This review may contain spoilers
It's really so interesting all by itself ... Gotta sayy
This is one of the cutest series I have ever seen , the characters are so cute their action are driving me crazy , I don't just understand why it have to be this much cute , well I thought I don't like university romance so much but after watching it I realised I really love this kind of story lines .And the second couple took some time to sort out their true feelings , actually the main problem behind their disagreement was Van's toxic behaviour .
He couldn't stop myself from doing things that are harmful for a healthy relationship .
J and Jin I love them , turned out Jin secretly liked J from school days till university , he's such a good actor , idk how could he even hide that and pretend to hate him
J was such a tease when he got to know about his feelings before , but who knew that he'd fall even harder .
J at times didn't even care about his life and focused on saving jin's life , It wasn't pity that he had for jin but the love
I love the Intro waohhh the title song is firee Turns out it's you
~ The OST totally hooked me , I can't believe all the songs were differently sound beautiful . Crush on you by Sea is my favourite one for sure
At the ending they concluded the story pretty well .... Both the couples were so sweet and loving I am going to miss it , I used to wait for it every sunday now I don't have something like this to watch .
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I had to think for a couple of days before writing this review because I had to sort out my feelings and thoughts so I could form them into words. Sadly though, mission is not accomplished. No matter how hard I thought about it, it is really hard to put this movie into words. It is a movie that you need to “sense” not “read” about. Thanks to director Lee Yoon-Ki, who is known as an emotional delicate director, the movie had so much charm and beauty added to the already beautiful story.
'One Day' is a healing-fantasy movie about two wounded people, it depicts the story of a man and a spirit with a similar pain and scar who meet each other ‘one day’. One of the reasons I labeled this movie as a new genre is because even though there was no love story going on between the two, the story was very much about ‘love’. It was fascinating to me that loneliness, emptiness, anxiety, and lack of heart of two people could be healed without the ‘I love you, I don’t love you’ format. I can’t even begin to express how captivated I was by the fact that this movie healed wounds without "love" between Kang Soo and Mi So. With all the sorrow in disguise it still managed to be a refreshing new genre.
One of the modest yet profound messages in the movie is when it suggests that a ‘blind’ person should be referred to as ‘blind’ person and not ‘impaired’ (it made a huge difference in Korean language and in my opinion it makes a difference in English as well as my own language).
Kang Soo and Mi So are two people who face each other through their scars and as they get closer, they realize that their wounds are in 'contact'. The best expression I could define them with is, 'window' because they were like a window to each other. On one hand Mi So is Kang Soo’s window to his inner-self and the memories that he locked away after losing his wife. On the other hand, Kang Soo is Mi So’s window to the world.
The story on the surface ‘a living person meeting a spirit’ is not a new material it's been done before countless of times. However, unlike other projects, ‘One Day’ depicts pain and loss in a beautifully healing fantasy. Mi So as a character as her name suggests (her name means ‘smile’), is not just your average spirit, she’s a bright, vivid, warm, sweet and endearing bundle of joy. Watching her smile was all the joy I needed.
The delicate and modest directing of Lee Yoo-Ki takes this fantasy and naturally applies it in our reality without risking the material becoming overwhelming.
Two of the most remarkable points in 'One Day' are Kim Nam Gil and Chun Woo Hee’s golden performance (calling it 'golden' is an understatement). KNG’s charismatic act through his deep expressive eyes even with scenes featuring no dialogues at all has once again swept me off my feet. He embodied Kang Soo and captured every bits and pieces of his pain and sorrow. KNG’s delicate display of Kang Soo’s emotion was top class graceful performance. However, this movie’s heartthrob I shall say is Chun Woo Hee. It is hard enough to play a blind character, but to also have to play a spirit, who on the other hand can actually see, is a challenge on its own. I don’t know how I will adjust to the fact that she’s not Mi So and she’ll be playing other characters in the future but I do very much look forward to her future projects.
Music:
Wonderful instruments combined with exquisite sceneries that had me taking deep breathe several times as I feast my eyes. This is the first time I’m actually happy with the music section in a movie.
Overall:
I’m a person who enjoys dramas a lot more than I do with movies, simply because movies have different format and the fact that they end so quickly doesn’t allow me to connect emotionally as well as I do mentally. Thus, it’s really hard to find a movie that not only do I NOT want to ever finish, but also makes me feel as if I’ve entered a different world. ‘One Day’ is that kind of movie to me, a movie that I never thought I’d come to meet. I went to watch it as a huge KNG’s fan and came out with a movie that I can finally label as an absolute favorite of mine. ‘One Day’ is definitely not a movie for everyone, but it’s a movie that will have you sensing all shades and colors of emotions.'One Day' is a beautiful, fresh, artistic, delicate, ‘feel good’ (despite the sadness) and enriched with classic vibes movie. It has ‘rightfully’ stole my heart. Finally I have met my 10/10 movie.
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This review may contain spoilers
Upon further reflection...
When I finished this, I was satisfied. Just satisfied. It was alright. The body swap thing wasn't cloying and overbearing, the chemistry was there, even the side characters that had the potential to be annoying were okay. The humour from the villagers was fine, and the 2FL wasn't a challenge.But the more I think about it, and look back, this was actually deeply satisfying in the way the story was told and concluded. Usually, when it comes to the body swap thing, I have very little patience but somehow, the way this was done, I found myself just seamlessly falling into the story with the swaps. I was expecting her being the prince to have a greater impact on the palace because of her medical background, and when that didn't happen, I was a little disappointed, but by the end it made more sense.
When it is revealed in the end that the body swap was a mischievous god attempting to help Yeol fulfill his childhood wish of wanting to save the person who saved him, I felt a sense of completion. It wasn't the underlying theory or shadow hanging over the plot, it was just another quirky reveal. It explained why they swapped without invalidating any of the story that came before.
I was also initially angry that they didn't just execute the bad guy. But when you think about it, neither of the leads ever lept into taking lives. They always believed in the ability of people to change and in the idea that if you give someone a chance to reflect, they'll eventually see the error of their ways. It seems wildly naive, but in today's dire world, I think it's a sentiment that's desperately needed. I have come to appreciate the fact that they stayed true to themselves in the end.
Finally, the end. I was glad that she saved herself and Yeol in the final confrontation, and I was also so happy that they didn't get married while he was the king. His logic made sense and it restored stability to the kingdom while he did what needed to be done until he could hand over. Of course, that means they would've had to wait for years before they could finally be together, but we'll just overlook that part.
Ultimately, I'm not changing my initial rating (8/10), but I'm leaving this review because after sitting with it for a few more hours, I realise I really appreciate this drama for what it is, and I will definitely miss tuning in every week.
P/S: the supporting villagers and 2FL were all very charming and adorable to watch too. 2FL having a mini bi-crashout over the body swaps was so funny! 😂
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A Good RomCom! Watch With An Open Mind!
I don’t understand why everyone seems to hate this show! I found the basis of the plot interesting and the main leads kept me coming back for more. Their dynamic was great and I had a lot of fun watching this show. Very cute and lots of funny moments!It’s also pretty tame for a Thai BL, so maybe some reviewers who found it “boring” were just looking for something a bit more explicit.
To each their own, I do highly recommend this show if you’re looking for a lighter-hearted funny show with a cute main couple who has really good chemistry. I looked more into Joong and Dunk after I finished the show, their chemistry in real-life ABSOLUTELY translates onto the screen.
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It’s true that the American version has better visuals because…duh, it was produced four years after Infernal Affairs but the original remains the best. Anyhow, I am not here to compare both versions; let’s talk about this movie.
Infernal Affairs is about the underground world, the triads and the moles. This is probably the best undercover story ever written; the developments created a race against time to reveal the moles within the gang and the police. This is a fast paced rollercoaster ride with many twists and turns that will keep you at the edge of your seat. The suspense element was flawless but the mystery built up was somehow lacking that’s why the storyline didn’t manage to get the perfect score.
Like any other action movie, this one contains violence and brutal killing sometimes but I wouldn’t categorize it as a violent movie. This is basically a thriller-crime mixed up with well-made suspense with the undercover theme as its center.
The acting was quite remarkable, with Tony Leung and Andy Lau as main leads you’re bound to expect something with quality and they surely didn’t disappoint. They were both great in portraying their role and delivering feelings; nothing less from two of the best actors in HKC productions. Other actors like Anthony Wong and Eric Tsang were also quite good and pretty convincing.
This movie’s characterization was the major strength point beside the clever writing of course. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I say that all characters will be able to to get your full intention whether they were the good guys or the villains. The writers succeeded in creating top-notch characters’ development that will make you relate with each and every one of them.
The music was fitting for a suspense thriller movie; I also liked the “Shi Shey” song that was played in the background, it was really calming.
Watch this if:
-You’re looking for good suspense thriller with unexpected twists and turns.
- You’re fond of undercover themed stories.
- You’re in the mood for good screenwriting and compelling storyline.
- You like Andy Lau, Tony Leung or both them. This shouldn’t be missed for both of their fans.
Do not expect:
-Happy ever after ending.
- Romance.
All in all, this movie is wonderfully made since it can draw you into the world of darkness and make you strongly attached to its characters and events. If you like the genres, I can guarantee that this movie will manage to move you one way or another.
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Never Give Up and Never Give In (In Sports and In Love)
There have been other good Noona romances in recent dramas, but Falling Into You tops the rewatch list for me.The theme centered around track and field athletes and their passions, dreams, and doubts. However, it was the love story that was candy for me. Those looking for good romance will not be disappointed by the great mix of sweet yet flirtatious, innocent yet sexy, complex yet enduring love between an aspiring coach and her idealistic student.
This show was already off to an awesome start when it featured two gorgeous actors as the main CP, who also had fantastic chemistry with each other. Nothing could get in the way of sparks between these two, especially when the romance began to heat up. I love that the actors were not shy about the kiss and intimate scenes, and I have to say they did remarkably well in this aspect.
Perhaps part of the credit should go to the director, Yi Zheng, who also directed "Love Between a Fairy and Devil", in which he was able to draw out excellent emoting from the leads.
Fun fact: Gina Jin is 8 years older than Wang An Yu, the same age gap as the main characters that they portrayed. Despite the age difference, they did an excellent job as a couple whose journey of love was so organic and wholesome. It was so enjoyable to watch our CP grow from the natural conflict of their budding relationship and going through the challenges of other people's prejudices to becoming a couple that inspired relationship goals. Once committed, they were unwavering in their support of each other and their faith in one another.
I was not surprised by Gina Jin's wonderful performance as Luo Na, the older woman who resisted at first but eventually fell for the charms of her persistent student. She is definitely a talent and simply stunning, even in plain athletic gear. She has played a similar role in "Why Women Love" and I hope she will not be typecasted.
Our perfectly handsome male lead was no doubt an eye candy. Perfect face, flawless skin, great physique. However, Wang An Yu wasn't all looks. This pretty face can cry! I am impressed with his emotional scenes, and there were many of them. After all, our adorable Duan Yu Cheng was still a 20-year-old boy on a path of self-discovery and smitten with Luo Na while trying to achieve his dream of being a top high jumper. I also liked Duan Yu Cheng's sportswear and casual outfits. This guy looks good in everything.
Some other characters fell flat or were unnecessary, but the cast did well overall. Watching the interactions between team members and coaches was fun; there were many hilarious and heartwarming moments. The show could have done away with some filler episodes and given us less of a rushed feeling toward the end. Still, it was a satisfying ending.
The OST was memorable, and I particularly liked the various songs played throughout the episodes. The two leads also sang a song each, and for posterity, I have listed all the songs I could track down at the end of this review.
All in all, Falling Into You was refreshing, entertaining, and binge-able. I could not recommend it more!
OST list:
* Love Blinds (Kéren)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dneyEcIm0Hg
https://open.spotify.com/track/7iwGlPC4KxQ96CjYFD2YvU?si=bb90e03c45be43b4
* The Biggest Part of Me (The Home of Happy and Dane Etteridge)
https://open.spotify.com/track/29CBEod7xU7sVqpb7XaK5d?si=bbff9b8140134d2d
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YStkj_2m2Ko
* Everybody On Your Feet (Amphibious Zoo Music)
https://open.spotify.com/track/00vS1coaTZjwiA4MKQbCnR?si=53314df83ca84768
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87LdNYETuGI
* Standing in the Moonlight (Soul Mechanic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad91jxkTuak
https://open.spotify.com/track/0GVYSKXYMn4NzQC6DMnXNs?si=a4e5938621624d52
Call it What you Want (Antisocialites)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zRCUXKCkJM
https://open.spotify.com/track/0u60YRwLtd4HnaxkB7hmg9?si=2b820d94f7c04beb
* Girls Like You (Corban Shane Calhoun & Gabriel Canadian & Joshua Joseph Wilcutts)
No link
Brighter Days (Hanna Lynn Miller)
https://open.spotify.com/track/7ecwUJoCpwrfeN9tb5Vxgj?si=4857cadc31a14015
Uncorrupted (Julia Church)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5t_9ydDJm8
https://open.spotify.com/track/7tOu3piRvStm3BCk5CH7Q2?si=960e749f8cd94f8b
* 阳光 海浪 我和你 (Sunshine, waves, me and you) - 刘宇宁 (Liu Yu Ning)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk1o2AnIO_k
* 阴天转晴 (Cloudy and sunny) - 王安宇 (Wang Anyu)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLLr3K7aQDA
https://open.spotify.com/track/6OPvc0ghjjsXwG1Dh4xYzA?si=4b1a8b99e2234e29
* 度过此刻 (Spend This Moment) - 夏日入侵企画 (Summer Invasion Project)
https://open.spotify.com/track/5DmlNe79sX7LUHJrPZ9gSj?si=02df7f3e1e404ada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnj8v43ktdA
* 怦然心动 (Heartbroken) - 汪睿 (Wang Rui)
https://open.spotify.com/track/6UosPIGzBTMm3psQapq6ps?si=f0f989ec59994978
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y4MlP4H8jU
* 要不要留下来 (Do you want to stay) - 金晨 (Jin Chen)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjAE5v2pyQM
https://open.spotify.com/track/4jilfKy9z2tYwUN4jV57Pn?si=df0fc232693a4526
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This film has a very 40's film noir feelng and it's nicely shot. The costumes and set design are pretty to look at as well. The story interested me because living in America, you don't often get a good history of World War II seen from other points of view during that time. There was a lot going on in the world at that time; in China, Spain and Russia not just the major players like England, France, Germany, Japan and so on.
The sex scenes are intense but they lent themselves to the relationship of the two involved. Through their passionate affair you watch the spy and the target fall victim to what happens when you become physically intimate with someone. Feelings inevitably get involved. There were some scenes frought with tension as you watch the woman get in over her head in the name of her cause.
I'm giving this a 10 for great acting, directing and script. This is a very well done film. There is a reason why it was nominatd for so many awards including Best Foreign Film by The Golden Globes and BAFTA.
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I have been led to think by past experiences that the more I watch Asian dramas, the more fastidious I become; it is therefore quite ironic that in this case my better knowledge came out as an incentive to appreciate the drama more, not less.
When I approached Proposal Daisakusen the first time, all my attention was captured by the love story between Kenzo and Rei. I was so anxious for him to do the right thing and say the right words that I overlooked all the rest. But guess what: as odd as it may sound, this drama is all about 'the rest'. Daisakusen in Japanese means 'big strategy', as in organizing a war campaign. View in this light, we could think of Kenzo's time travelling as it were a war where single episodes are the several battles fought. To maintain the analogy, if while watching you put all your energy in trying to win every single battle, you'll end up frustrated, but if you keep the target in mind, i.e. win the war, you may truly appreciate this 'big strategy'. Despite all premises to the contrary, this drama is not so much about Kenzo managing to change Rei's heart as it is a journey of a young man understanding what's truly important in life and establishing clear priorities. It also makes you reflect upon the true meaning of love, whether it were only about declaring it aloud or rather be there when the person you love needs you.
In this sense, I believe this drama to be a lot cleverer than your average romantic comedy. It touches issues like friendship, family, loyalty, generosity and honesty. It takes its time, lingering on what seem little details, but it turns out that changing a small detail can make a huge difference not only in your life, but on the direction the people around you will take as well. The thin thread underlying the whole show is an old friend: carpe diem. Seize the moment and the opportunity, you may not have a second chance. This is a very simple philosophy, but it is so dear to me I firmly believe it cannot be repeated or stressed enough. Don't procrastinate, don't give the people around you for granted, thinking you have all the time in the world to do the right thing, to convey your feeling or to listen to them when they need an ear.
I consider the special as integral part of the drama, so I indirectly include that one in this review. They called it special, but it could just as well be episode 12, so I suggest you watch the special too before rating the show.
The acting is fine. It could have been more intense, but I'm willing to forgive the occasional stone-face because the characters created by the whole cast are truly endearing and hard to forget. They are very natural as a group of friends and as such I ended up imagining them.
The music isn't the strong trait of the drama. It has a lovely instrumental piece and a very old-fashioned song repeated now and again. In the end, I have become quite deaf to both. A little variety wouldn’t have hurt...
I suppose there's no need for me to explain why the re-watch value is so high. If you are ready to put aside Kenzo's eternal hesitation and Rei's insecurity - which by the way are paramount traits of their personality, without which the drama wouldn't have been created - and you fix gaze and mind on the whole picture, you may end up loving it as much as I did on second watching. There's a constellation of little events, many related to the Japanese culture and rituals, that is delicious and heart-warming.
After 7 years, I'm now ready to recommend this drama to everyone.
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Frank's and Drake's acting can be amateurish, but is also refreshing - its just like watching real people in real life situation and are not overacting, besides, the two of them being cute together is enough for me to stick with the show. I also liked the fact that no one in the whole cast is annoying.
Id reccommend it if you are a BL and romance story fans. Just enjoy the show. Would i rewatch it - yes, ive become a FrankDrake shipper!
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This review may contain spoilers
Nothing happened
Honestly I wish I could have given this a bigger score. I really do. But nothing happened.I originally watched this hoping for something to happen with Leon and Pob -- it was their relationship that was left unresolved, and it was this that I had the most hopes for (big mistake). We got maybe 5 minutes of screentime total for these two (we got to see more of Leon than Pob, but in regards to them talking/thinking about their relationship, it was like 5 minutes), and they never interacted with each other. Pob finally comes back to Thailand (on the same plane as Leo and Fiat, no less, but none of them ever find that out) and he and Leon get so many of those coincidental almost-see-each-other-but-don't moments. At the end, they decide to leave it up to fate if they're ever going to see each other again. (Which is so ridiculous in my opinion. You gotta put effort into a relationship if you want it to work, guys. Come on.)
As for Leo and Fiat, we got the most screentime from them (of course), but apart from fluff and some sexy moments, nothing happened plot-wise. They came back from London and hung out with their friends. That's kinda it. Cute, but not much else.
And while the video itself is an hour and a half, the last 20-ish minutes are just BTS pictures and videos. Just a warning, because I kept thinking we'd get more resolution and then we didn't.
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How to Date a Single Mom with a Child
I didn’t start watching this drama when it began airing because I couldn’t get over the image I have of Liu Xueyi as Hao Chen in “Love and Redemption”. But one episode in, I was completely drawn in by the acting, the storyline and the humor. It's exhilarating and funny, at the same time, rather serious, dark and oxymoronic, with a hidden super villain, mysteries, conspiracies, murders and plenty of hot kisses. This drama beats many other dramas which are concurrently airing.Yu Qingluo (Wang Ziwei), a single mom with a 6-year old boy, Nan Nan (Zhang Zihan), is trying to find a father for her child. Time and time again her dates are being sabotaged by the little boy until she falls in love with Ye Xiudu (Liu Xueyi). Strangely Nan Nan also takes a liking to her lover, as if they have some sort of an invisible bond. Indeed Nan Nan has earlier made Ye Xiudu his disciple who has to pay with the price of unlimited supply of crispy fried chickens.
Yu Qingluo is a brilliant so-called “ghost” doctor (“guiyi”) as opposed to an “angel” doctor (“shenyi”) because she uses poisons to heal. She is strong, calm, unpretentious and fearless. She is always flanked by 4 very young, good looking and formidable leaders of prominent organizations/sects as protectors who vowed to protect her and her son with their lives because she has saved all of them under different circumstances. Though kind and vows to save lives, she also kills as a tit-for-tat. She pays back anyone who has come to harm her or her child. This quality really thrills the viewers (well, at least me).
Wang Ziwei is beautiful and mature, and her acting is top notched as a young single mother. She makes motherhood look excruciatingly fun with her super intelligent 6 years old son. And what an adorable bundle Nan Nan is. I am so impressed by the child actor Zhang Zihan’s acting. He brings to life the little Nan Nan’s character, adding a lot of joy to the drama, making the viewers love not just the little boy himself, but all the characters around him, in particular Ye Xiudu (Liu Xueyi). Nan Nan’s favorite food is crispy fried chickens and there is no lack of chicken dishes in almost all Nan Nan’s scenes, that would certainly make many viewers salivating (I feel hungry watching the crispy fried chickens, KFC is of no match). I adore the mother/child relationship here. Their dynamics are heart warming and really funny; ear twisting, face squeezing and pony tail pulling are norms. Throughout the drama until he finds out who his birth father is, Nan Nan has been sabotaging his mother's relationship with any men whom he finds overly intimate with his mother.
A fearsome general and a royalty, Ye Xiudu has unbeatable martial art skills. On the surface, he is serious and upstanding, but at the flip side, he is quirky: he has vasovagal syncope and faints with the sight of blood (imagine that for a general who kills in battles, also reminds me of husbands who faint at their wives' childbirths. That's why he has to blindfold himself when he fights because he cannot look at blood), and he is narcissistic and bombastic. All these traits make the Ye Xiudu character hilarious, laughable and very lovable too. Calling his romance with Yu Qingluo super funny is an understatement. There is a pattern for the OTP: they meet, fall in love, lose memory, meet again, fall in love again, lose memory again, multiple times. I have been prejudiced by associating Liu Xueyi as an antagonist. But here I come to really like him. His acting is superb, capturing all the quirkiness there is of his character. He is a wonderful actor.
There are many very lovable and funny side characters and the acting by the whole cast is authentic and fabulous. At the most tensed and dangerous moments, conflicts are resolved in the nick of time; the hero always appears at the very last and crucial moments.
My Verdict
This is an amazing drama with a hilarious storyline. It is action packed, fast paced but balanced by the romantic moments. With only 24 episodes, it wastes no time with fillers. Having said that, the pace slows down a lot towards the last 2 episodes. There is a lot of kissing scenes, intentional or accidental, in almost every episode. Everything is crazy and over exaggerated, including the romance. The whole drama is like a mash-up that mixes “Butterfly Lovers” to the giant flying mushroom, to the blind wuxia fighter of Gu Long's Hua Manlou, with tropes like multiple memory losses and multiple falling-off-cliff-and-survive scenes. Random uses of random music and jingles add on the light-heartedness. Imagine hearing a Christmas song in a Chinese historical drama (at the end of Episode 10, the tune “Tidings of Comfort and Joy” is played, cheekily, to create a cute mood). Animal sounds, such as a cockerel's crow or a goat’s bleat, are played to signify a blunder made. And modern vibes are inserted here and there brilliantly. It is as if the writers try to make the whole thing as preposterous and as outrageous as possible to poke the viewers for fun.
Despite the fun and non-seriousness, the writing is pretty tight and the editing is quite good, even the CGIs are rather well done. I’m particularly impressed by Yu Qingluo’s pet scorpion which is also her weapon. This doesn't seem like a run-of-the-mill production.
I give this drama a very high rating because it makes me laugh out loud so hard. We know it's a dumb story as it constantly reminds us that this is a crazy drama with a lot of silly stuff. A viewer puts it succinctly, "It's not the comedy nor the music, but the whole thing so lame that makes it laughable." I agree. So one mustn't take it seriously. The whole thing is like a cartoon, with comical music to egg it on. So folks, lighten up! We all need it.
A great watch for the family and to fight off the pandemic lockdown blues. A delightful show you don't want to miss!
BRAVO!
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Acting/Cast: If you want to know what is professional, solid, honest-to-goodness acting, watch this. The actors and actresses will make you feel as if you are watching history unfold before your screen. They will put all those idol actors to complete shame! Everything was to the dot - from settings, costumes, etiquette to speech...they all accurately depicted the correct era in Chinese history.
Music: If you are expecting great OSTs, you will be disappointed. But if you are expecting music that accurately reflects the music of the era in the 'Three Kingdoms', you will be delighted. During those days, ppl compose music to be sung as a poem with accompaniments from traditional Chinese musical instruments. The words sung are very meaningful. Even the OST at the start of each episode adequately summed the entire novel in eloquent words. This is a story about war, the end of a dynasty, ambitious men, heroism, political plots and personal struggles set in an era known as one of the bloodiest in Chinese history.
Rewatch value: I set the re-watch value as low because of the 95 episodes. However, most ppl I know who had watched this series would usually re-watch the parts they like; eg: Diaochan's plot to bring down Dong Zhuo through Lu Bu, the appearance of Zhuge Liang (Kongming), the battle of the Red Cliff, Liu Bei's marriage to Sun XiaoMei and the ensuing struggle to establish his own hegemony at the south, Zhuge Liang vs. Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang vs. Sima Yi etc. It also helps that wikipedia breaks down the series' episode based on the book chapters it covers - making selective re-watching easier.
Overall: A perfect series with perfect actors and actresses. A must watch for lovers of chinese history and literature. The only complain I have is the length but then again, it cannot be helped considering how this series follows the novel closely.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama was like a badly written wattpad story
My only expectation when I started this drama was a good rom-com, the show started off promising and ended up being one of the worse plots I have ever seen not trying to exaggerate at all, the plots were all over the place and the writer jumped from one plot to another, from one genre to another to create a totall mess.I'm not a stranger to the main actor lee min ki and I always thought to myself how he always picked out good scripts
I have no idea why he picked this one, although I have never seen NANA's works I could tell she had good acting skills and the actors had the needed chemistry too but nothing could save this drama.
Then we have a second lead, he had little to no chemistry with nana and his character was the most useless you won't feel SLS in the slightest, one thing I enjoyed at some point was the story about their mothers, I actually have the last episode left to watch but I'm not even curious about the ending.
all in all I don't recommend this at all and this has to be one of the worst dramas I have ever watched.
UPDATE AFTER FINALE (spoilers on finale)
The ml disappears in the end (there's a plot about him being only able to live 49 days amidst a lot of other things) great a bad ending to a bad drama, i'm aware the leads dying isn't a bad ending but in this case, the whole drama was just really bad, if u dive really deep into the story and re-write 95 percent of this with the initial idea of the plot this drama could have been saved , if they wanted to show the ML'S development after only having 49 days to live even if they would make him die in the end there were a million better ways to do that but alas they failed miserably and to end this giving this a 4 is me being generous
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1Really cute and with a good message
On the face of it, the main character, Fukuhara, has terrible luck. One day, he realizes the popular Shinomiya is the opposite - he has fantastic luck, and Fukuhara decides to get close to him to take advantage of this, and accidentally becomes his boyfriend.This seems a fairly straightforward fake relationship to real relationship story, with the lucky/unlucky framework. But where the story takes on some complexity that is easy to miss, is that Fukuhara sees everything in black and white - good luck vs bad luck - but he never considers how good luck can be a curse too. Shinomiya never knows when people really like him or if they're trying to exploit him - he doesn't have to develop any skills, or work at anything, or can he get a sense of satisfaction for accomplishing anything, because everyhing goes his way. In fact, the first time they meet, it's Fukuhara that rescues Shinomiya from being swamped by adoring girls - and it's "bad" luck that brings Shinomiya into his life. It's very yin and yang - good luck and bad luck are also each other.
But the other message of the story is that luck is a matter of attitude. Have you ever noticed that when you're in a hurry, all the traffic lights are red? Why is that? It's because when you're not in a hurry, you don't really notice them. They're just part of driving. Likewise, if you have a negative outlook, you focus on unfortunate things that happen, and might miss all the positive things happening around you, or fail to take advantage of opportunities that come your way. The opposite is true for someone who has a positive outlook.
How unlucky is Fukuhara? Everyone likes him, and a beautiful man, inside and out (especially out) falls in love with him instantly, both for his looks and his quirky personality. A lot of the "bad" luck leads to positive results - it's just that he doesn't see it that way because he's focused on the negative. Even the final crisis - was it unlucky? It certainly appeared to be spectacularly unlucky - but nothing bad happened, and nothing bad could have happened, but it had a very positive outome. So wasn't it actually lucky?
Deep, right?
The writing avoids predictability and cliche - Shimomiya is a classic Prince Charming, but there are times when Fukuhara makes confessions that in a "standard" BL would result in a serious and romantic swoop by the seme, but here Shinomiya cracks up laughing - and it's perfect instead of cringey.
The acting is wonderful - both actors have great comic timing. Soto Ryosuke is adorable and hilarious, OTT, but in just the right way, and Sato Yusuke is just beautiful. Especially when he takes his shirt off. (I'm shallow. And I own it.)
What prevents this from reaching 9 or 10 territory for me is that it's really almost a bromance, and there's really no particular reason for this. A little too much of the run time is taken up by what feels like a repetitive cycle of Fukuhara resisting Shinomiya. In the discussion forum, people came up with many justifications - Fukuhara felt guilty, Fukuhara had low self-esteem and didn't feel worthy, etc. The problem is that we hear Fukuhara's entire inner monologue, and he "thinks" none of these - he just feels the needs to resist. This, and the lack of any physical resolution to their relationship - not even a hug - smells of institutional homophobia. The writing isn't explicitly so - Fukuhara never says "I can't be gay!", and Shinomya appears to be gay, as he states what his "type" is. Fukuhara doesn't think he can manage to fall asleep in the same bed as Shinomiya, suggesting he's sexually excited by the intimate proximity, etc. But, well, actions speak louder than words, and at the end they have a tickle fight, which is cute, but not really the most satisfying end to a romance.
Still, this is a pleasant watch, with some funny moments, more depth than it appears to have on the surface, sharp dialog, and plenty of eye candy, so I have no problem recommending this to everyone - it's hard to imagine anyone not liking it.
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Story: The story was cliche, but I live for cliches, especially mob-related so basically I adored it. Due to the length, certain very small scenes were a tad confusing if only because the cut into them seemed random, but they soon became clear. By the end of each chapter (which are usually ~15 min. segments), I had a very clear understanding of what was going on, so the confusion wasn’t long-lasting.
Acting/Cast: I’m not gonna lie, for a small studio film, I wasn’t expecting much re: the acting, but I was absolutely blown away. The actors are incredible and create such dynamic characters through facial expressions alone. They were an amazing cast that I would love to see in future dramas.
Music: So cute! The reoccurring song that played every time Gitae and Chisoo had a moment was sweet, gentle, and just downright adorable. It encapsulated that fuzzy feeling of butterflies in your stomach. The music for the action scenes were perfect for creating a high intensity environment, as well.
Rewatch Value: The only reason I am not immediately rewatching this movie is because I have to go to class in the morning. Needless to say, I will be watching this movie many more times in the future.
TL;DR: If you’re looking for a good LGBT movie with great acting, a fun plot, and a happy ending, then Long Time, No See is the choice for you. Please support this movie and the studio STRONGBERRY by buying the chapters ($12) so we can hopefully see more wonderful content like this in the future!
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