This review may contain spoilers
Not the ending again...
I really wanted to add this drama to my favorite short dramas but it didn't make the cut...The cast are all good-looking with decent enough acting. The leads have good chemistry which increases by the second half of the drama.
The costumes look good enough to me, specially the ML's.
It is filled with cliche but it didn't drag on so it was nice. Fl wasn't dumb so it was also nice.
Here is what we have here :
-hidden identity (which doesn't last much long!)
-enemy to lovers
-good chemistry
-jealousy over misunderstandings (it wasn't annoying!)
-amnesia (doesn't occupy whole drama)
-break up
-possible reunion
-secondary couple
-good support characters for both ML & FL.
-very little screen time for villains
The comedy becomes stupid sometimes but it wasn't bad either.
I enjoyed watching this drama more than I expected! It was meh at the start but it got better as I continued watching, the plot was simple yet interesting. There aren't too important plot holes either in my opinion.
It got ruined for me with the ending.
I'm just not a fan of open endings. you could interpret it as happy or sad.. I was prepared to give it an 8 until I reached the ending. I'll give it a 7 cause overall it was entertaining.
So what to do? watch or not watch?
*if you like light romance with little tiny bit of palace shenanigans and don't mind open endings, go for it.
**if you like obvious happy endings, move on, it's not for you.
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The ever popular Choi Min-sik, of Oldboy & I Saw the Devil fame, delivers a solid performance as the scorned, emasculated house husband. The juxtaposition of gender specific traits in his character, nurturing femininity vs aggressive masculinity, was particularly well played in my opinion. It shows how, in the heat of passion, one can really act against type.
The reversal of stereotypical gender roles, especially in a strongly patriarchal society like South Korea, is always interesting to watch. I did enjoy the film, but can not score it higher than 7 because with the exception of the cheater being female, the storylines are essentially the same for pretty much every film I have seen in this genre. The movie is definitely worth a watch for Choi Min sik and reversing the role of who cheats, but don't go in expecting any clever twists. There are none.
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This movie is not for those that want something exciting all the way through, in fact the movie is quite slow in the beginning. However, the cinematography is beautiful hence I don't have problem with the slow plotline. It didn't really follow the flow of the novel, but the storyline still delivers. The transition between current timeline and the past are not confusing at all since they are using different actors so you can figure out when is the current and past timeline easily. I love the climax, it was delivered nicely.
Just to let you guys know, the movie focused on the past timeline the most so Takumi Kitamura and Minami Hamabe are the one that appeared the most in this movie. Shun Oguri acted as the storyteller and Keiko Kitagawa as the friend that also effected by the main issue. All of them played their roles perfectly, especially Takumi Kitamura. I really love the tone of his voice that he used in this movie, it suited his role perfectly. Minami Hamabe is perfect as the cheerful girl and you just can't help to like her since she always smiles brightly. Both of them connected naturally despite them being strangers in the beginning and the differences in their personalities.
The music is subtle, easy to the ears, suited perfectly with the storyline. Though I'm not sure if I will rewatch this again, this movie surely isn't forgettable. Enjoyable.
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This review may contain spoilers
Stockholm Syndrome drama
Long time heard about this drama and that's not about the good news this drama has. That's why long time weight it to watch this or not. Watch this of course for Chen Zhe Yuan. Just want to watch another work of him after Hidden Love. Yeah... Kind of big mistake....Story taken from Beauty & the Beast storyline. A girl kidnapped by the beast & eventually fall in love with him. Yeah Stockholm Syndrome all over the place, when the one being kidnap fall in love or get used to with the kidnapper. But that's being said out front, this drama can be still messed it up.
What i like:
A little touch of modern society, that's I've never seen in period drama. Like how they discuss travel to other countries.
What i don't like:
- Messed up plot
- The easy ending... The ending made me have to lower the score again. Everything that's happen in the drama feel useless in the end. Ugh!!!
- Little to no confusion from Qi Pa (QP) when she arrived at beast village for the first time. I mean people in the beast village obviously diff from her world, they have ears or nose like animal. How can she's not confuse....
This drama in my book just OK drama. Watch it if you want to see ur fav actor/ess. If not just skip this then...
I gonna wrote spoiler. Don't know big or small, but spoiler indeed. If you don't want to know just stop reading my review...
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SPOILER ALERT!!!
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In Disney version of Beauty & the Beast at least they still manage to make the Beauty fall in love with the Beast himself not the prince hidden inside it. But this drama did the reverse thing. The made the Beauty, Qi Pa (QP), fall in love with Li Xiong (LX) instead Kui Mu Lang (KML). KML over and over said he has to make QP fall in love with the real him, but how can she fall in love with KML while the more handsome man (LX) still in front of her... Or how can QP fall in love with KML when he rarely show his face or give any attention to QP. All the attention is giving by LX not KML... So tell me how can the beauty fall in love with the beast instead with the prince... Ugh!!!
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All time favorite masterpiece - rewatched hundred times now
It was pleasure to watch and cry...no complain... actors are amazing... story is perfect...moments are heartbroken and you would cry... I could not stop watching it till finished and after I had the worth withdraw symptoms ever so I rewatched it again and again wishing to unwatched it so I can watch it as new.1. Rewatched value over 100%
2. The second couple is on pair with main - loved both of them so much. Second couple could get drama on their own due to their chemistry, story and actors
3. Like the ending as well, it suitable and beautiful
4. Music/OST are out of the world
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This review may contain spoilers
An unconventional sweet drama
What started out as a misunderstanding turns out to be a love going both ways. However, can they overcome obstacles along the way to get their happily ever after?Certainly this kind of idol urban drama where love is the center is nothing new but the most striking thing is the definition of love in this drama is not limited to romance. There is family/responsibilities/filial piety, friendship, and comradery. In addition, the drama highlight upon each career aspects of all characters.
Male lead is definitely not your typical domineering CEO. Rather he has flaws, but is willing to listen and understand others. This character doesn't have much lines compare to FL and second leads but the actor's acting is immersive that grounded it for me. Timmy Xu did an excellent job in presenting a 3-dimensional character that I can relate, sympathize and like. One thing I have to say is that there is finally a drama where the domineering CEO actually is seen working hard and not falling in love all day long. Also, this male lead, Xiao Shangqi, does not have the golden finger to solving or having an answer to everything. Xiao Shangqi is certainly in the dark in almost every situations where he either has to slowly figure out the puzzles himself or with FL. Our male lead is a most understanding, patience, devoted, faithful character to FL I have not seen in a while. You'll wish there is such character is real life. Sadly, there's no such tall, rich, handsome, loving man in real life that would chase their partner like Xiao Shangqi. If there is he does not have to give chase, I would be the one chasing. LOL
All the actors/actresses did a good job. Each carries their character well. Although there are noticeable traces of weaknesses in some. As a viewer, I think there are some inconsistency in FL behavior/characteristics. The actress could have done better maybe in acting out a more loveable/relatable or softer character. There are also instances where she is "acting" instead of "being the character". However, this is just my opinion.
I wouldn't exactly say I love it but I do like it. It was an enjoyable watch. I would re-watch it again. Well, I have re-watched some episodes. ^_^ The story is logical. The storytelling itself is not excellent but very comfortable. Some situations are very relatable and grounded and there's no over the top or suspense of disbelief. And best of all, we have a satisfactory ending wrap, which is sometimes rushed in many other dramas.
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X-men meet serial killer
I was promised pain, gore and a bunch of pretty faces... and got pain gore and a bunch of pretty faces in this X-men meet serial killer...What I liked was the visuals and the sound of connect... it felt cute yet bloody in a way. I also liked seeing Jung Hae In and Go Kyung Pyo + am crushing really badly on Kim Hye Joon who pretty much stole the show.
Go Kyung Pyo is an amazing priest type of serial killer, extremely well casted! There is something about a cold serial killer vibe that captivates me and keeps me interested. And well the execution here was flawless...
Jung Hae Ins character is kind of pathetic and though the acting was good I just did not fall for the character, he did not captivate me at all. Something that speaks poorly about the character since me not falling head over healls for a character played by Jung Hae In is pretty rare. Something that kind of drags down the score. I am however hoping that character takes on some other traits for the next season. That said I do like his look and find the missing eye adorable, but it did start a slight questioning of faith towards my fanhood towards Jung Hae In.
Kim Hye Joon is amazing I love her, she is going straight to the crush list if she is not there and I am hoping to see a lot more of her, here there,,, everywhere.
All in all a decent watch if you can take a bunch of violence and without a lot of substance...
P.S. the portrayal of organ transplants did not bother me at all.... And if you are expecting anything realistic back away and watch pretty much anything else.
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This drama should be getting more attention
Somber and thought-provoking, The King of Pigs is the kind of drama that forces the viewer to come face to face with one of the ugliest part of our society. It doesn't offer any comfort, it doesn't try to make itself more palatable: it's brutal and depressing since the beginning with no heroes, only flawed and broken characters that you can't fully blame nor justify as the difference between victims and perpetrators gets thinner and thinner.School violence isn't seen as an independent phenomenon, it makes it clear that it's a reflection of our society, that the blame is broader than it may appear; it touches on social gerarchies, bad parenting, vile teachers that aren't worth the seat that they occupy and least, but not least, a shared blame that we may all be guilty of: normalizing such behaviors and looking the other way. It's definitely a drama that has lots of food for thought and not an easy watch.
Was is truly flawless? No, probably not. But then again, I have yet to find a show that doesn't have some weaknesses. But to me it gets as close as possible to being perfect and it deserves to be called a masterpiece. But the flaws should be mentioned, instead of completely disregarded: the policewoman, although not as bad as some people say because she still fulfilled a role in the story as a sort of witness/narrator, and her investigations are without a doubt the weakest part of the drama; it's where the writing gets a sloppier and not as strong as the rest of the script that was truly without faults (and it's even more impressive when you think about the fact that this is the first work from the screenwriter). An example is the policewoman being uncommunicative and doing things on her own, even when it may lead someone else in danger, getting clues a bit randomly and not taking her gun out when it should be needed. But like I said, this kind of inconsistencies are more common in tv shows and movies than one may think, and they're hardly enough to ruin a well done drama, but this is a long topic and this review is already long enough on its own.
Now, onto the good things:
The script: I already said that this is the first work from the writer and he did an excellent job. He made some very bold decisions that were very much needed, even if it may make the viewer uncomfortable. He wrote some excellent dialogues that are hard to forget and leave an impression. The pacing was solid, I never felt bored, never felt the need to look at my phone (which is saying a lot for me because I get easily distracted): it was slow enough to not make it rushed, but fast enough to keep things as intense as possible for 12 episodes. And more importantly, it never felt formulaic. As I said before the differences between heroes and villains gets more and more blurry, there aren't any fixed roles (like can you even tell who is first lead and who is the second lead among Kyung Min and Jong Suk? Are they even heroes? Who is the main villain?), it isn't afraid to put its characters in a bad light, there aren't any forced cliffhangers that end up getting repetitive and predictable toward the end, no overkill of plot twists and new informations that can make the drama feel convoluted, no unnecessary melodrama or moving montages put there just to buy some time and get to the established number of episodes. These facts alone are enough to make it worth praising.
Directing, editing and cinematography: someone told me that they liked how the drama was put together and edited because it looked smooth, especially in the way the past and the present are intertwined because it had a good continuity and it made it seem as if the past wasn't a distant and unrelated past, but something that is still pretty much present; and of course I agree. And I think that this quote from Kyung Min deserves a mention here: "the past is present and future". Clunky translation aside, this quote fits the show so well and we can truly say that The King of Pigs successfully managed to stay true to this quote even in terms of editing. I also loved the work that the director did as he often framed the characters between objects, behind stained windows and broken glasses, in mirrors and with their faces being doubled and fragmented by some reflection present in the scene. All these things did a great job at emphasizing the tension and the characters fractured minds and mental state. Even the way all the kids were often framed like littles soldiers in the way they were aligned (this is especially evident in a key scene that I'm not going to spoil) as to make it clear that what we were watching was abnormal and the result of a toxic mentality. I also love the coloring used for the scenes set in the past because they make it look so unhealthy and suffocating. And the close-ups, out of focus shots, dutch angles all used in the right times to make the scenes more intense and convey a turmoil of emotions.
I think that this drama did visual storytelling in the right way and the director made the story truly immersive. There are many examples but I don't want this review to have spoilers.
Soundtrack: another thing I love is that it doesn't overuse its songs, so the music never felt repetitive and random to me. It was never distracting and only used at the right moments. It knew when a scene needed to be silent and when, on the other hand, the soundtrack was necessary to give a stronger impact. Also kudos to who picked all the songs at the end of each episode, they were all so powerful and reflected the episodes so well; I rarely watch the ending credits, but here I couldn't skip them because I felt that they were an important part of the drama too as I sat there, staring at the black screen, thinking about what I had just watched, as I got emotional over a song whose lyrics I couldn't even understand.
Characters and performances: with the sole exceptions of Chae Jung An (Kang Jin Ah), who was good, especially in that one scene in the ending (again, no spoilers here), but not outstanding as the others, all the performances were simply breathtaking. Even most of the supporting characters did so well.
Kim Dong Wook playing Kyung Min managed to convey so many emotions with just his eyes alone: you could feel the rage, the tiredness of man who is not a killer by nature and the pain in his eyes as they changed from a heartless gaze when he looked at his oppressors to a more sorrowful expression when he was in front of his friends. Those rare outbursts of emotions were very well done too. This is for me by far his best performance (sorry Hwa Pyung, I still love you) that shows the acting range he has.
Kim Sung Kyu, Jung Jong Suk in the story, played the part of a broken and unstable man so well that sometimes I really worried about the actor's mental state as his character became more and more immersed in his past memories and lost his composure. His teary, angry eyes will be hard to forget. I hope he will have more main roles from now on because his talent is wasted as a supporting actor.
Choi Hyun Jin (especially), Sim Hyun Seo, Lee Chan Yoo and all of the kid actors also did an outstanding job as they were really able to keep up with their adult colleagues as if it were nothing. They had a very difficult task because the materials they had to work with was important, heavy and not easy at all, and yet they managed to do it perfectly and professionally. I sincerely hope that they will have a bright future ahead.
Rewatch value: I think that this is a rather subjective point, but anyway, I think it has a high rewatch value. I was doing a rewatch for the finale and it was just as emotional as the first time, if not even more. Knowing what will happen makes every scene carry even more weight.
Finally the review ends here. Sorry if it was long and thank you if you really managed to read it all and reach the end. I'm not expecting to get much attention because I'm fully aware that I can't summarize to save my life. I never wrote a review here, partly because the shows I've watched had already many reviews, partly because this is the first time I get so emotional about an ongoing drama so I really wanted to share my thoughts. So, back to the important stuffs, if you're unsure about watching it because it's not that popular, but if you like dark thrillers, then give it a try! You won't regret it :)
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It is the perfect portrayal of so many things: How far one is willing to go when he/she has nothing left to lose, how low humans are capable of falling for their greed, and the way humans are capable of becoming monsters for it.
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Plot: 10/10
Hats off to the writer of this masterpiece. This drama was so well written that for someone who gets bored/distracted easily, I binged it. 102 episodes in 10 days, is a new record for me. Right from the first episode, the plot pulls you in if it doesn't by the summary. There's something happening in each and every episode. I've read many comments about it getting draggy in the middle but I didn't feel it, maybe because I was watching episodes after episodes without a break? Anyway, the plot and characters are enough to keep you hooked up till the very end. Sometimes it gets predictable and sometimes, it's hard to predict what the characters would do. All in all, its a good Makjang.
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Characters: 9/10
I LOVED THE CHARACTERS!
1) And hands-down, there's no one better than our main lead Lee Nayeon. She's the sole character who shines brightest. This character went through SO MUCH, SO MUCH in this drama. What I loved the most about her character is; even though she seems timid and polite girl, she has this fire inside of her that intrigues viewers right from the start. Whether she's 12 or 32, she's something to be reckoned with. She's the kind of character who won't hurt a bug but is capable of bringing down a mountain if someone is to hurt her loved ones. And THAT is exactly what she does. She's the gold of a character! Lee Nayeon's character is followed by Baek Dohui's who's such a precious character but.... I cried a bucket!
2) Then there's Kang Taejun! DUDEEEE!!! He is the perfect example of someone who's leading a blessed simple life but keeps eyeing the stars and forgets what he has while he does. His character deserved everything he got. What's interesting about him is, HE KNOWS!! He is not oblivious to what he's doing and what might happen to him for it but he still pursues what he believes in. He's actually a wise character who just made unreasonable/stupid decisions to get what he THOUGHT he wanted. Enough said.
3) Don't get me started on Jang Sejin!!! DAMN!! I HATED THIS GIRL WITH PASSION! You greedy witch!! And here I'd say, she didn't love Taejun, SHE WAS OBSESSED with him. Kdrama writers tend to confuse obsession and love and this is exactly what they did in the case of Sejin! This issue should've been dealt with properly. She was obsessive, immature, and threw around words without care of what words might do. And her words did TONS! Those who've seen this drama would know what I'm talking about.
4) Park Yugyeong: *insert shudders* THIS WOMAN IS SO DARN EVIL. She is the example of those people who commit errors and instead of owning up to them, they bury it and they try to bury it deep. This woman is the root of all, ALL evil in this drama, and I loved how Nayeon pulled the world from under her feet. She took her time doing so. Park Yugyeong is one of those women who are obsessed with their children. I pity the people who have moms like this woman because while the world sees it as love, it is something much dangerous and unhealthy.
5) Park Hwiyeong: Ok, he's the most innocent character in this drama. He's just a tall teddy bear who wants to console everyone and help everyone. He trusts easily and has a big, big heart with so much love for his family. Even his witchy sister. But I loved how he could set his priorities right and knew what he wanted. I loved how he grew a backbone and started fighting for what he believed in and wanted. Now that I think about it, he's the only one who didn't hurt even a fly in the drama =3
6) Others: Taejun's mom was TERRIBLE! Nayeon mothers were the BEST. Her sisters were PERFECT and their boyfriends meh. Ahjussie Jang Gyeongwan......I have no words for this guy. WHAT? HE TRIED BECOMING THE VILLAIN FOR THE PEOPLE HE LOVED? Dude, grow a backbone first. But he got what he deserved. Hwiyeong's mom is THE BEST and Dohui's parents are the sanest people in the drama!
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Character Development: 7/10
Not much of character development except for Nayeon. Other than changing a bit due to their circumstances throughout the story, everyone remained pretty much the same.
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Acting/Cast: 8.5/10
Lee Yoo Ri rocks this show. She outshone everyone and everything. She played three different types of characters and nailed each of them. She just became the actress I'd definitely check out the work of. Others were okay. I'd say Park Ha Na who played Sejin is awesome too considering how much I despised her character.
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Re-watch Value: 5/10
I don't do re-watches, nope and there's no way I'm going to put myself through the anxiousness I felt while watching this. This drama drained me emotionally and it was well required too which is why it's going to have a special place in my heart.
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Music: 7/10
Except for its main OST, the rest of the music tracks were just okay. None out of ordinary kdrama makjang tracks ;)
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Conclusion:
This is my second Makjang and the first show I've binged since ages ago. I loved the characters, the intensity of the drama, and the way it kept me absorbed into it for ten long summer days.
If you're looking for something intense, something to test your emotions with a little bit of romance then this drama is for you. And I'd say, this is not for the weak-hearted or you'd cry an ocean.
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P.S: I hope people would read this long essay than a review xD
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This review may contain spoilers
This is a must watch drama
Words cant even begin to describe how good this drama is. From the cast to the plot to the way it was filmed it is perfect. It was the perfect amount of heartbreaking scenes and cutesy scenes. It has your emotions going up and down like a roller coaster. The only flaw in this near perfect drama is that it has to end. Though i do have to warn you i cried like a baby throughout this show as happy scenes only distract from the inevitable fate that Kim Shin faces. This drama is a must watch for Kdrama fans!!Was this review helpful to you?
Honestly... I went back and forth about whether or not I should actually watch this drama but I kept seeing it's name mentioned in articles related to Asian dramas or list of dramas to watch or something near to that, so I thought... let's give it a shot and see what happens.
Let me tell you, this show had me on the edge of my seat for the two days I took to watch it, Now I'm sorry I didn't watch it months ago when I first saw it. The plot, the actors, the settings, the music... everything was on point. I started crying and laughing from as early as episode one. That right there is a good indication of whether or not a drama will be good. If it can have you in tears within the first hour that more than says something.
I see and hear people complaining about the age gap between the male and female leads and I really don't see anything wrong with it. Maybe it's because I live in the west where most persons are considered to be adults by age 18. At the start of the series the female lead is 19 and in my country I had friends who were married at that age. In the drama nothing serious happened until the female lead was 20, which is the age of an adult in South Korea and the kisses didn't get steamy and heavy until she was a lot older.
All in all this drama is a must watch. You won't regret it.
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Drama Special Series Season 3: Sirius
15 people found this review helpful
I don't usually watch melodramas, but this was only four episodes long so I could consume it in one sitting and now looking about at yesterday maybe I shouldn't have. I'm convinced I cried in my sleep my eyes felt heavy and my soul sad this morning.
There was a plot device revolving around drugs trafficking but the real story was about twin brothers Do Eun Chang and Do Shin Wu and how through one bad decision both of their lives are changed. I wanted to hug them both and tell them that it was going to be alright. This is the first time a drama has made me want to comfort the characters. It's a must watch for everyone.
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Love makes us do crazy things but without it we are nothing
In the beginning we are introduced to a male lead that isn’t very likable. He harshly criticizes every mistake the people around him makes. He’s always pushing his employees really hard then yelling and losing his temper when they don’t live up to his expectations. But upon finding out about his upbringing and what transpired later when he was an adult we begin to understand him a little better. When he was a toddler his parents died in a tragic accident and his grandmother raised him by herself. Then she died when he was in grade school making him an orphan. Since he was orphaned at a young age, he lived in poverty and had to make his own way by himself living a very harsh life. But he’s a mathematical genius and his talents take him from being a janitor to being the CEO of his own huge company. But along the way he’s badly hurt again when his girlfriend abandons him and marries another man. Having been abandoned by every person he’s ever loved, he shuts down all emotions and becomes very cold and unfeeling. When the people around him fail to meet his expectations he immediately cuts them from his life. There is never any kindness or forgiveness , just harsh consequences.Fortunately, when circumstances force him and the female lead to be together all the time, he slowly begins to be touched by her kindness. Going to her hometown reminds him of his home growing up. Simple things like being offered a freshly peeled apple or potato straight from the garden brought back warm childhood memories of his beloved grandmother. The female leads family are very warm and loving people that genuinely like him and welcome him. He slowly starts to regain his humanity and genuinely care about people and show kindness.
The character growth of the male lead was done wonderfully and is some of the best I’ve seen. There’s lots of character growth all around for the entire cast which makes it a really enjoyable drama. And the acting is way above average too. I’m not one to notice music in a drama and rarely address it. But the music in this drama was very good and fit every mood perfectly.
The female lead is a very likable character. She’s kind, forgiving, and an overall very sweet person. She’s strong minded, confident, and hardworking too. Her biggest flaw though, is her mindset regarding work. She puts up with a lot of harassment and mistreatment at work believing that if she just perseveres things will get better. Her father raised her to believe that you have to endure a lot of hardship in order to further your career. But what she goes through at work is awful and hard to watch. She’s mistreated badly. Fortunately it doesn’t last long and she finally stands up for herself and gets some backbone. Seeing her learn to navigate the workplace and excel in her career was fun to watch. She had great character growth too.
The storyline was a bit cliché but the acting was flawless. This drama balanced the mystery, romance, and melodrama quite well. Usually a drama will fixate on the romance so much that the mystery and workplace drama suffers. Or it will focus so much on the mystery and workplace stuff that the romance is lacking. This drama balanced it all very well. I liked that all of the characters were well developed and the storyline had a lot of depth and was very interesting. But the romance was really sweet too.
So why didn’t I give it a perfect 10? This is billed as a romcom but I was a bit disappointed with the romance aspect of it. Its not that it didn’t have romance in it, it had a sweet romance along with some great comedy. There were several nice kisses, lots of back hugs, and cuddles too. But the romance gave off the sweet cute vibes of a youthful couple rather than the more passionate vibes of a mature couple. For a number of years now asian dramas with mature couples have been showing a lot more passion, skinship and steamy kisses. So I felt letdown. I’m not against sweet cute fluffy romcoms by any means. I’ve watched lots of them and I really enjoyed them too. But in the past few years we’ve been seeing that the sweet cute romances are usually in college or school dramas with young actors. But in the mature dramas with older actors (that are experienced in dating) the trend has been to show a more realistic relationship that is more passionate and intimate. And I’ve really embraced this trend because it’s much more true to life and realistic. So there’s sort of an expectation nowadays in regards to the more mature dramas that the romance will be more appropriate to their age. So when this drama had the fluffy sweet youthful romance I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. Seeing mature actors acting all sweet, innocent and shy around one another felt very unrealistic, (especially since they had previously dated other people and weren’t innocent in the dating arena). It just didn’t reflect the progress asian dramas have made in the last few years in terms of physical affection.
Overall I’d say this is a really good drama that I’ll probably rewatch at some point. The comedy is very good, the acting is superb, the mystery is fun to figure out, and the actors have a sweet romance. If you go into it not minding that some of the storyline is cliche and that even though the actors are mature the romance is a bit young sweet and fluffy, you’ll love it. It wasn’t perfect but it was one of those rare dramas I didn’t fast forward through and instead binge watched. I liked the message it’s trying to get across and how it makes us analyze love. Every person in the drama did crazy things for love. Some did it for romantic love, some did it for sibling love, some did it for parental love but they all did crazy things for love. Love makes us so crazy we might want to give up on it and all other emotions like the male lead did. But without love are we really even human? Is there even any quality to life without it? I love the wonderful journey this drama takes us on to answer these questions.
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What makes this 1986 version so good? Character portrayal. Out of all the versions that I have looked over, none have captured the essence of the series like this one has. The story basically revolves around three disciples; Sun Wukong - Hailed the monkey king who wrecked heaven and the possessor of 72 mystical powers. Zhu Bajie - A half human, half pig immortal who was punished for trying to harass the goddess of the moon (haha) he possessed 36 mystical powers. Lastly we have Sh? Wùjìng - who was originally an immortal but was punished by heaven and reincarnated into a demon, he possesses 18 mystical powers. Their duty is to protect a mortal monk named Xuanzang from demons who wish to devour him in order to gain immortality because he is mortal, demons trick him in various ways and thus misunderstandings arises between the disciples Xuangzang. The portrayal of the characters are very believable and fun to watch due to the excellent acting.
Another thing that differentiates this version from the others is the costume. This may not seem like a big deal but having to look at a third rate costume that barely resembles the characters and bad makeup is very unappealing to watch and this is the main reason why many other versions are not very good. Another thing I will mention is that the actor who plays the monk switches up as the series go on, and this is done with a pool of actors back and forth and it's entertaining seeing different but similar versions of the monk ^.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this series if you are interested or is a fan of the novel but have yet to see this version. I will note that the editing of the magic etc is not that great because it was made in 1986 but that is nothing to be put off by. I hope this review has helped you a bit, this is one series that I can call a childhood favourite so I'm a little bias haha ^^
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