The drama did start off hilarious; I found myself enjoying it right away with all the crazy humor thrown into this drama (some not so appropriate for the younger audience either). I also liked how this story had a sort of moral to tell the audience-that you shouldn't judge by appearances or to be yourself and not drown in a never ending sea of lies-and it wasn't portrayed in a cliche, cheesy way that makes you want to roll your eyes constantly. It did move kind of fast since it is only 12 episodes but at the same time, it didn't feel rushed.
One thing that I haven't seen in a while in dramas are surprises. Everything started to feel predictable, but this drama was different. It was so well planned out, I didn't even see it coming until it actually happened.
The cast was amazing too, acting and all. The director made excellent choices to choose these people for their roles.
I didn't realize it until I had to rate it, but I realized there was no actual singing in the soundtrack of the drama (either that or I somehow missed it). Depending on preference, this can be good or bad. I personally prefer some catchy song that goes on every time a cute scene shows up or when a certain character enters the scene, but that's just me. Having only instrumental music could also enable the audience to focus more on what's going on than the song that's playing.
Overall, I loved the drama. The plot was very unexpected and meaningful. It was also very funny, and also very sad. I don't know if I would watch it again, just because there are surprising parts and well, they can't be surprising a second time can they?
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This review may contain spoilers
This is a movie not worth watching
This is the worst movie I have ever seen.After the success of the movie Train To Busan, the Korean cinema published the movie Gangnam Zombie, after watching it, I have a few comments as follows:
+ About the actor: The male lead acts well and the female lead acts with an emotionless, expressionless face and maybe she suits the role of a singer more than an actress; and the other characters, their acting is quite normal, nothing special ( 4/10 )
+ About the plot: The name is Gangnam but the context only revolves around a few corners of an old cheap old building. There is no investment in terms of images, nor is the plot. The zombie disguise really asked me what words to use to describe it, the filming was bad, the actors were like 3 cents, the dialogue seems to be somewhere between 2-30 boring sentences, I wonder if the scriptwriter of this movie is long. up to 2 pages? A movie that doesn't have any depth of emotion, it's just like a crap on Web drama for kids. After watching for 15 minutes, my friend Ji Yeon fan turned and said, "How long do I have to endure? :(", you must know how bad it is. Everything will be going very normally until the end. The ending really disappointed viewers like me, a half-hearted ending to the drama. There are a lot of boring bad movies that have gone through my life but Gangnam's fall was such a big shock. stubborn no matter how bad I still have to watch it all to get the best rating, I can get up and go home in the first 10 minutes Honestly to me this is not a movie it just deserves a clip somewhere just online.
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one of those really good one's that one would expect to be
Even though, this drama was very specific-themed none of the episodes were pass for me, it was intense for the whole time, they fitted whole plot nicely and ending was perfectly wrapped I would say, as in open to the 2nd season, but still wort it even if it's only 1 season, I had fun watching it and I just finished "buried hearts" as well and I honestly prefer revenge here.Special mention to beautiful white hair on Le jihoon, they really hit with that.
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2-Storyline/Plot : I never forgot this film even though it has been nine years since I first saw it simply because it had an unforgettable story; events were relly amazing to follow.
Action mixed with romance with a slight of mystery is one of my favorite types when it comes to Wuxia productions, I liked how they made the fighting scenes; they were captivating.
3-Acting/Cast : The best combination ever! there were chemistry between all of them. There were geat fighting scenes between the actors since they acted in total harmony plus they delivered great feelings when it comes to romance.
They were great cast even though I wasn't familiar with half of them back then.
4-The ending : Even though it wasn't what I wanted but it felt realistic on many levels.
5-My impression: I was so moved by this film; even when there were commercials I was anticipating what will happen next.
I even kept thinking about it even after it ended : It affected me in a great way .
6-Overall : If you like action-wuxia then you need to watch this.
If you like action combined with romance then you would like this.
If you like martial arts films then you you will like this.
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The best Thai TV series ever made!!!
Each episode was perfectly executed by the director. This is a very interesting Thai serial, supported with actors and actresses from various age. Their acting is so natural and professional. When it first broadcast, no subtitle and after few days, the English subtitle is added. When watching this show, be prepared for the unexpected plot twist and keep your tissue close by. You will need it anytime. Bravo!!!At the end of every episode, the trailer is going to make you crazy as audience are left with high curiosity as what would happen next. I think, this project is so captivating and audience are pampered to the max.
As for me, I have to be extremely patience while waiting for the next episode every week, the story makes me feel like want to turn the globe faster to get to the next story line.
I can't praise them high enough for such a good job.
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Supernatural with cute comedy and great bromance
I have said it before and I will say it again, this was a supernatural drama with hints of horror at times. The true chemistry was between the King (played by Kim Ji Hoon) and Yun Gap/Gang Cheol (played by Yook Sung Jae). Their comedic timing was perfection and their banter felt natural. Bo Na's Yeo Ri initially felt a little stiff to me, however as the show progressed and I understood the character's backstory, I came to realize that stiffness actually was the actress doing a good job playing Yeo Ri who has experienced profound grief and loneliness and therefore holds herself apart from others, even as she cares deeply.Kim Ji Hoon and Yook Sung Jae both completely took me by surprise. This is my first drama with Yook Sung Jae and I will keep an eye for future projects and try his older works. Kim Ji Hoon blew me away with his deep, heart rending portrayal of a man balancing his responsibilities as a king and as a father. The torment of this powerful man born into royalty, and has always been alone as a result, feeling helpless in the face of an enemy he cannot even see, trying to do his best for his people, only to realize his ancestor had abandoned them in the worst way, the guilt, the remorse and the wish to make amends were so masterfully played. I really, sincerely hope Kim Ji Hoon picks more such roles which give him a canvas for the talent we saw here. Out of all the characters, his was the one that resonated the most with me.
The story of a girl who denies her shaman roots and focuses on making eyeglasses (a good metaphor perhaps for shamanic talents - helping people see things more clearly) only to get swept into a tug of war between good and evil that exists in the palace was an entertaining show but had deeper tones to it. The nuanced plot, where good and evil cannot always be ascertained merely by identity, or even current actions was an interesting overlying message. Those who seem good, have committed vile acts and still attained high positions, while the good are left to suffer until the resentment burns so deep that their very anger at the injustice forces them to become evil. That people are not born evil, rather are created by their experiences and choices, yet once they step on that path, it is almost impossible to remain untainted.
The juxtaposition of two equal and opposing forces that was the focus of the show was exhibited throughout the drama using explicit imagery like the fire spirit vs. fresh water deity, the female and the male warding stones or the implicit like the imoogi ascending at the same time when the human king stoops low, saving his life by sending a whole village to its death. It eventually became so interesting how the Yin and Yang was woven throughout the story that I actively began to watch out for it exclusively.
The supporting cast comprises of veteran actors who were stellar in their work, and I applaud the whole team for the fabulous run for 8 weeks.
The drama fits the historical, comedy and fantasy or supernatural tags, however as a devotee to the romance genre I feel the romance tag is a bit of an overstatement. Yes there is romance and even a HE, however I wish for more scenes where the chemistry between the Imoogi and Yeo Ri could be deepened, it felt sudden and then not enough. Over all a good drama, I don't know if I would rewatch it. if I did rewatch bits of it, those would be the scenes where Imoogi and King banter back and forth and I guess that says it all.
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The middle episodes were a bit better, but this was no great drama. It was still pretty cheesy, and the epilogues at the end of each episode were strange. They didn't add anything to the story at all. They were just basically little recaps. Episodes 11 and 12 could have been cut out almost completely. Episode 11 was basically all flashbacks and had zero plot movement. Episode 12 was a lot of the same. I'm not sure why they needed to stretch it out so far. Ten episodes could have wrapped this story up well. As for the romance, they didn't totally sell it to me as the characters were pretty shallowly developed. The two had a one night stand and didn't see each other again for three years, but yet he can't forget about her? She was a pretty weak lead honestly, and there wasn't anything so special about her that I bought that he was pining after her for three years. And the chemistry between the leads was only so-so.
The music was ok, also nothing special.
I wouldn't recommend this unless you were really hard up for rom-com. I fully admit that I only gave this show a second chance because I have a soft spot for Sung Hoon after his roles in Oh My Venus and Five Children. I was really hoping that he would have a great lead role in a rom-com, but this wasn't it. I feel bad for the actors of this. I think they could have done better if they had a better story and better production.
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Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
19 people found this review helpful
by Hikari no Naka 
1
1 The most heartwarming story, not only for BL.
I don't even know where to start. The show just ended yesterday and me, like all the regular users in this page, are still in a mess. Do you know the feeling of having to let go, even when you don't want to? It's exactly like that. I'm feeling empty inside knowing that the drama has ended and we have to bid farewell to the characters. For me, this is definitely one of the best and most precious dramas that I've ever encountered. I'm not exaggerating when I said I highly doubt I will ever find a drama like this ever again, that made me so captivated, engrossed and did all the stuffs I've never done before for a drama and their actors. During each very short episode, depending on the plot, they never fail to make me laugh, smile, feeling all fluffy inside, tear up or heartbroken. But that's the magic of Cherry Magic has done to all of us all over the world. It has become an unexpected international hit, and it's the first Japanese BL drama that ever got this worldwide attention.STORY
The long title might put off some people but the story is actually quite simple. 30 years old virgin salaryman, Adachi Kiyoshi, suddenly finds himself having the power to read the minds of people he touches on his 30th birthday. With this magic, he accidentally finds out that Kurosawa Yuichi, the most handsome and capable sales ace in his company, has a crush on him. What happens after that is their relationship development, which is both hilarious and emotional. What makes this drama special is its careful approach to portray human story, even though it is based on BL manga, it is very gentle and delicate in depicting the feelings and emotions, and eventually it is a story about relationship of two human beings, regardless of their sex. All the fans who have fallen in love with this drama can somehow relate themselves to the story, which what makes it resonate with fans all over the world.
It has the perfect balance of cute and sweet plot, but at the same time also there are also intense emotional plot that literally squeezed the audience's poor hearts.
ACTING
Fans have fallen in love with the two lead actors (Akaso Eiji and Machida Keita) not for nothing. Both of them are not big names in Japan and Akaso can be considered newbie in filming industry. But oh my, their acting and chemistry are top notch. Both are able to portray their characters perfectly, from body movement, subtle facial expressions, their speech, they almost make you believe they didn't act. Their on and off screen chemistry are undeniable, and it literally flowing out of screen. You will smile and laugh at their funny and sweet moments and will cry and hurt when they are sad. Their chemistry is so strong even simple scene like having fun in amusement park can make me smile and grin like an idiot, I sometimes questioned my sanity as an adult female lol.
MUSIC
I fell in love with their music, from the OP, ED and the BGM. I put the OP and ED on Spotify as soon as they came out and been listening to them until now. That's how good they are. In addition to that, the OP and ED are carefully written from the two lead characters' perspective, which adds more meaning to the songs. The BGM also excellent, they fit perfectly with their respective scenes and add more emotions to them.
REWATCH VALUE
If I can give 100 point to this, I would. I lost count already how many times I rewatched all episodes (which is short one, about 24 mins per episode). Everytime I would find a new detail, new subtle facial expressions, new little gesture that I didn't notice before. Everytime I would also still smile, laugh or feel sad when watching it. It is so worth it.
So for all those who is still deciding whether to watch it or not, don't hesitate to do so. I was also not very interested before, since I often find Japanese BL rather cringey (except Ossan's Love), but I tried to watch Ep 1 and the rest was history. So, please don't miss out this rare gem and I'm sure you would fall head over heels with this little drama!
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got better as it went on
Overall: this was in the 'close but not quite' category for me, there was just something missing overall. Aired on Viki and GagaOOLala, 8 episodes about 25 minutes each.Content Warnings: attempted/beginning sexual assault, past sexual assault/non con mentioned, manipulation
What I Liked
- clear set up
- bartender and two bosses
- showing how people aren't always who they seem to be
- the funny and sweet moments
- the best insult ever: smutty alien
- that Onoe Satoshi confronted Kaburagi Motoharu about something that was bothering him instead of letting it drag on
Room For Improvement
- wasn't totally sold on their dynamic, I think we needed a bit more explanation about Kaburagi and earlier on
- Kaburagi's words and actions after what Onoe went thru in episode 3 was not the right time/place
- Onoe was a bit too much of a dumb dumb at times
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So where do I get a meat pillow? This is what I want to know....
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The movie starts out with 54 school girls gleefully jumping in front of a train. This sets the tone for the type of campy gore that is featured throughout the movie. I don't particularly like gore, but I like movies that make me think, and the plot definitely kept me thinking/scratching my head in confusion.
The story is set up as a mystery involving a website, a pop group, and a bag, that are linked to a wave of seemingly random mass suicides. The story is really much bigger than a simple mystery plot. There are a lot of esoteric scenes that turn this movie into an unapologetically ambiguous social commentary (If all of your friends jumped off of a bridge, would you???). The mystery does eventually get solved, but the resolution just leads to more questions. My rewatch value score is high, because my confusion over parts of the story was so high. I honestly think the concept was much stronger than the actual story, and individual scenes were stronger than the plot as a whole. I usually hate movies that put metaphor before plot, but this movie still manages to be so entertaining. The subject matter is serious, but many of the scenes have more of a dark comedy feel, and did I mention it's sort of a musical?
I had to give the soundtrack a 10 because it left such an impression. I love how disturbingly catchy Dessert's songs were, and I still want the "mail me" ringtone. I have no idea why the Genesis' character starts randomly singing, but his song was also stuck in my head afterwards. I admit that a couple of the songs made it onto my iPod.
This movie is a hard one to recommend. It took a second viewing for me to realize that I actually liked it, and I do now own it. If you can handle a little gore, and and feel like watching something unconventional, I'd say give it a try. Join the club ; )
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This review may contain spoilers
A must for fans of PP Krit
I must admit that I was sad when it looked like PP Krit - after the sensational success of his collaboration with Billkin in ”My Ambulance”, ”I Told Sunset About You”, which is my favourite BL series of all times, and ”I Promised You the Moon” - was going to focus on his career as a singer. When I heard that he would be starring in the short film ”Rerun”, I was so happy, and I wasn't disappointed.PP Krit plays Kit, the curator of arts exhibitions, who falls for Chou (Napat Siangsomboon), an artist. They find out that they have a lot in common, and Chou promises to have Kit curate his first solo exhibition. However, when he actually has his first exhibition, he has someone else curate it, and subsequently he breaks up with Kit. When they meet again, Kit pretends that he is okay, whereas Chou says that he isn't okay without Kit. This is where the movie ends, so we don't know whether the two of them get back together or not.
The entire movie breathes a mood of angst and sadness, and somehow the viewer senses that this relationship isn't going to last. The cinematography – semi-darkness in many scenes, with an indistinct sound - underlines the fragility of the leads' relationship. The production quality of this short film is very good, without even minor flaws. The movie was produced by PP Krit's company, "PP Krit Entertainment".
As a fan of PP Krit, who is my favourite BL actor, and who I would always want to protect, because he appears to be so vulnerable, I was tempted to hate Chou for dumping Kit, prioritizing his career over his love, but then Kit doesn't even try to fight for his love, and so it would seem unfair to blame everything on Chou.
Napat Siangsomboon is an experienced actor, and he displays Chou's attraction to Kit, but also his ambition as an artist, and finally his yearning for his ex-lover convincingly. PP Krit avoids being over-dramatic which the plot may have tempted a lesser talented actor to do. Whereas in the break-up scene Kit seems to be more hurt than Chou, PP Krit manages to convey in the final scene that Kit in fact is stronger than Chou. I always found it hard to imagine PP Krit being paired with another actor than Billkin, but he has obviously matured enough to move on.
This movie isn't a feelgood comedy – in fact, it's sad and angsty as I mentioned before, but it's a beautiful little piece of art that no one should miss, and of course it's a must for everyone who loves PP Krit as much as I do. The fact that the short film was watched on youtube by 200,000 viewers within 24 hours proves that it was not only me who was longing to see PP Krit again.
You find all my reviews, including those of series from countries not covered by mydramalist like Vietnam, Singapore, and Myanmar, here: https://www.wattpad.com/user/DominicKebre
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This review may contain spoilers
Bittersweet-romance type (tissues!)
'On Your Wedding Day', 'Classic Again', and a little bit of 'Twenty-five, Twenty-one'. This film gave me all of that. It has that same bittersweet taste of love that just lingers around as we hope and pray for a happy end.STORY: The writing was great. I was expecting a lot of clichés and twists, but instead, the movie felt like a pure piece, like it was written off experience. The realism in how the story developed felt oddly satisfying and simply left me awestruck. Of course, I know for a fact that tons of people head to watch movies and shows for comfort (and not to be disappointed) and I, too, watched this for that. Instead, it left me hanging. Watching Zhou Can text Jiaoyang he was getting married felt like a blow to the face. Until the end I wanted to deny it, hope it wasn't real and that they were going to end up together. After so many years? I wanted to get angry, cry, and protest but then realized that Jiaoyang must have felt the same inside. But that's life. And it just goes on. Wanting to stay frozen in sadness will only make you lag behind, and before you know it, you'll be left alone.
>>(SPOILER ALERT!! EDIT: I personally think the ending wasn't Can's choice. During the wedding, we could see both his parents at the front seats, and his mom cheering for them excitedly while Can doesn't look as happy as he would if it was with Jiaoyang. From the beginning, Can's mom didn't approve of Jiaoyang, even just as Can's friend, so what more could it have been when they were dating? I don't know, it just feels unreal that Can would have moved on so quickly in a span of two years after what happened last with them. And the fact that he let her know about it low-key gave me a feeling that he was hesitant. From the get-go, I think the wedding was his mother's decision. Just my opinion though, or I could still be in denial of the sad ending. 🥹💔)
ACTING/CAST: Prior to watching this, I've never seen a film or show with neither of the leads, so this is a first for me. At the beginning of the film, I thought that the acting performance would just be so-so, but as the story progressed, the chemistry grew to be something I admire them for (it actually felt like it was THEIR story, not them ACTING a random story). The casting was just superb -- sometimes it's obvious and clear that the actors are 'acting', but this is one of the rare ones where the actors are 'living and embodying' their characters. Both of them, especially as they processed Jiaoyang's grandmother's passing, showed emotions that were so real and hurting. Props to them, really.
MUSIC: Hands down, the music was unbelievably made the scenes come to life. Especially the scene where Jiaoyang and Can meet again after Jiaoyang moved away, when she ran to hug him in the middle of the highway overpass -- that scene was heart-shattering. The music just made it worse (in a good way).
REWATCH VALUE: Personally, I wouldn't want to watch this film again because of its ending. But truthfully, I would, for how their relationship went before they decided to give it up. But I wouldn't want to get hurt again by watching it, so I guess I'll watch it every year on Valentines. (😭💀)
OVERALL: It's a wonderful film. Some people say its similar to 20th Century Girl, but I think this is quite different, on its own. None of the leads passed away mysteriously, nor did they disappear without saying. Instead they were there, but denied their feelings and gave in to their pent-up emotions instead of dealing with it -- leading to their fall. Ugh, I should watch this movie again right now 🥹!
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Just finished this and honestly, i don't regret watching this. I'm a fan of the original novel, i've read the manhua and watched both the drama and movie version of this. I wouldn't say this remake was amazing, but imo it did pretty well.
watch this if you like- alpha males, possessives male leads, love triangles, melodrama, boys over flowers+ soap opera feel
don't watch if you don't like- fake angle kisses& dead fish kisses (this irked me the most , melancholic female expressions, miscommunications, lack of trust
Story-
This started off really well, with a few scenes here and there changed, it stuck to the original story line; although they also added a business element to it.
Summer's Desire is a drama centred around its title- whata summer (XiaMo) wants. There are 3 main leads - XiaMo, Ouchen and Luoxi; you can't be certain of who she ends up with until the very end. For me, i rooted for her and Ouchen through all versions of this novel so this wasn't any different- despite the fact that watching this, realistically- i'd rather she not end up with anyone.
Anyway, back to the story. XiaMo and Ouchen are highschool sweethearts,dating, and Luoxi is someone who later ends up staying with her family. Ouchen is manipulative and alpha male possessive, while Luoxi is supposed to be secretive& bad boy dangerous. Luoxi then ends up falling for XiaMo so you can imagine the amount of melodramatic scenes in this.
With 36 episodes, a lot of details were included, and i particularly love the addition of the 2 brother-like friends they had added next to Ouchen. What i did not like about this story-line was the fact that they did not include much scenes of her and ouchen in their earlier years, nor the fact of how they met, that was pretty disappointing. I wanted so much more of her and Ouchen, as the later scene were so Luoxi infested. This also could have done away with some of the things that happened later in the epsiodes. The one scene that made me cry the most was the last episode when her brother was talking to her. I cried buckets.
Acting
Ouchen did not look like what i had expected but his acting made up for it. Qin Jun Jie really made the character Ouchen his own- out of all the versions ive watched, this is my favourite one. When he was happy, angry, mad, jealous, pained, etc. they were wonderfully executed out and that is one of the main reasons i rooted for him no matter what. As for XiaMo's character, there were times her acting was well done, then there were times when it was really plain, stoic and so melancholic. then we have luoxi, the fake and playful vibe were acted out really good, so were the pained expressions. i just didn't know how to feel when he really smiled lol.
Anyways, the acting for the rest of the casts are well done.
The music for this gets stuck the more you listen to it. I loved the opening songs, and they matched the songs well with happy/sad scenes.
Rewatch? Only for ouchen and xiamo parts;_;
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