I liked the story concept very much. I've seen it twice. The ending is sad and sort of confusing though but it ties into the very beginning of the video. I didn't notice that the first time around. As mentioned in the comments, something is up with the editing, seems parts were cut or jump around.
ACTING/CAST: Hu Xu Chen did a great job as he was both annoying and cute while playing the very immature Ye Xiao Ou. He just made Lu Qi Ming want to love him. Good chemistry.
MUSIC: Odd in parts, pretty in others.
REWATCH VALUE: Twice already. If I ever find a complete uncut version, I'll watch it a third time.
OVERALL: Love someone while you have the opportunity. Life is so short. Don't let it slip away.
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You could watch season 2 without watching season 1, but I think season 2 may not be as good if you don't experience the connection that develops through season 1.
It follows the same formula as the first season. The story centers around a cafe/diner that is only open from midnight to until breakfast. Each episode focuses on the experiences of an individual patron and can be watched independently. However, the episodes in season 2 are slightly more connected than season 1 (just barely).
The mood is similar to season 1: melancholy and bittersweet.
Season 2 really feels like it may be the end of this drama, which kinda brought tears to my eyes.
It's quiet and reflective, so you have to be a person who likes that sort of thing and in the right mood to watch it.
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But what sets this drama apart is perhaps the interesting feature of its two main protagonists; The King looks evil on the outside but on the inside is being seduced by the daring Queen despite her brutal and inappropriate actions, how did he always think the Queen was playing 'hard to get' hahahaha when you're already dealing with the 'hormonal dilemma'!!
Excellent acting and plot. It brought me a lot of laughs, thanks for the drama Mister Queen :)
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Noroi builds up atmosphere and a sense of dread in the watcher more effectively than I have ever experienced in a film of this nature. The story is engaging; it piques your curiosity right from the beginning and keeps you engaged and hungry for all the answers to the riddle right along with the "main character".
The acting is good. So good that you don't really think about the fact that they are actors, which is exactly what you want out of a POV film. They're just people.
The special effects are a little on the corny side when they do finally come around, but it definitely does not detract from the film itself, since it is so effective at building up tension leading to the climax.
Watch this movie (alone or with a friend) with the lights out and plenty of blankets around you and I promise you will not regret it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Too many illogical things in this series
Once you hit episode 11, its just outright crazy land.Especially when the FL is just so bent on revenge, yet truly loved the ML after finding out how much ML had loved her then.
Still she is willing to marry and sleep with the Emperor just to gain power for revenge when she confirms that the Emperor might had a hand in her losing her child and killing her.
I just really cant bent my brain around this story concept, the soul switching was already weird, but this sort of plot just makes it even harder to digest.
Yet at the end ML will still marry FL, crazy.
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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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Realistic & touching
I hardly write reviews but I feel this drama is too underrated and doesn't do it justice. The stories that happened in the hospital and the characters are realistic and often touching and the acting of the 3 leads are fantastic. It reminds me of ER somewhat but it focuses on cardiology and 3 people, their growth, their change, their bond in the hospital. Story moves along much better than a lot of costume or profession cdramas or and it is perfectly cast. I dropped a lot before about firefighters, pilots, lawyers, businessmen because they are just not up to par or at all interesting but this one I think it's very well made and written.Was this review helpful to you?
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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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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