The very start doesn't look promising, but as soon as the movie continues to evolve it somehow sucks you in. It is a very balanced movie - it has humor but at the same time it has a very serious and sad topic. It is very ''Korean'' - so, it shows the reality of life. I noticed them portraying lots of it, thus I really prefer them over western ones.
Back to the movie - the start is a bit boring (at least for me), but as it evolves it becomes interesting. The plot is very easy to follow, nothing is secretive. It's easy to watch, if you can take lots of blood and gore. Acting - is amazing.
Even though, I wouldn't watch this movie again. I think once was enough. It is not bad, but I definitely watched better ones.
Still I don't regret spending time watching it at all.
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I continue to be quite impressed with Hasegawa Hiroki's acting. It wasn't just believable, it was real. The chemistry between the lead couple was some of the best I've seen in a J drama.
The soundtrack was strong, and unique. There was one piece that had a wild Celtic sound to it, another that was reminiscent of "Once Upon A December" from Anastasia, as well as a variety of other music. It was used to great effect to enhance the action and different moods.
I will be rewatching this. I may already know the basic story, but the story is so rich in detail and characterization that it really doesn't matter. I also have a good ending to look forward to again.
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The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker
16 people found this review helpful
Story:
Full of Bob Dylan music and a deep love for animals, the story shows innocent and noble characters like Shiina and mysterious and extravagant ones like Kawasaki. While dealing with friendship, values, disease, and revenge.
Acting:
Gaku Hamada perfectly portrays that person who only tries to fit in, he is the impressionable provincial. Eita, on the other hand, represents very well the long range of expressions that his character demands.
Overall:
How valuable are the bonds we create? Who is lying? Who says the truth?
Coupled with a sharp criticism of racism by many Japanese towards foreigners living in Japan, this is a valuable and worthy film. Because ultimately, Shiina also feels like a stranger, even though in his own country.
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Story: All surrounding characters in their mid 30's to early 40's. I love how naturally every plot point occurs in the story. Nothing feel forced it doesn't feel like the writers were adding in a lot of filer. The dialogue is everything and a basic conversation between two chracters is always interesting.
(Fair warning the female character is whiny in the beginning but she gets better I promise.)
Acting. Top notch! A1! Everyone in this cast played their chracters to a T. If you've watched Jin Dong in other dramas you know what kind of chracters he gets type cast as. He lectures and gave me surgeon character feels at some point but his execution of his monologues are always great so it didn't deter me from watching the drama. The chemistry ,not just between the female and male lead, but the entire cast can be felt and I really loved it.
Music: Smooth jazz, loved it.
Rewatch: not unless there is a season 2.
Give this drama a try I promise you will enjoy.
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(I don't usually review movies, but wanted to add this one since no one had reviewed it yet.)
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It's possible there's a super cute drama in here desperately struggling to get out but who the hell would know. This was nothing but a disjointed, incoherent mess from beginning to end. Nothing makes sense, everything is super rushed and the whole thing is ridiculous. Oh and there's clearly a season 2! Which... if they knew that why not spend these six episodes having them fall for each other and then the next six on the separation, noble idiocy, family opposition, public scandal, arranged marriage, kidnappings and Rise of the Big Bad - rather than trying to do all those things in TWO EPISODES.
Oh yeah, there's a plot here somewhere. An Idol gets a bodyguard (Eugenie Liu) who is a huge fan of another Idol (Jasper Liu) that Idol 1 is pretending to be dating. The bodyguard is the daughter of a Triad boss. The daughter of the Triad boss has no concept of professionalism or boundaries but she does attempt to murder several people - attempted murder is supposed to be funny I guess.
Ignoring the bad writing and terrible pacing, the female lead's fangirling is super super annoying and I see nothing in this that says she fell for Adorable Jasper rather than Adorable Jasper's public image and that is a big big problem when I'm supposed to believe they're SO MUCH IN LOVE after they met a week ago and slept with each other once.
This is transparently aimed at 14 year olds who fantasise that if they met their Idol (who conveniently is exactly like his public image) then said Idol would fall madly and instantly in love with them and only something as crazy as a mob boss, mad fans and the paparazzi could keep them apart!
Jasper Liu is adorable I guess but his character is paper thin; practically a chalk outline. The female lead's entire character is a problem from beginning to end. Which is, thankfully, not that long. Since this is only 6 episodes. And subsequently a giant mess.
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This review may contain spoilers
This was a nothing burger, so to speak of...
There is a story, but one with little details and depth, there are two boys, but not much chemistry. It's more a bromance than a BL. Also the teacher left a bitter taste, because he also did not help really with his money. It would have taken more than 20 minutes to make this a meaningful story. And the "confession" with the cheek kiss did not really trigger a reaction we would except from a BL.So overall this is very medicore, not good, not bad and ok to watch for 20 minutes.
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Guinea Pig 2: Flower of Flesh & Blood
14 people found this review helpful
Once again, this is not real; it’s a fake!
Flower of Flesh and Blood is the sadist, sickest and bloodiest part of the pseudo-snuff Guinea Pig series. Once again, no plot was used; it’s just the director of the film Hideshi Hino himself abducting a woman, tying her to a bed then cutting her body parts little by little. He was wearing samurai armor no less! His place was haunting and dark in too many ways. This film excels in showing pure gore elements like the slow and neat cuts with blood’s splashing and overwhelming the little shooting piece. There are also the little details of cutting and breaking bones that are usually ignored in other gore films.
Although once again, the victim’s pain was oppressed leaving a lingering displeasure but I think it was used to make the film less disturbing than it already is. I don’t understand that part, if they’re going to make such a brutal sadist film then they should’ve went all out. Anyway, it was a little let-down that’s all.
The special effects were very well handled in this film even more than in The Devil’s Experiment; probably because this deals with many blood splashing and dismemberment scenes unlike the first one but they totally nailed it. No wonder many people thought it was real.
Extreme gore scenes were used in this film. Some sick samurai think of women as pieces of art that can be treated as blossoming flowers while they are cut to bits. I think the little dialogue lines used in this film helped to draw the concentration to the sadist acts instead of anything else. Despite the lack of a plot, this film handled its strength points in a good way. However, this can’t get any high rating because as I always say; gore for the sake of gore don’t deserve much appreciation. There needs to be a story and a meaning behind it all.
Watch if:
-You like the Guinea Pig’s series because this is probably the best part.
-You like extreme sadist gore films.
Do not watch if:
Just don’t watch unless you qualify for the two mentioned conditions above. Oh, and you’re not under 18. This is really brutal stuff, you’ve been warned.
Flower of Flesh and Blood is possibly the best part of the Guinea Pig’s series; it tends to show the true nature of sadist brutal and sick type of gore. It makes it hard to watch the other parts without high expectations.
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This review may contain spoilers
A little of CLOY and Les Miserables. SO SO GOOD!!!
This is a definite gem, not to be missed!Firstly, the acting and entire cast did a great job. First time I’ve rated a 10 for acting. Kudos to Lee Do Hyun- he is an amazing talented young actor. I loved him in 18 Again, and this one did not disappoint at all. There’s something about him that seems so natural and real, he draws you into his character. Go Min Si was fantastic as well- loved how she portrayed her character. Evil father is the same actor as the evil general in Crash Landing On You, so you can expect some vicious manipulation and heartless behaviour. His story was left open ended though, we don’t know if he faced any justice for his crimes. The two kids did a great job as well!
The storyline was superb- first time I’ve rated a 10. it was tragic and sad, and made the audience feel angry at the injustice and abuse of power. Many times I was shouting at my screen ;).
(Spoiler ahead) If only they didn’t lie , if only he didn’t get engaged, if only they left Gwangju earlier! Why didn’t they????!!!! Etc etc etc.... (End spoiler )
The writers managed to blend all the plots including the romance and some humour altogether really well. The last few episodes focuses more on the uprising, how the students and innocent people were being beaten and eventually killed.
The love story between Hwang Hee Tae and Kim Myeong Hee was so beautiful, so deep and so real. To be honest, I felt they never really stood a chance from the beginning. Although they knew each other for a short time, their love endured throughout so many years.
(Spoiler- I literally cried and cried when myeong soo told Hee tae that they found her - and when he read her prayer note :(:(:(:(:( End spoiler)
Hmmm, the music and songs didn’t really leave an impression on me, not like the OST from CLOY which I still listen to! I wouldn’t be able to rewatch it also- I won’t be able to handle the aching in my heart.
This is not a romance- this is a tragic love story. It has the feels of CLOY and Les Miserables. Be prepared- the best Kdrama I’ve seen this year. All the others are boring... lol.
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Take a walk and look around, there’s something wrong in my Hometown
A few minutes of the first episode are enough to make you realize that a veil of mystery covers this small rural town. This mystery is going to stick up until the very end and that’s what makes Hometown special.Watching Hometown is like walking in a fog, you walk around the Hometown without seeing anything. You’re searching and trying to understand your surroundings, the truth behind everything, only by touching and hearing. After feeling parts of the truth, you think you have understood what’s going on, but you haven’t. You can’t see the whole picture, because everything is blurred. Even the area between supernatural and realistic is grey. Before you realize it, you find yourself lost wandering through the episodes like the residents are wandering around like lost souls in Hometown.
You have to be patient; the fog can’t be dissolved right away. Hometown is a slow-burn drama and it takes time for the story to build up. Many things happen in the episodes but the main plot does not escalate quickly. The storytelling consists of many timelines that in due course of time meet and become one. It can be a little confusing at first so you have to pay attention, but the moment all the timelines are joined you will feel a sense of satisfaction and everything will be more understandable.
Watching Hometown while it was ongoing helped a lot to process the events, make theories and, of course, to not get bored because of its slow-paced rhythm. Thus, I don’t really recommend binge-watching this drama, take your time.
As the story leaves many things in the dark until the end, the main concern is whether the story will lead somewhere eventually or not. All I can say without spoilers is that Hometown has a decent closure but not the grand finale I personally expected it to have. My feelings are mixed towards its ending so I believe everyone will have different impressions about it depending on what they expect to see.
The production
What makes this drama glow is the production. The directing is meticulous with almost excellent shots, beautiful scenery and on point scene transitions. The color palette that has been used in the drama consists of mainly dark and moody colors that fit perfectly with the mysterious vibes of the drama. The music is remarkable and definitely gives the right atmosphere and tension to the drama.
The acting of this drama made me feel something very rare, almost unprecedented. The character portrayal from all the actors was so convincing that during the episodes, I didn’t see actors on the screen, I only saw characters. Even the younger selves of the main characters didn’t seem to be different actors, but the same person. This left me actually pretty impressed and was one of the reasons I really enjoyed this drama.
Overall, Hometown is a very well executed drama from all the perspectives. The only thing that lags a little, is the story towards the ending. For someone who likes thrillers and mysteries, Hometown is going to be a thrilling but weird ride at the same time.
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While it's not without an issue or two, My Lawyer, Mr. Jo is both clean in content and high in entertainment value.
The plot centers around the titular character as he makes a transition from high-powered prosecutor to penniless lawyer. While there is a central conflict that progresses in each episode, the story is told through multiple court cases that connect to one another, which creates multiple emotional climaxes through the course of its 20 episodes. You'll rarely feel like you're just being teased, and the action never feels like it's being prolonged artificially.
There are villains aplenty here as well, and the story structure does a great job of keeping the audience wondering "Who is REALLY the Big Bad here?" Only one villain is a mustache-twirler, but even he has complex motivations and a true story arc.
While one or two of the early dramatic courtroom scenes come off as overdone due to some sloppy editing, you mostly won't see an issue with the storytelling at all. The endings of the episodes are also some of the best I've seen, not so much for their "cliffhanger" status as for their emotional impact and comedy. This is a very well put-together show. Many times, when the End-Of-Episode Musical Glitter thing happens, you'll be completely taken aback.
Unequivocally, though, the biggest strength of this drama is its cast. I can't even take the time to point out the stand-out actors, because they basically all stand out. Just go to the Cast page for this show and look at all the Main Roles and Supporting Roles: you're looking at the stand out actors. There's essentially no "soap opera acting" here. While larger than life, these characters are people, and the writing never leans on the crutch of Sudden And Inexplicable Stupidity in order to create drama, tension, or conflict.
The entire ensemble is a joy to watch, and I'd love to see it be nominated in the "Best Ensemble" category for any 2016 awards.
My Lawyer, Mr. Jo is one of the most fun watches of the year, free from the usual kdrama trappings of either "too serious" or "too silly". It's a clean drama with a ton of heart, energy, and positivity. One of the overlooked gems of 2016.
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The web drama is about a women who want's to become a cartoon artist but need's some inspiration, she stumbles upon an Archery Club full of a bunch of good looking guy's and finds her inspiration through them.
This drama is actually really cute and quite funny in my opinion also if your a fan of Bromance then you will absolutely love this web drama only there's more when it comes to the girl's imagination.
[AS OF NOW ON 9/7/2016 you can watch it on dailymotion.com with English Subtitles!]
I've given the story a 6.0 because there isn't much for a story really it just about her joining the Archery Club as a Manager and going on from there.
The Acting/Cast was given 8.0 for obvious reasons because I Myself am a huge Fujoshi fan and... (I'll stop here before I spoil anything further).
Music is given a 3.0 because I don't really recall any music but in a special scene there was very light music? playing...
The Re-watch Value on this is absolutely well deserved a 9.0 in MY OPINION because of the chemistry and the girls imagination and all the special scenes.
Overall I've given it a 9.0 because it's short and not at all rushing at least for me, and it's like every Korean web drama where you can easily watch it with a friend who has never seen a Korean drama before and is quite interested in watching one but is to afraid her first time will be a let down.
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This review may contain spoilers
Not *that* bad, but not *that* good either...
I admit I was a little scared to watch this movie, as many of the comments I saw talking about this criticized it saying it wasn't good and that people dropped it like a hot pocket... BUT, being a reader of the original manga and knowing of Raul from Snow Man, I decided to give it a try. TL;DR: it wasn't good, but definitely not as bad some others made it out to be, as I've seen farrrr worse before in the shoujo genre. Let me explain:STORY: If you're a fan of the genre, this will be nothing new, nor groundbreaking. If you're not a fan of the clichés and heart-pounding moments, I'd suggest you skip this one. The pacing of the story is very fast at the beginning, and then somehow towards the middle to 3/4 in, it gets a little slow and draggy. It follows the formula of a typical high school shoujo romance - ML protects the "weak" FL, both start dating, they break up for some random forced reason, and insert slow-mo chase scene with inspiring music and the FL/ML having an epiphany to tell the other person that WAIT they actually DO love them! But instead of one running scene, there's a whopping total of two. The director seemed to compile scenes from the manga that seemed a bit disjointed and forced, like one second there's a serious thing going on, and it hard cuts to the characters at the beach. There wasn't much of a solid flow or transition of the storyline, which is probably what turned a lot of viewers off.
ACTING: Raul definitely didn't suit the image of Kai for me, and same with Yoshikawa Ai for Uka. However, by the end of the film, they seemed more well-adjusted to the roles. Yoshikawa definitely outshined Raul with her acting as she was more natural in her role. The character of Kai isn't supposed to be greasy or cheesy, but it definitely felt like Raul was overdoing the "cool" factor, making his line delivery pretty greasy (which also wasn't his usual tone of voice, so it seemed forced).
MUSIC: I laughed a lot at the soundtrack (and that's not a good thing). I actually expected more Snow Man or Johnny's songs in general, but there was just the one at the very end, and instead we got a bunch of poorly made English songs that sounded like random royalty-free songs you'd find on Google. Especially the intro song.... iykyk. I thought they got some random, already-made song and just stuck it in, but then the singer proceeds to croon "Honey Lemon Soda" in the lyrics and I died inside. I was super confused and slightly awed that they actually made this song for the movie. And why English? Is this a trend now??
REWATCH VALUE: Hmm.. I probably won't rewatch this as there are plenty of shoujo movies that are better. But I won't judge if you do watch this because honestly it wasn't as bad as many others. Just be a little patient, let it take some time, and watch the credits til the end because that stuff was cute, man.
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