Arguably, however, it this was necessary to foreground who are characters were as individuals and to get to know one another first. This seemed to remain evident in later episodes with a more fortified pairing feeling refreshing, gradual and healthy-both for the characters, and the logic of the plot without having to define Woo Yeo merely as the ‘ supernatural and inhuman’ character of the series for angst and tension. Although some viewers have risen red flags about the “ improper” relationship between Woo Yeo and Lee Dam’s addressed name to him ( “ Elder/ Sir”) in Korean, there was undeniably something well-matched about the chemistry between these two characters. The storyline could’ve presented Woo Yeo as a “ callous” or “ disruptive” towards Lee Dam, but the male lead was fairly respectful towards our female lead and likewise with Lee Dam towards Woo Yeo. Their relationship was undeniably slow-burning but built upon gradual mutual respect and symbiotic feelings, rather than the stereotypical causes which often reduced the main pairing in fantasy dramas being there “ for the sake of plot”.
The supporting leads were in a similar boat. Second female lead Yang Hye Sun ( Kang Ha Na) was an absolute delight with her wholesome friendship with our male main lead . There was initial fear that perhaps Hye Sun would go down the stereotypical ” female animosity” route due to her close-knit relationship with Woo Yeo ( due to her established " vixen-style and mischievous ”personality). However, thankfully the show allowed Hye Sun to steer clear of this route. Instead Hye Sun is paired together with an unusual side character which you won’t see coming . Now, without spoilers ( to either the drama or the webtoon), there is a particular reason why the storyline paired these two polar opposites together, however, first-time viewers will possibly feel disconcerted with this pairing choice due to the more ” comical" approach taken on at first. (Although admittedly there are some surprisingly heartfelt moments between these two also.)
Our second male lead Gye Sun Woo ( Bae In Hyuk) was a little bit of a curve ball. Bae In Hyuk was undeniably delightful as our main lead. However although the series did attempt to present Sun Woo as the “ forlorn lover with unrequited feelings” towards Lee Dam, lacking character growth and missed opportunities to use Sun Woo’s egotism in order to explore more about his backstory, truly derived from the screenwriters’ intended desire of presenting him as this sentient individual rather than merely a story writing trope.
On a more positive note the ending was fairly well-matched for the series and did leave a sense of completion towards the overall events of the drama.
So aside from the seeming abundance of high ratings for this series giving it “10/10”, is “ My Roommate Is A Gumiho” actually that good? Well, the drama undeniably has its flaws in parts. Whilst it hits the mark with good acting, prominent messages and brilliant relationship chemistry between our leads, the fresh spins upon tropes are sometimes mismatched against more tiresome cliches particularly with later storyline developments, slower pacing in parts and evidently the character development of Sun Woo. On the other hand, “ My Roommate Is A Gumiho” was an entertaining watch with chemistry which sparked alive onscreen and will definitely win the heart of any avid romance fan.
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This review may contain spoilers
Ok wow. Black is a conundrum with equal parts things to love and equal parts things to hate. It is excellent at times but tragically bad at others and after you’re done with it, you’ll find yourself fully understanding where both the highly positive and negative views are coming from. Your final rating will simply depend on the aspect you choose to focus on. So here’s the spoiler-free break down of the good and bad that comes with the show:The Bad:-
Bad Acting and Annoying ASF Characters:
1) Our Female Lead:Kang Ha Ram was your everyday damsel in distress/dumb but kind/self-sacrificing/self-blaming/bumbling-fumbling idiotic heroine who should’ve been as unmemorable as they come. And she really was that way as long as Go Ah Ra didn’t attempt to “act” but then somebody gave her the awful idea that she should “try and make an effort” and that’s when things went sour for me. Her acting was so monotonous and try-hard that at times I too wanted to stab my eyes with a metallic chopstick. Just at the slightest inclination of danger, she started this weird hyperventilating/gasping/whimpering regime and trust me, nobody wants to hear that kind of constant panting in the ear in, what is supposed to be, an emotionally intense scene. Simply put, it made me feel violence.
2) Kim Won Hae:Ladies and Gents, let me introduce you to the supporting ahjussi version of Lee Jong Suk (minus the looks ofc) He has the classic “same character, different drama” thing going on and that’s why what was supposed to be the role of a quirky and passionate police officer soon turned into the “same ol’ bs” for me. It didn’t help that I had watched two of his dramas (WYWS/CHIEF KIM) back to back (in which I really liked him) before Black and his acting chops (or lack thereof) were quite apparent to me .
3)The Second Male/Female Lead:The second female lead was a slightly updated version of Kang Ha Ram. Atleast, she had some reason for her constant hyperventilation. The poor woman was literally used as a plot device for the show (with zero character development) and spent the entirety of the drama getting abused/hit/humiliated/kidnapped and you know the routine…The second male lead was the male equivalent of the female and second female lead combined so you know there’ wasn’t much hope to begin with. There was equally bad acting done by all three of them to wrap their disastrously written characters with a sparkly bow on top.
4) Side Characters:There are a lot of side characters with straight up cringey acting which made me question my own existence. Like why? Their roles weren’t even hard. It was like watching a bad rehearsal instead of the actual thing.
-Pacing and Plot Development:
Black’s pacing is admittedly very messy. The drama starts being all over the place, it’s draggy and confusing and you almost want to drop it but then episode 5 kicks in. And somehow it turns from “meh” to “holy shit that’s awesome”. And then just when you’re ready to give it a 10, the drama reaches the 12th episode mark and things start to go downhill. The last couple of episodes were probably some of the most badly executed/poorly written/sappy and disappointing episodes I’ve had the displeasure of witnessing in a drama. The ending was also done in poor taste. Some of the reveals could’ve been brilliant but the show failed to pull it off, so much so, that when everything finally hit the fan, I was almost yawning like “So this what was all the hype was about?” Not impressed.
-Bullshit-O-Meter on Level 100:
Honestly, if you’re watching the show objectively you’ll find a lot of loopholes and things that don’t add up. Some scenes were flat-out ridiculous and laughably unbelievable. There’s a level of “illogical” I can put up with under the label of fantasy but when you just start bullshitting your way through things, just to wrap it all up, I’m sorry but I’m not buying. The amount of convenient plot devices in the last coupla episodes were tragic and the poor props used by the production team just made things more tacky.
The Good:-
Well Done Anti-Hero/Male Lead:
I simply adored Grim Reaper 444/Black. He was the life of the show and could often be seen carrying it on his sexy back. I actually think Song Seung Hoon pulled it all off quite brilliantly. I loved the way he went from this cold/blunt/almost selfish jerk to this kind hearted man. I loved everything about him- his hilarious antics, his cute attempts to adjust to the human world, the way the actor delivered his dialogues and his poignant expressions that actually made you “feel” so much for him. He pulled both his roles as the “clumsy police officer” and “the stoic Grim Reaper” perfectly. Even though his character took some hits because of the bad writing towards the end, they weren’t nearly big enough to downplay all his awesomeness. Plus those black suits were mighty good to him. I couldn’t get enough.
-Suspense/Mystery:
Even though the ending reveals and the wrap-up could’ve been much much better, the journey towards the revelations was excellent. There were some genuine thrilling moments and the show executed the suspense marvellously. I was dying to know what was going to happen at times and was clueless about how it was all going to end (except one of the big reveals that I had figured out quite early in the show). The way some things connected to each other in some of the individual cases had me gripping the edge of my old rusty futon. As a hardcore fan of the mystery genre, I really appreciated some of the twists and turns the story took. After a very long time, I had myself a show where I was genuinely interested in knowing the results. I was badly anticipating the “wow-wow-superwow moments” and even though the results disappointed me, I’d never for a moment take back the beautiful process.
-The Middle:
For me the middle of the show (ep 5-11) was definitely the best of it. There were some legit interesting cases that our main guys took over. The show pulled off the darkness and violence of every crime quite nicely and ended up being fairly impactful. In this phase of the show I was sure I was going to give it a solid 10; for the execution of these episodic stories was far better than the over-arching plot.
-Black’s two “Reaper Best Friends”:
Jo Jae Yun is my favorite supporting actor and I’ve loved him in all his roles. Joseon along with our adorable Rapper brought some much needed comedic relief and warmth to the show. Their interactions with Black made my day.
-The Killers:
A few of the killers/criminals in the show were just the right flavor of creeptastic.*Scarface, I’m looking at you.” This did wonders for the psychological aspect of the drama. You get a glimpse of how horrible some humans can be and it is ugly. I loved it.
-OST:
The OST was very appropriate and the soft vocals gave a very melancholic feel that was just right for the show. The instrumentals helped too.
-Leo:
Lmao ok so he was actually quite irrelevant and one-dimensional but still oh so cute. I’m a girl. I have two eyes and two ovaries. I liked what I saw.
So anyway, that’s about it folks. That’s all you need to know about Black. Do I recommend it? Actually, yes.
If you can look over some things/don’t mind one and a half hour episodes/ are a fan of mystery and crime, then definitely give it a go. Chances are you will really enjoy, if not most, then at least some of it. Do I think it deserves to be one of the very top rated shows? Personally, no. Not by a long shot.
Best of luck!
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For starters, I am a very big lover of this manga. It isn't exactly a very smart story but what drove the entire plot of the manga had been random cuteness and a swooning chemistry between the leads. While the lead actors here are cute they fail to make me love them and rather came off as annoying. I don't know how old both actors are but I'm gonna be harsh and say they did a terrible job of their characters.
Shuusei and Aoi were unrecognizable to me as characters by the end of the film. With a story that originally hardly had any depth, the script of the film makes it shallower (as if that's even possible). Yes, the sudden romantic moments are cute but before you reach half of the film- you feel like you're watching a couple of teenagers' random romantic moments put together. The characters don't make sense and the flow of the story is practically non-existent.
I understand that not all movies have the same budget but for this the acting really ruined everything and not the lack of glamour. The humour, romance and story- everything failed me. Yet for some very odd reason I didn't hate the movie. There was something addictive about it that made me kept going. I couldn't wait to get to know what happened next nor could I wait for it to end. It was like a tug-of-war happening within me as a viewer.
One of the bright sides of the movie was the presence of Kiriyama Renn. Even his barely-there presence left more of an impact on me than the other actors could do. It was rather a waste of this otherwise talented man.
This is a harsh review and my ratings are all low and yet the overall score is fine. That's because I couldn't hate it being a fan of the manga nor could I hate the cliches in the film. As a one-time watch it hurts nobody but does stand as very forgettable in the long run.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Dark Lord, Ye Tianzi, was filmed in the burning summer of 2017, extending into the cool and rainy fall. Adapted from a historical novel by Yueguan, the story was transformed into a heart-stirring tornado on screen by the same author.During the dynasty of Ming, Guizhou Province in the southwestern corner of China was ruled under a tribal system. The rulers in the system were hereditary, and also formally appointed by the royal court. The protagonist, Ye Xiaotian, was originally head of a prison following his father’s foot step. Due to a financial drought in the family, he decided to take a trip of more than a thousand miles to Guizhou to deliver a will of an executed official under his watch, with a promised pay. The moment he stepped out of the capital, the moment he reached the landscape of Guizhou…are the moments that changed his life. The rainy season of Guizhou did not start pouring abruptly, but it gradually turned into a thunderstorm. The storm was so brutal that Ye Xiaotian’s life was barely spared each time. One could also say that he outplayed all his competitors by his wit, his persistence, and most importantly, by his love for Xia Yingying.
The story is not your usual story about power struggles and undying love. Ye Xiaotian is also not a prince, but a nameless prison head giving up his job to earn quick cash. But after watching the whole series, you will come to understand that the story is about those encounters, the rite of passage. Beautiful or cruel, they change you, shape you, lift you up to another stage of life with no point of return.
The series is not only equipped with the wonderful cast, delicate and sometimes massive props, but also fast-pacing plots and funny lines which drive you right through Ye Xiaotian’s journey.
Xu Haiqiao has done a fascinating job in portraying the protagonist, injecting emotional energy into his performance and into the minds of the audience. The emotions will be so real that they explode in your heart.
Song Zu’er played the beautiful and innocent Xia Yingying. She is the sweetheart of Ye Xiaotian, also the sweetheart of the whole series.
Liu Guanlin played the arch-enemy of Ye Xiaotian this time. The life transformation also happened on him drastically.
There are also so many veteran actors and actresses, who are, just like what Haiqiao has commented, looking exactly the way their characters should look like.
The journey of Ye Xiaotian in Guizhou has long been over, but his adventure in Guizhou will not be stopped when the tornado is still elevating its capacity. The series comes to an interim, and one can expect even more intensive plots ahead. But Ye Xiaotian won’t stop his steps even when the tornado is over. When he looked back through the opaque veils of rain of Guizhou, how he started the trip and ended up doing everything just to marry Yingying. Like our lives, they just move on. While we will always remember how we came to be who we are, sometimes we just don’t understand why.
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Seo In Guk is one of my favourite actors but I didn’t like his role. I suppose that just proves what a great actor he is to make me dislike him so much in this. Kim Moo Young begins as a character with a traumatic past who is cold, manipulative and has many psychotic tendencies. By the end we are meant to believe that his love for Jin Kang made him want to become a better human being. But I feel that the writers did a poor job in conveying this transition.
Which leads me to Jin Kang. Jung So Min did her best given the role but I found it very hard to empathize with her character. For the sake of love, Jin Kang, disappoints, betrays and lies to everyone around her. She is foolishly blinded by love and fails to recognize that Kim Moo Young is simply a bad person. The fact that the story romanticizes this fact is troubling. This is not a story of a bad boy who is misunderstood by all except the female lead. Kim Moo Young is only good to her, and not to the rest of the world. The script partially tries to justify his actions by exploring his troubling past but I don’t think it was very convincing.
Finally, the brother, Yoo Jin Gook. He is the only character that seems to be reasonable. Although he too does some questionable things, but compared everything else that goes on it seems less significant.
As for the rest of the cast, they did well but were under utilized. What was the point of Hong Bin’s character? He pretty much disappears mid-series.
I've already said a lot about the script so I’ll keep it short. The beginning and ending episodes were engaging but in between it felt like the story was going nowhere.
The OST complemented the series well. “Star” is the song that stands out. Jung So Min has a very serene voice that really shines in this song.
Overall, the series turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. I may not have liked the story but I appreciate the fact that it had a solid ending that tied up most of the loose ends.
Coincidentally while this was airing, I also watched “Come and Hug Me" which shares a lot of parallels with this show. In my opinion that show had a superior script and would recommend you watch it if you like these types of dramas.
If it weren’t for the fact that I watched the drama while it was airing, it would have been a difficult watch mainly because of the slow pace. I don’t intend to rewatch this show. Not even the J-drama version if it is anything like this one.
As I mentioned before, I really wanted to like the show but unfortunately it couldn’t live up to my expectations.
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This review may contain spoilers
i'd like to have my life back before i watched this baloney macaroni because rn i want to bury my memory of this drama deep in the very depths of depths.why is the fl so painfully naive and just spineless? there was no character development to her at all
what bothered me was that she got sexually assaulted by this dude then she decided that it's a good idea to work for that same dude???
idk how to feel about the main leads.... their chemistry felt a bit unnatural? there was no buildup to their relationship lmaoooo it's legit big bang theory lol the main leads met and kABAM cupid did their work
it was hilarious to see them hug and talk about their undying love for each other like they've been dating for eons when they legit just met
hmmm the ml's actor is eyecandy i can't deny that bUT i couldn't stand how creepy possessive he was
also what's with the ml appearing at the exact timing that the fl is in danger? is this dude jesus?
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Please don’t waste your time
I only give it a 4/10, cause the first two episodes were amazing and the cinematography was excellent, other than that: full garbage.I have never seen such miserable and annoying characters. The ML is the most miserable person ever. The lack of self respect drove me INSANE. How can someone hate themselves that much? His character was really interesting at first, but they ruined it by making him a simp. They should have give his character more in depth scenes, the character was much more than an idiot waiting his whole life for someone who left him.
The female character is the exact opposite, super selfish. She was so angry and mad about.. what? I couldn’t understand her at all. Everyone is loving her and open to help her, but she is just an ungrateful brat.
I appreciate people who choose themselves and go for their own dreams, but she should’ve never interrupted the ML’s live. She made things only worse and left, again.
I can rant about the absolute RAGE I am feeling right now, but I will spare you guys, just don’t watch it for you own sake.
The only good thing about this shit drama is that they didn’t end up together, THANK GOD! Or i would’ve given it 0/10
I am so disappointed that they ruined absolute perfect two episodes. I can absolutely love second chance romances, but not like this ever again please.
They WASTED an great opportunity the worst way possible and I will have to mourn for this now.. THANKS.
edit (and spoiler): I forgot to mention that the FL is really the worst girlfriend ever. she drank wine with her ex, whom she hid from her boyfriend, while her boyfriend was having a hard time, because his grandma was almost dying. i think i won’t be forgetting this awful situation ever 💀
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Is it “ So Not Worth” Watching This Drama?
In between the badly-timed laugh tracks, sound effects and sporadic comedy jokes in dialogue and screen titles ( often accompanied by outdated hashtags) , “ So Not Worth It” ( written by screenwriters Seo Eun Jung and Baek Ki Hyung ) attempts to offer a “ fresh” take on youth culture in South-Korea with a group of international students. However whilst the show did present some intriguing messages towards recognising diversity and fighting against prejudice stereotypes in South-Korean society, “ So Not Worth It” often failed to hit the mark by struggling to reach its full potential.
The acting is admittedly a mixed-bag. As the majority of the cast are comprised of novice or first-time actors, it is undeniable that the acting quality varied a lot. During more heartfelt moments of the show, the cast were able to give dynamic performances, however, comical elements surrounding their characters was a little questionable to say the least.
As characters, the show often reimbursed into going into extremes of being over-the-top stereotypes. Teaching assistant Se Wan ( Park Se Wan) was arguably less overtly flamboyant than the other characters in the series due to her down-to earth personality and constant need to have other part-time jobs in order to survive. Consequently , this was closely followed by Hyun Min ( Han Hyun Min). There seemed to be a lot that the series was trying to address with Hyun Min’s difficult lifestyle as a student as well as annoyingly being mistaken as a foreigner. By far, there were certainly some interesting and funny moments with Hyun Min’s interactions around sister Han Hyun A ( Choi Yu Jin) and his mother, however, more controversial issues which were prominent with Hyun Mom’s character were often swept under the carpet .
The series enjoyed playing and milking on the comedy elements a lot also. It is therefore no surprise that clueless and klutzy Korean- American Jamie ( Shin Hyun Seung) soon began to predominate screentime with his predictable pairing with Se Wan. Refreshingly as we progress we do learn a bit more about Jamie outside of the comical moments regarding his complicated life, however, it did feel at times this portrayal was a little lacking. ( As the series could have even helped to portray difficulties for Jamie trying to adapt to a different culture.)
The other supporting characters such as Korean - Australian Sam ( Choi Young Jae), Hyun Min’s roommate Tetris ( Tetris Brown) and their roommate Hans ( Joakim) were often used to generate quick farce moments in the show rather than being used to reach more poignant moments .
It was evident to a lot of watchers just how much this show had been tailored for western audiences. This isn’t a surprise considering the popularity of K-dramas in the west, however, the stereotypes in order to appeal to ‘ westernised audiences’ were incredibly enforced such as Thai K-drama fan Minnie( Minnie)’s constant references to K-drama quotes or actors in order to make the show " appealing ”. ( Including a cringeworthy moment when Minnie is visiting an army barrack and begins to reference ‘’ Descendants of the Sun ".)
Then there was the American international student Carson ( Carson Allen). As viewers, we admittedly did get to see some brief glimpses into Carson’s love-life which helped to sketch her out more as an individual. However, her “ old-man” style of speaking often took away more profound moments of her character by being used as a tiresome running gag in the show.
Of course it is wrong to suggest that ‘ So Not Worth It’ didn’t have some more bittersweet moments either. There was a fairly intriguing element to a group of international students becoming friends which was fortified by standing up for one another at different moments in the show. When Carson reveals her Korean boyfriend had an affair behind her back, the ragtag group of friends are quick to rush over to give him an earful. In another scene of this episode, Se Wan and Carson have a fairly sweet moment as friends, whilst in a later episode Hyun Min’s mother makes a profound point that being a mother isn’t just a biological, but having a strong bond with your child ( regardless of whether they are blood-related or not) also . In another heartfelt moment of the show, Carson altruistically plans matchmaker with Terris and her date after cottoning onto to Terris’ feelings . Yet in between the more profound moments of the series, the boorish comedy often took this away in exchange for childish and tiresome jokes and running gags . The ending was arguably left on the possibility for a second season with a feeling for incompleteness for viewers , however, a lacking sense of fulfilment truly did bring to the question what on earth viewers spent 12 episodes watching .
So is ‘ So Not Worth’ it “ worth ” investing time towards ? If you’re looking for a quick series to binge-watch then this sitcom is the answer to your dreams. However, the desired attempt to present a diverse cast evidently targeted for a “quick fix” to attract western audiences was strongly apparent over quality. There was a certain glamorisation over more subtle issues in South-Korean society with numerous one-dimensional characters in an attempt to heighten poorly-written farce moments.
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The producers did an okay job of keeping the story line true to the novel BUT their biggest blunder was messing up Chen Guo's character. She would have been better off staying as how she was portrayed in the novel and not this weak willed (?) woman in the live action. I don't mind the other changes they made to the live action though.
Anyways, the way they portrayed Chen Guo with always wanting help on her test books (?) or whatever makes her seem so stupid. It made me wonder "how in the world does she manage to keep her shop open.." and why did she even need to study the books?
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I've also noticed that some comments seem to have an issue with how "old" Chen Guo's character looks but I think she looks acceptable enough. If you have ever read the novel, you will know Chen Guo is supposed to be the oldest of the bunch, at 27, until Wei Chen joins them.
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The friendship was very touching and I liked seeing it come to life.
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The story was good.
Acting was ok but sometimes a little cringy.
Music is 10/10.
My rewatch value is low because rarely do I ever rewatch anything.
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This review may contain spoilers
Motel California in Korea
For this story, the beginning might start out a little slow, confusing, irritating, at some parts. Two childhood friends, as different in personality as night and day, yet their closeness as fluffy as a teddy bear. Bearing the “shame” of parental uncompromised relationship resulting in tragedy, the pair bore the scrutiny, gossip, pointing fingers of the small town they lived. Unbearable to her, their friendship ended when she left town. With this outline builds this story. It’s a story of overcoming barriers, stigma. It’s a story that gives us a glimpse of life in real time through that of Kang Hee, the main character. There’s the saying that children shouldn’t bear the mistakes of parents. That’s definitely a theme here. KH is definitely a complicated character in the beginning. Stick with her as you will understand. With so many other life lessons, this story unfolds like a beautiful budding flower that by episode eight, I legitimately have adopted myself into it.Lee Se Young (Kang Hee/Gang Hui) is such a versatile actress. Historical, modern, cross cultural, she has really made her mark in acting. I like her in this role. She’s headstrong, stubborn and determined not to be undermined by her painful past and problems of present. Her character is somewhat similar with that in What Comes After Love. Those hard stares can freeze the bones. She really does shine in this character. Her emotional scenes are very well done. Had me teary too as I can identify her pain in those moments.
Na In Woo (Yun Su) plays the character that is hard to adjust to. He’s quiet, slow to respond. However, as it progresses, he grows into you. His role as the foundation to Kang Hees emotional roller coaster life is heartwarming. Kind, understanding, and patient, he’s her solid rock. Episode eight is so beautiful. He is very clear, concise, and becomes a man. You’ll see.
Kang Hees father in the drama is the father everyone can want. Charming, humorous, slow to anger, not a pushover. Yes, his relationship with his daughter is strained yet, their bond and love for each other is obvious.
There’s many other great themes here. Orphan. Childhood bullying. Stigma. Forgiveness. Everything is resolved and by the end i continue to smile. Yes, very satisfying end. Be patient in first few episodes and you’ll be happy you stuck through to the end.
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