This review may contain spoilers
stayed in my mind
I really liked this very formulaic drama - Thai college students go through love angst due to inability to express honestly.Dunk Natachai Boonprasert/Dao Nuea is in his first starring role and does an excellent job of being appealingly cute and naive.
Joong Archen Aydin/Khab Khluen has a more nuanced role. He has been apparently dating Gai since high school and this effectively means no one else has pursued him except for Nuea's ongoing unrequited feelings. As the plot unfolds we get to realise he has zero experience of love and his 'girlfriend' relationship was really as a close family friend.
When our two main leads meet up again Nuea is embarrassed by his past confession so cuts off any attempt by Khluen to start anything. He remains in the 'safer' unrequited mode pining for his love and any attempts by Khluen are seen as not genuine.
We all realise that had Khluen cleared up the non girlfriend issue there would have been more chance to show us how sweet they are together, unfortunately the writers persisted with the misunderstandings for way too long thus dragging down the momentum.
Lots of negative comments about the non C kiss when Khluen is drunk but I think it is in character with this shy person who is hopeless at words and just has everything going on internally. He admits he is dumb at love and this is true in both senses of not knowing and unable to speak.
His mother plays a lovely role and we can tell that she has twigged his feelings for Nuea and tries to encourage him to not keep everything inside himself. He also has supportive friends as does Nuea. Nuea's brother, Mek Jirakit Thawornwong/Khua Fah is the more obviously experienced actor and has a strong screen presence.
Overall I enjoyed this drama and am looking forward to the sequel with Fah as the ML.
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Story: Even though it has familiar themes such as hotel setting, rivalry for power, baking, birth secret, jealous ex gf you want to punch etc. the writer did a great job of keeping each episode well paced, which made me want to keep watching. The ending is wrapped in a nicely neat bow for those who care;)The last 20 episodes felt dragged out though, that's pretty much the only critique for the story.
Acting/Characters: The acting was spot on for all the characters. Well except Lee Jang Woo who I can't seem to like in anything. It doesn't help that his character is a spoiled whiny chaebol who blames everyone else for all his "problems." The actress who played Saewa was really great with her character because I cringed every time her character came on, probably the most annoying character I've seen in a drama ever (and I've seen a lot!). My favorite characters were Sae Young & Tae Hoon Oppa(Alex). They were too funny and cute! As for the lead couple most of the time I felt like they had more of a cute chemistry meant for friends. I really like the lead actress though (saw her in King of Dramas first, really different characters). I forgot to mention the actress who played the mentally handicapped mother Anna. Excellent acting although her character got annoying towards the end as well...
Music: Not a lot of it, and not memorable either. It's to be expected though cause most daily dramas don't incorporate music.
Rewatch: It's rewatchable but I don't know when I'll have the time to sit through all those episodes again. I also don't care to watch all the annoying characters again so there's that...
Overall Smile, Dong Hae is worth a watch if you like family themed shows with a happy ending. It is possible to finish...if you dare!
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Time travel done right
This is not your ordinary K-drama.I'll tell you what it's also not. The Atypical Family is not a tiresome rom-com that shambles zombie-like into a melodrama morass by episode 8. Instead it rather delicately shifts through various shades of crime caper and dark comedy with clever little twists before it hits the romance that it promises to be. It's self-aware and addresses obvious tropes with almost fourth-wall, existential humour. It manages to use time travel coherently and does not insult the viewer with unnecessary time gaps and pointless makjang.
The casting was very good at all levels and the actors delivered. I thought that the marriage fraud gang were the best of the bunch. Choi Kwang-rok was unrecognizable in a good way. Kim Su-hyun wore both the fat suit and the several iterations of her character with remarkable style. I did not find the leads truly exceptional but they were good enough and played off each other well. All of them were helped by the fact that the writers took good care of the characters and allowed them to develop their own stories so nobody was acting in a void.
The Atypical Family does many things very, very well. Above all, it does not outstay its welcome and doesn't try to scrape four more episodes off the cutting room floor.
This is what it feels like when a show's producers and writers respect their work and their audience. For that, this tough audience will rate it a solid 9/10 and will recommend it to pretty much anyone with time on their hands.
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Kindness Wrapped in a Warm Hug
This drama is near perfect - a fact made even better because I went into it truly knowing nothing about it so the surpise was better AND that it's written by a completely new writer. The breath of fresh air it brought to the kdrama world is something else!Goo Se Ra is the obvious highlight of the series - Nana plays her earnestness and recklessness and kindness to perfection. Se Ra has a huge heart and is so soft but never ever lets herself be walked over by anyone. What an amazing female character. I dare anyone not to fall in love with her laugh.
Gong Myung is her perfect love interest - the brains to her heart. He's kind of awkward and blunt but so sincere and extremely loyal. Together they are literally one of the softest couples who so so obviously like each other as much as they love each other.
Just watching them makes you realise how many supposed romances really miss that important part of just having the leads enjoy each others company. They are equals in every sense of the word, protective of each other, so adorable to watch and have shot all the way up to be one my favourite OTPs ever!
The extended cast is amazing - particularly Se Ra's friends, our wise-beyond-years kid neighbour and her fellow politicians who are all so memorable whether its because you hate them, laugh at them or are conflicted over them. Hee Soo in particular was a really interesting grey character and just another great female character in a whole cast of them.
The through-line throughout the series is so important too. In the most basic sense it's about politics sure, but mostly it's about always having hope for a better future, never giving up in the face of long odds and making sure to stand up for those who cannot stand themselves.
Special shout-out to the director! The angles and wideshots in the drama made it one of the most unique watches of 2020 and it deserves to be on everyone's best-of-year lists, whether it comes into rewards or not.
Go watch! You won't regret it! There's truly nothing out there like this.
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In short "Double Mints" is a manga project that projects as a fantasy to a forbidden world in which it does not enter, but it is strongly impressed that the film is a reality and a terrain with more realistic brushstrokes.
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This review may contain spoilers
While reading some of the reviews on this site for Defendant, I think my opinion will be on the unpopular side.Let me start off with the best part of this drama and what kept me going in the times I wanted to abandon it: the splendid acting from all the cast, especially the two main leads: Ji Sung as Prosecutor Park Jung Woo and Uhm Ki Joon as CEO Cha Sun Ho | Cha Min Ho.
I've only ever seen Ki Joon once before in 'I Am Not a Robot' and I thought he was a very good actor but I never expected him to blow me away like this in Defendant. He plays the heinous villain with such conviction and passion that you can't help but get sucked in and end up loving to hate him. Kudos to the actor for making me scream and swear at my screen like I haven't done in a very long while. He portrayed the merciless, conscious-less psychopath stunningly. He definitely became my second Joffrey Baratheon (if you're familiar with Game of Thrones, you will understand my reference). And his chemistry with Ji Sung was electrifying. I was holding my breath every time they were on screen together!
I've never seen any of Ji Sung's work before so I was completely taken aback by the master actor he proved to be. My heart ached for him in every scene and I can't remember the last time I rooted so desperately for a character. He embodied the torment of his story with perfection and at times I couldn't tell if he was acting or living the role. That's how strong his performance was.
Honorary mentions to the support cast as well, especially all the inmates who made this heavy drama breathable, Shin Rin Ah as Park Ha Yun who must be one of the most talented kid actors in the South Korean drama industry, Kim Min Seok as Lee Sung Gyu who absolutely stole my heart from the very first moment he came on screen, Jo Jae Yoon as Shin Chul Shik, THE best sidekick on the planet!
Now for the rest, which is unfortunately less positive.
Before I start I would like to say a few words about myself. I am one of those people that becomes absolutely livid whenever I see injustices so naturally I realized this show will be hard for me to watch as the entire premise of the plot is a framing of the main character and his attempt to clear his name, but I never in a million years expected to walk into one of THE most frustrating, emotionally heavy and scarring dramas I've ever seen.
I will put it bluntly, I think the tone of the story was WAY too dark, tethering on the edge of ridiculousness at some points. There was no balance whatsoever between the good guys making their moves and succeeding and the bad guys making their moves and succeeding. It was one tiny step forward from the good guys then 20 backwards. 70% of the time you feel like there's literally no hope at all. Everything is so desperate, gloomy and tragic that it becomes almost unbearable to watch, especially when coupled with the marvelous acting which makes you feel for their pain like nothing else. I oftentimes found myself stopping and wondering why I kept watching because of this reason. It was excruciating!
But the worst part of this show is the plot development. I have never seen a more nonsensical, ridiculous and convenient plot progress in my entire life. I realized early on this show would exercise a fair amount of suspension of disbelief but after a certain point it was downright absurd and pulled me out of the story completely. It's BAD! Half of the characters are useless for almost the entire show (especially those in position to help Prosecutor Park), characters make absurdly dumb decisions, the Prosecutors office, police and prison staff is made into a laughing stock that can be easily manipulated no matter the circumstances, where no one sees anything (and believe me there is a LOT of things happening that would never in a million years pass unnoticed), some of the most anticipated emotional scenes in the show are handled off screen which absolutely infuriated me, etc.
There is a tremendous amount of killing going on in this drama so besides holding your heart you also need to hold off your desperation at the absurdity with which the investigations of such killings are handled, which also conveniently disappear and are never talked about after a few episodes or even scenes. Some of the killings don't even make any sense. At ALL! They seem to be added as dramatic value. I am particularly pissed off about a specific one but I won't give any spoilers. Just know that if you do decide to start this drama exercise the same caution as with Game of Thrones: don't get attached to anyone.
It's a whole mess. I don't want to ramble too much on this aspect. I saw that not many people were bothered by this aspect but for me it's crucial in a drama of this kind. I am not asking for a perfect script but I do need the minimum of common sense otherwise it's pointless. Completely pointless.
Overall this drama left me with a bitter taste in my mouth and a hollow feeling in my heart. The 6 stars go to the cast for their absolutely incredible acting. All the rest was majorly disappointing
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This review may contain spoilers
This is a very well crafted drama. the directing, the costumes, the casts, the quality, the characters are all executed excellently.what won me over:
Characters:
Honestly, after Wu Pin i cant see anyone that can compare to him. he is too perfect that i dont know how shen xing yi is going to surpass Wu Pin's love for zhou ying. but i was wrong. i hated SXY, i hated him so much, i was annoyed by him initially but over time his character develops and u can see he loves ZY just as much as WP loves for her. he mature up, and try his hardest to win her over and he won. the process of winning her over was what won me over with this drama. he was a spoilt, childish, self-centred brat who only knows how to have fun. after a big blow between him and ZY, he decided to change. i was really blown away by his changes. he became a more responsible, diligent, hardworking, loving and ultimately patient man.
and then, theres zhao bai shi. he is such a true gentleman. even after wu yi has slandered him, even after him finding out the truth never once he mistreated her. even when he was forced into it, he respected her oh god what a guy! and despite his close relationship with ZY he still oblige his duty.
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Of course the main attraction of this drama were the characters. For me it was more how they were easy to relate to more than anything.
-Soo Jin is a hardworking girl who wants to produce meaningful movies. To do that she has to accept working on movies she's less enthusiastic about.
-Myung Soo is a webtoon artist who's getting by (though I don't know how he would afford a Burberry blancket :P). He's a positive person, chill and fun to be around.
-Hwa Yeong is a career woman with a crazy side to her that needs to be kept in check.
-Ji Ah is a woman stuck in the image of a classy madame, but yearns for freedom from it.
-Rara gives off the impression of a loose girl who'd anything to reach her dream when in reality she's a sweet person who needed someone to remind her of her value.
-Jo Geon is an artist at heart, with all the negative and positive that comes with it. He's moody, he's unpredictable, he's got a temper, but he's warm, doesn't judge others and reflective.
-Finally, though we didn't see much of Yeong Jae, I found him much more refreshing now that he got rid of that perfectness when it comes to relationships.
I find those are all traits we can relate to, to some degree and I really enjoyed the focus on it. Any fight, breakup or argument came from within, and not from any flimsy external factor, or stupid misunderstanding. The development in the relationships felt natural, and the characters had chemistry. The friendship between the ladies was a delight it reminded me of one of my favourite high school romcom movies "John Tucker Must Die".
I'm not sure if the episode cut was a positive or a negative occurrence. On one hand there was no time to waste on any extra angst, so even annoying characters had to wrap up their act fast, actually making them more likeable. On the other hand, there were some events that felt got wrapped conveniently fast an could benefit some a deeper exploration.
Overall light watch with relatable characters and unique comedic moment,
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Best GL out there
Everything is perfect in this drama. The director Eda is a genius. Mio and Ichika did a great job. Their acting is so good. The aesthetics are top-notch. I have never seen such great visuals although I have watched countless dramas so far. Impressed with everything. I wish they would continue the series and there will be a second season two because the chemistry of MioChika is out of this world. As individuals, they are amazing people in real life too.Mio and Ichika chan you guys are amazing and have all my life. Fan for life.
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Best KPOP Travel Reality Show
Frrr, my therapy!! I feel so empty that this was over ㅠㅠ I really love every second of the show. I don't know if this is just me, but this show just allowed me to witness the side of seventeen I thought I already knew. I've been a carat for 7 years, so I know their personalities really well. But Nana Tour made me see them as normal human beings, just a group of friends going on a trip, not celebrities or K-pop idols, and I'm so happy and grateful that through Nana Tour the boys were able to experience new things, be carefree, and get the real rest they deserved and needed for a long time. I'm a bit upset that Cheol couldn't join them, but thanks for making us feel his presence, Cheolie, our bluetooth traveler :P Hopefully, we'll get Nana Tour season 2 with all 13 members. I highly recommend this show to everyone!! They really highlighted the members' personalities and their bonds so well, and it made me realize once again why I love them in the first place and why the love keeps going stronger. A huge thank you to Egg is Coming, na PD, Shin PD, production teams, and all staff for making this happen for the boys. Nana Tour definitely holds a special place in both seventeen and carats' memories. Salute 🥂🍻Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
My two cents on peoples interpretations
As with all art - films and so on, people will interpret this series in their own way. As we are humans we pull from our own closest experiences and empathy to understand the characters on screen. I feel this is why there are such hard black and white lines with the like or dislike of this series.I feel both characters were portrayed amazingly by each actor ( I was very excited to see Jae Bum from Choco-Milk in a dark dramatic series and am really really looking forward to what else Wooyoung will do ). Many people say the story line wasn't clear, or the whole series is confusing. I don't agree, you just have to pay attention, they are telling you everything you need to know. Because I want everyone to love this series I will spell it out for you haha. Or more so..this “review” will be "what was their relationship at the beginning" and Yoondae in general, since most people seem to dislike him the most. Get ready for a whole character analysis baby.
It was clear from their "first interaction" that SooHyuks mom was marrying YoonDaes father, who is abusive (aka- for a time they were step brothers - this is why he calls Soohyuk "hyung" at the beginning. He explicitly says so in the scene. The direction of shots that portrays the abuse Yoondae goes through is beautifully done, from the scene where Soohyuk sees the bruise on his neck, to the band aid seen with the cut and soon to be black eye. I prefer and LOVE when shows don't spell everything out in complete dialogue, because that is not realistic. The scene of Yoondaes father at his school saying to just drop out, the fear that Yoondae portrays as he's backed into a corner, waiting for the other shoe to drop. The emotional and physical abuse that Yoondae experiences and still does is clearly shown- there wasn't a need to show a literal scene of the abuse.
So although he "got away" by moving out and couch hopping, abuse like that does not leave you. Like Yoondae shows, you are lost, not knowing the next step to take since it was always decided for you. Yoondaes habit of lying is clearly driven from this, since even if it's pity that is given to him, at least it is some sort of love and attention. This in turn makes him want to test his boundaries in a twisted way, pushing people to their limits somehow makes sense to him. He wants someone to care and to fight for him, but everyone just leaves. His inherent loneliness is clearly shown with his constant hang outs with his friends, not wanting to leave his friends job because he wants to wait for him. His friend even says "you know that's weird" and Yoondae agrees and clearly knows he has attachment issues. Although it is not said or portrayed, the LACK of Yoondaes mother tells us all we need to know. She is either dead or long gone from their family, this most likely is a reason for his attachment and abandonment issues. She is neither spoken of or seen in things such as photos etc. This all circles around to why, as they say in the series, Soohyuk has become Yoondaes "home".
Soohyuk out of his own free will and kindness saw Yoondae for who he was and what he was going through. Yoondae didn't need to lie or tell him anything because Soohyuk understood. Unprompted love and care when he said to sleep in his room so Yoondaes dad won't hit him. Even Yoondae is confused by his kindness, but they show how he starts to understand that they are both similar and "not like their parents' '. He finally had someone who cared, loved and wanted him to be okay. Yoondae has friends of course but they never seem to grasp the complete toll Yoondaes father had on him. Don't get me wrong they understand and have done a lot for him but they never actively tried to help him in high school ( they're kids of course ) but Soohyuk did, I think that's why the impact of it was so great to him. Never mind the obvious attraction he has for Soohyuk *cough the bandaid scene cough*.
Some people may think his advances / attraction ( in the present timeline ) was out of left field or a way to manipulate Soohyuk to let him stay since Soohyuk clearly stated he likes men. I again do not agree. I think it was clearly shown in the past timeline that Yoondae was not interested in girls. His avoidance, annoyance and sabotage of the "double dates" his friend was making him go to was your first hint. The subtle things such as choosing to wear Soohyuks shoes even though they were falling apart. His upset and anger he had when Soohyuk "ran away" in the past timeline. The shock and longing he shows when he first sees him again. It's all there. But he had a girlfriend? Yes, a girlfriend who let him live in her house "after the first date because he was handsome" as his friend stated. Obviously this was a means to the end, and not any sort of attraction or love. ( not cool but it is what it is, haven't you grasped that Yoondae has issues lmao ) Even with Yoondaes track record, I don't believe him kissing Soohyuk was a way to manipulate him into letting him stay. I think it was his love for Soohyuk and his abandonment issues. He even says he doesn't want to leave because he doesn't want to say goodbye.
Yoondaes character invokes pity and frustration, "just get a job" you think- "just stop saying bullshit and say how you feel" you think. You want him to succeed, you want him to do better because he has had a hard life. But yet, he doesn't. instead he drinks every night and sleeps all day and does it again. Why? Because he thinks he deserves it, after all the hardships he's been through, his subconscious thinks, ah I deserve a break - just for a bit. I'm sad so I'll drink, I'm lonely so I'll go out. He does not think in future tense and that is his biggest current problem. Even other people understand, that's why it's not said to him at all in the series to "get a job" . His girlfriend literally was working overtime and he was just at home playing video games. When she spoke to Soohyuk about their break up you can hear the pity and emotion in her voice, as Soohyuk pointed out, she didn't even want to talk bad about him.
Yoondae is a slow drain, because he is a good person but over time he sort of...sucks the life out of you by his stagnate state. They didn't portray how long he was living with the girlfriend ( therefore how long he has been out of his fathers house ) but it doesn't seem like it was very long so I can't really blame him. Bro needs therapy, but no one is really telling him what he needs to do, they are just placating him. Even with the emotional scene with his friend where he, with tears in his eyes, asks his friend "what do I do" his friend just sits in silence. I think that's why Yoondae starts to get more and more desperate about Soohyuk leaving him, to some peoples disbelief, I think Yoondae knows his flaws. He knows Soohyuk will soon find out he inadvertently lied about his dad being dead, he knows that the "only reason" Soohyuk asked him to live with him was because he had “no one else” ( although that doesn’t appear to be the only reason in reality ). He knows that Soohyuk will “run away” and when he does, and stops sleeping at home Yoondaes abandonment issues kick into gear in full force. The scene where he lies about inviting friends over, breaking a window and cutting his hand is such an obvious display of his issues, the fact that he knows he uses pity and emotional manipulation to get love and affection. But what really breaks your heart is that he says “just kidding” in the most heartbreaking way because Yoondae KNOWS Soohyuk knows he’s lying anyways. But then he says “but i'm not lying about the broken window” as a last ditch effort because Yoondae doesn’t know any other way..(again therapy plz) Soohyuk then hangs up because again, he knows this is how Yoondae works. Thats why it is so gut wrenching when they go out to dinner and have the “home” conversation. Because even the audience felt the hope, we felt what Yoondae felt. Then for Soohyuk to “deny” him, it hurt really bad. But, yet you are happy that Soonhyuk knows his worth and knows that Yoondae needs to get himself together before they can move forward. Soonhyuk didnt deny his feelings or his want, but finally someone is telling him that he needs more time - they both do.
Now, why would Soonhyuk put up with this? Well, that's how he is, he already deals with type of person with his parents, he’s caring and extremely empathetic, he loves too much - gives too much and it has broken him down. His dad specifically…there are a scary amount of similarities with Yoondae and Soonhyuks father, the over drinking, the borrowing money, the spinning the wheels in one place. The series shows us that explicitly. So when Soonhyuk finally sticks up for himself to his father - I think a lightbulb clicks then that even though Yoondae is not exactly like his father, the place Yoondae is in is too similar and if he keeps placating him like he is, he will never go anywhere or get better. I think this was the major decision on Soonhyuks part. Unlike his father, where he stood up for himself because he reached a breaking point - realizing how hard the dynamic was on him and that there truly was no hope of his father changing. I believe with Yoondae, he knows there's hope, like they said “they aren't their parents” he has hope that Yoondae will be better, and he will be there to love him when he’s reached that point.
I could do a whole analysis on Soonhyuk but I believe my “review” is already too long lmao. I just wanted to shine some light on Yoondaes character as I think a lot of people may have misunderstood him, just like some of the characters in the show did. Really interesting seeing that.
Overall, I think it is a beautifully shot and realistic series, watch it <3
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More than a love story
This was a rollercoaster of a ride!This film had a similar tone to Kimi No Na Wa minus the scifi element. The film's pacing started real fast but gradually became consistent and took its time building and developing the characters.
I loved the film for exploring each characters life journeys. It did not hesitate to show realistic obstacles of children and adults within society. The raw emotions and music played a huge role in bringing a strong, lasting impact on the story. I also appreciated when the film gives a clear backstory and glimpses between the characters.
The chemistry was clearly present between both Komatsu and Suda's performance. The supporting cast nailed their roles and left some strong, lasting moments.
I was surprised the casting director managed to find a child actress resembling Komatsu-san (or it could be make-up).
The story could be rather depressing due to it taking an authentic approach and long duration, which affected my rewatch value. Despite that, I still found the film to be quite inspiring and informative.
If you are interested in a film which explores the themes of self-discovery and gradual slow romantic build up, then I would recommend this film.
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