1A Good Foundation
So... you want to get into Pete and Kao's story but don't know where to start? That was exactly my dilemma! A quick Google search told me that this three-part compilation by GMMTV was all you really needed in order to continue onto Dark Blue Kiss, the sequel series. I do think it accomplished what it meant to do, as most of the reviews on the full series (Kiss Me Again) claim to have just skipped to the Pete/Kao scenes anyway. But that doesn't mean it was smooth sailing.The first half of this mini-series was rough for me to watch. It literally does what it claims to— it just shows the scenes with Pete and Kao. That's it. And with so much of the show and overall storyline cut out, there is really no tangible plot to follow. The animosity between the two of them, without any context, was boring at best and annoying at worst. Also— there were SO many fight scenes??? And it felt like they were one right after the other, so repetitive and boring, but that was mostly because this compilation doesn't show the scenes that happen in between. Still, it got to be a bit much.
I did end up enjoying the second half much more, especially once the jealousy and actual feelings emerged. I don't totally love the characters yet, but I'm looking forward to watching a full series about them!
Ultimately, this is probably the best way to give a viewer the background so they can jump into the next show, but I'm really hoping Dark Blue Kiss is miles better than this was.
Was this review helpful to you?
The bad points:
- The dialogues sometimes were sooo very cheesy
- Sometimes the acting was a bit...er...too much
And now the good:
- the story is totally crazy and over the top, but it never takes itself seriously. Yeah, even all the people in the movie think everything happening on screen is absurd.
- same goes for special effects: you know it's not just badly done CGI, but something that was meant to be so cartoonish.
- there's some gore, but not too much to be unbearable (mind it, the movie is still far from family-friendly, but there's no Koroshiya Ichi-style stuff)
- good looking actors everywhere, everywhere!
- the characters get some backside stories without being overly dramatic
- you can never, never tell what's going to happen next.
- it's fast paced, funny and full of suspense from beginning to end!
All in all, it's a good take on survival games horror, and I am soo much waiting for a follow up! Not for the fainthearted but I would recommend it to everyone else!
Was this review helpful to you?
Han Hyo-Joo confirmed one more time her acting talent and bringing tears to my eyes.
If somebody asks me to tell them about this movie in two words, I'll say 'warm sun'... This movie gave so many warm feelings...
Director's and cameraman's work is brilliant... The game of lights in this movie, in my opinion, is one of the main positive effects... Because of the light in the movie... everything is printed in the smallest details in my brain... the girls clothes... the guys hair... the sun in the room... the beautiful kiss... the family feeling with the dog... the massage...the drama watching time...their field full of the yellowest flowers...her, touching his face to 'see' him... (I can go on, until I've told the whole movie..thehe).
Though the plot is not something brilliant and new for a Korean movie, actors and the crew makes the movie unforgettable, in my opinion..
Watch it, you won't regret!
Was this review helpful to you?
What was good:
- The chemistry of the lead couple. They were completely believable as a couple in love. If seeing two people snuggle and kiss for 14 episodes is your jam, then this is your show. I also found their journey in love pretty believable, until the end. It was flawed and realistic... except for the end, which was terrible.
- Showing tough issues like workplace harassment, domestic abuse, and what filial piety looks like in modern times. What was most frustrating was that the issues didn’t all get the discussions they deserved.
- The mood and direction. In contrast to a lot of Kdramas that are shown to be bathed in blinding white light, everything in this show was shot with warmth and intimacy. There were a lot of scenes that were shot to seem like you were intruding on an intimate moment and a lot of silent scenes where you could see the characters processing their emotions. I thought it was really beautiful and resonant.
What was not good:
- The writing. There are a lot of interesting side characters in the show and I kept on wanting to learn about their motivations and was pretty disappointed. The mom was pretty frustrating and I don’t blame the actress. The story just didn’t give her much to work with beyond being “oppisitional”... but why? Her logic made some sense but was so extreme it didn’t warrant 10 episodes of plot. Hers was just one example of the story not being handled well.
- Clumsy resolution. Without giving things away the ending was pretty cliche. There are last minute obstacles that could have been resolved with communication and then a quick resolution at the very very end.
Overall, I recommend the drama but caution expecting much from the story. Clearly the drama was more character rather than plot driven. I just feel like this couple deserved more.
Was this review helpful to you?
Many scenes in the novel not included in the drama, even though it was very funny and the highlight that give sense to the romance development between Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao.. so the drama feel very clipped, as some feel just really lost..
And in the story one of the main joke is that Tong Yao is a shorty with childlike appearance, and this will attributed how Lu Sicheng teased for dating an underage etc.. but the actress is obviously a beauty with long legs. Well physically is not important I guess as long as Tong Yao is well potrayed, but honestly Tong Yao in drama is very stiff and expresionless most of the time.
But Xu Kai really did a good job as Lu Sicheng, maybe because he is veteran actor. So the chemistry is not very bad, but maybe because Tong Yao in my mind is a very spirited, witty, and an adorkable so the drama version feel uncomfortable to wacth, and many Tong Yao's scenes changed or clipped to accomodate the drama so it contributed to the feel as well
Third is the animation, though its very good CSI, but if the viewers doesn't had understanding in the game, not knowing the difference of heroes and skills, and not even know who is who the player was.. then the animation just very confusing to watch..
But to be fair though not as exciting as reading the original novel this drama still one of my rewacth list, because im sucker for any esport and atleast FIYS is still acceptable and exciting rom-com esport in term of plot..
Was this review helpful to you?
Lin Chen and Qi Ling, you either will love them or hate them. Qi Ling starts out as your plucky goofy young lead but he does have a character arc, and slowly matures. Some people might find him grating, I thought he was adorable. Yin Chen, beautiful ice queen of my HEART. Love him, Qi Ling does melt that frosty interior slowly. Their bond drives the show. I liked the ladies Shen Lin, Lian Quan, and You Hua. The plot was decent. Not mind blowing, but I enjoyed it
Give it a try, maybe you are like me, and can see a gem amongst all that bad stone!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
So teeeeechnically, I have one episode of this left, but my thoughts and feelings about this drama are totally set at this point, and I know the last episode isn't going to change them, because I know the last episode is going to be just as superb as the rest of the series has been, so I'm writing my review now.And yes. That is the sum up of my review. I think this series is superb.
Why do I think that? It's very, very simple.
Tian Qing is a compelling character, struggling with questions about her identity and coming to terms with the answers she ends up discovering. Her journey to understanding and acceptance is heartfelt and truthful and speaks deeply to that desire in all of us to know who we really are. Cheng Nuo's journey of dealing with his past and allowing himself to heal from it and forgive his family for their mistakes and failures provides so many lessons on what it really means to love those around us and let ourselves live a full and meaningful life. And Tian Qing's adoptive father, Jia He, the foundation upon which the entire story is built, is so honorable and upright and kind that you love him immediately. You understand just what a profound impact he has had on the people around him and feel compelled to emulate him in your own life, to be that kind of person yourself.
This is a drama about healing and forgiveness, identity and knowing who you are, being true to yourself and true to what you know is right, living a life of service to others, and doing the right thing even when it's hard. It's a drama about truth, and that is why I love it so much and think it so incredibly superb. (The cinematography is also absolutely stunning and lush and vibrant, a character in and of itself. The drama's worth watching solely for that if none of the other reasons compel you.)
The only thing that is going to push people away, and I hate that I have to make this caveat, but here we are...
Is that this drama is slow.
It's an unfortunate reality in Asian drama world, that slower dramas that focus more on character and story then creating thrills and excitement simply do not get the praise and recognition they deserve. Instead, they're called boring, or uninteresting, or poorly written, or some other unfair and unflattering insult. And as I'm sure you can see from some of the comments and other reviews here, this drama has received it's fair share of those insults as well. But believe me when I say, those are not fair critiques. A slow drama is not a bad drama, and to rate a slow drama as bad simply because it is slow is poor reasoning. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and as I said in my review for another similarly paced drama, Andante, they aren't typically mine either.
But I watched this, and I felt something. I watched this, and I appreciated the characters and the story. I watched this, and I'm glad I did.
Now this is technically where the actual review ends, but I have some further, broader thoughts I want to share that aren't directed solely at this drama, so if you're interested in reading them, well then here they are, lol.
Minus Fated to Love You (my first ever drama) and the Started with a Kiss series, I didn't watch any Taiwanese dramas for the first however many years of my drama watching life, preferring Korean over pretty much every other country (for context, I've been watching dramas about ten years, maybe longer). However many years ago though, I dipped my toes into Taiwanese dramas again with Just You, and loving it to pieces, decided to give some other Taiwanese dramas a try. There was Office Girls (high marks from me, even if I did find the female lead frustrating), Aim High (very strong and enjoyable start that got me invested, but then devolved into obnoxious, annoying, uninteresting drama about one of the secondary romantic couples and completely ignored everything else the drama was Supposed to be about), Miss Rose (dropped without even meaning to, because the story stopped being interesting, and I can't even remember anything that happened now), King Flower (I tried so hard with this one and just couldn't make it through), Easy Fortune Happy Life (Hate It), P.S. Man (also Hate It), I Do2 (they got one decent episode in before completely ruining the entire thing), Rock n' Road (I wrote an entire blog post where I re-wrote the drama to make it actually good), and Pleasantly Surprised (it...bored me? I guess?). Which the exception of three dramas, I dropped all of these. And one of the three I finished (Rock n' Road), I did so out of obligation.
So as you can see, I had very little luck with Taiwanese dramas the last time I tried to get into them, and because of it, ultimately stopped attempting to watch them altogether. They didn't seem to be very good, I wasn't enjoying them at all, Korean dramas were checking off all the boxes on my drama needs list, and there are so many dramas out there anyways that why waste my time on ones I clearly am destined to not like?
Well, I think I can unequivocally say that if this is the direction Taiwanese dramas are going in now, count me back in, because this was a compelling story from start to finish, and I like being compelled to watch something because it's good.
Was this review helpful to you?
Let me first say that how this drama was marketed made it incredibly misleading. The summary and the promotional posters make it appear as if this is a show that's at least partially about our main protagonist achieving stardom despite all the obstacles that can get in her way. Spoiler alert (one for potential viewers' benefit): it's not. The plot is instead a disgusting mess of irrational decisions made by barely-likable characters that had me mentally writhing in my seat for 40 minutes at a time. There are predictable stories that can still be amusing to watch, and then there are stories like this that are just outright maddening. This whole show I was waiting for the promised moment when our main character would show her talent to the world and I was brutally disappointed.
The cast was possibly the least of all the evils that this show had to offer, and I ask that people take this even with a grain of salt. The reason for that is because no matter how in-character these actors were, the characters they played all were so unbearable by the end of this show that I wondered what on earth was going on in the writers' heads. Take for example Victoria's character, Mei Li. The drama shoves her in your face as the innocent, selfless, embodiment-of-kindness protagonist who, when she does something wrong, was righteous in doing so. Over the period of 40 episodes, this gets old pretty fast and a previously likable character becomes someone so unrealistically depicted that I was left astounded.
Admittedly, the only thing that saved this show from bombing even more than it did with me was the acting. Especially with some of the older actors, they portrayed some of the more emotional parts with enough persuasion that I did feel some sympathy.
-----
tl;dr: This show was a combination of irritation and crying from boredom.
Was this review helpful to you?
It is definitely a BL.
There's a scene where they're sitting on a swing. Watch it and tell me if bros sit that close, look at each other that way, the body language, and Oat even does the stretch-the-arm-behind-the-movie-theater-seat thing (adapted for swings).Also, remember, mother had put up a sign banning romance between staff and guests - what happened to the sign was significant, and even more important is the question Nabdao asks Keptawan when Kep gives him what he gives him at the end. That question is open acknowledgement by Nabdao himself that this is not a bromance situation.
Anyway, this is a 10/10 for me. I have to rate it for what it is, a short film, not a full series, and I've never seen a short BL as good as this. I was actually in tears all the way through the second part (in a good way, don't worry, the White Truck of Death doesn't show up and run anyone over in the last scene.)
The acting is wonderful - it's so natural, even Oak's OTT character is totally believable and sincere. Mon is just plain gorgeous, and this shows what can be accomplished when you get someone who is beautiful AND can act. What a difference a year can make at that age. The supporting characters were all well-acted too.
The story is tight and economical, and manages to really address rural problems and symbolically indicate what the solutions are - by showing us, not telling us.
I have nothing negative to say about this - I can't think of any criticisms - except maybe in a few spots the sound quality was a little off. The editing was tight, the writing respected the audience, and the romance was subtle and realistic given who they were and where they were. The technical quality of this is way above Wayu's previous works, which to me means they're learning and getting better, and I'm really looking foward to their next project.
I think they've mastered the short story - maybe it's time for a second attempt at a longer series.
Was this review helpful to you?
Three words: Stunning. Poignant. Unforgettable.
Was this review helpful to you?
The chemistry between the whistle couple, Jung Se-ro and Han Young-Won, and their eagerness to overcome depression highlight the finest aspects of the plot. The characters are portrayed by Yoon Kye-sang and Han Ji-Hye respectively whom had done an excellent job representing their persona with such raw emotions, making viewers even anxious at times.
The ending does fall short of expectations however, as it does comes off a bit too clean. The pride that withholds the logic behind the actions of Tae Oh and Kang Jae becomes questionable near the end but nonetheless captures the essence of the storyline.
The OST for Above the Clouds also deserves some recognition but "The Full Sun" by Yangpa remains the most memorable as it describes their hardships as well as their struggling relationship as a couple.
Was this review helpful to you?
The romance was just a small part of the story, but it was essential for the storyine. There was one smoking hot scene in the motel between Jan Hyuk and Lee Ming Jung that should not be missed.
The goofy scenes with the father and stepbrother should have been left out entirely. The comedy aspect totally detracted from the serious wheeling and dealing.
This is Jang Hyuk's best acting, in my opinion, and made me really respect him as an actor. Of course he is superb in everything he's been in. There's a little quirky part to his personality that he brings to his characters that is unique.
The acting was fantastic by all the characters, especially No Min Woo and Kim Hee Ae.
My husband hates Kdramas, but he watched this and loved it. A lot of drama viewers, like myself, veer towards the romantic themes and totally miss great serious dramas. This one should not be bypassed. The suspense will keep you in the game.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
So firstly i want to say that i have watched all seasons, and i was kinda not sure on which one should i write the review.However lets begin.
First of all the story was really cool, i really liked the crime part of it . The idea of having an organisation full of murderers is just PERFECT. This drama kept me interested till the end. You never know how the story is going to unfold.The thing that really attracted me at the begining was the portray of the female lead- she is not a typical chinese or any kind of drama lead. She is a strong and undepedandant woman, who can fight for herself and the people she loves and really importat wasnt annoying which could have happened really easy . Not to forget all the murderers were fantastic presented , their charectrer and why they became criminals was really good made.
So i am going to recommend this drama to all people who enjoy crime ,mystery with lots of love elements in it. It is definitely not the typical crime drama.And if you are looking for somthing with less drama in it ( i mean love drama,however a lot of love figures were involved hahahah it was definitely not only a triangle hahaha) this is the perfect example - there is none hahaha
My rating is around 8.5~9 out of 10.
Highly enjoyable .
Was this review helpful to you?
Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo Season 2
23 people found this review helpful
This IMO, is a true dramatization of Itazura na Kiss the manga. Irie-kun is not sweet and loving like They Kiss Again, and the story is very true to the original story. So true that I loved it very much. Honoka Miki's expressions and loudness is also very close to the manga. Some people may not like her outrageous and overboard expressions, but I loved her 100%. Irie-kun was cold, but you could still see his love for his wife. I admit, I didn't like his character, but I didn't mind because I never like any Irie-kun characters. I always think Kotoko deserves a better man, one who treats her better and adores her. But actually, Irie-kun always is aware of Kotoko and her wants and needs. Always.
What helped me understand Irie's character better was this video entitled "Why we Japanese can seem robotic" by a Japanese guy whose married to a foreigner in Japan. The link... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7diGxLECF4
It explains so much about the average Japanese and helped me understand Irie's character better. I still think he should have been more considerate of Kotoko early in their marriage, but I forgive him. Kotoko makes you keep your attention on her and not her husband's behaviour. In fact, I like the love she has for him. She's too dependent yes, but he relishes that dependence and actually drives it sometimes because which guy doesn't like his wife needing him? He loved her love for him. And also, yes, she shapes her life for him, but you have to realise, he shaped his for her too. The guy does whatever she tells him to, even the big, life changing decisions. He does it all quietly. Yes, he pulls a face sometimes, but that's just for posterity because he thinks he has to be cool. The guy is happy to follow her directions. Kotoko is so full of life and love that yo can't help but love them together. She is the main one in that marriage lol, the one that is loved, though she shows her love for him more - her character is more flamboyant.
I adored the rest of the cast - Kinosuke, mom, dad, other dad, the little brother, Christine, her best friends and their boyfriends ... every character had something to love and I was interested in all of them. Every single time. The best parts was where Irie-kun's mom always stuck up for Kotoko - even against Irie lol. Best mom-in-law award goes to her. I want a mom-in-law like her. And honourable mention goes to Kinnosuke for his vibrant, emotional, love. The acting is on point as always. This lead pairing never disappoints. Miki Honoka is fabulously talented for such a young girl. Hope to see her in more lead roles. Honestly, sometimes the music is inappropriate for the scene, but the beginning and ending themes I really liked. Found myself bobbing my head and singing along. Rewatch value of *sigh* over and over and over again.
Was this review helpful to you?
This is BRILLIANT, I must say.
If you really ask yourself this: "Why do they have to commit crime over and over again? To cover their sins?" -- Actually, children can't blame for their actions when they respond to anything. I mean, THEM. Why? They are only children. And their experiences leads to a traumatic situations that if they've been found out, they will do the same thing to cover it again. It's like "Defense Mechanism". Hhhhmm.. Am I right? :|
If you're not agree then I must say.. "That wouldn't make much of a story, would it?" :)
Oh well, Journey under the Midnight Sun is indeed a bit too harsh when you come to think of it in a metaphorical way that.. LIFE is all about surviving.
Anyway, if you're familiar with the novel "Gone with the Wind".. You will somehow knew about these two very flawed people I'm referring to. :)
Well, if you're into a melodrama with heavy tone. Then give it a try! ^_^
Was this review helpful to you?
