This review may contain spoilers
Overall, I have mixed impressions of the drama. Weirdly enough I enjoyed watching it (in terms of entertainment factors), but I will definitely say that this drama had a LOT of issues and weirdness about it, but a few good points to almost balance it out.STORY:
The plot line for this drama was honestly all over the place. I know it was based off of an IP novel, so maybe it made more sense in writing? IDK. I also know that it's supposed to be an "Odyssey" which I guess it really was, it was just such a convoluted path to get there.
The story began easily enough. Rich, young, beautiful daughter of a court official buys an amnesiac boy from a market. Girl also meets a city detective and together they solve crimes around the city with some help. Ok, cool. There's a bit of fantasy involved (obviously), but for the most part, it's relatively logical (for a Chinese drama at least xD)
Fast track to the middle of the drama, the slave boy remembers his true identity, has stolen a precious treasure, and returned to his original homeland. The female lead (IMO) has been getting more and more immature as time passes and is just downright whiney most of the time (I still love Janice Wu though). The second male lead is weirdly one of my favorites at this point in time (he's mature and brave, but still has a bit of a playful personality behind him). The fantasy aspects pick up more, and things start taking a weird turn.
By the end of the drama, we have people turning into dragons, bats, and moths. There's "soul splitting" occurring (Hey, Harry Potter), time travel (multiple times), and magical spells running amok. Relationships are fully formed by this point, and just overall there's honestly a lot going on that you somewhat get lost in the mix.
The romance is super slow burning, which isn't a problem (there are still a lot of cute moments that happen throughout), BUT my biggest issues are how they played out the various romances.
*** SPOILER *****
*** SPOILER ****
The writers spend basically the first half of the drama with Yuan'an having a crush on Lan Zhi, (which honestly I kind of preferred because he was matured and balanced out her somewhat stubborn and child like tendencies). And at the same time, she showed that she cared for Mu Le, but wasn't really in love with him (even though other people just kept saying it to her as the writers way of making people care about Yuan' an and Mu Le's relationship). They keep this going for more than halfway through the story, up until the point that Lan Zhi is no longer an option. So basically this way, whether it's true or not, it feels like Yuan'an is only going to end up with Mu Le because she couldn't have Lan Zhi anymore. Not because she actually chose him.
And to make matters worse, it's not until after Mu Le remembers who he really is that Yuan'an and him get together (so now she not only chooses him because she doesn't have another option, but she only realizes her feelings when he's not her slave boy anymore. Cool.)
Obviously this isn't how the writers want their relationship to be portrayed - probably aiming more for a "she didn't realize until he wasn't her slave boy anymore that she was in love with him and loved him no matter what his real identity was." But honestly, I personally feel like it backfired for them because it undermined her credibility for falling for him.
Also I really disliked Ming Hui as a character for the fact that she spent the majority of the drama being an adversary to the characters and never REALLY redeemed herself (to anyone but Lan Zhi), but gets to have a happy ending by the end. Bleh.
Overall, the story made sense (I guess), but it just wasn't well paced and fluid like I would hope. You're taking your audience on this epic journey, so making things make sense and fit together is a big part of that.
ACTING:
Overall I think the actors were all pretty good.
Janice is very good at the cutesy and stubborn personality types, though there were a lot of times I couldn't take her seriously when she got angry and what not. (I do think it was refreshing that her character was so blunt and somewhat sarcastic. It's not super common in Chinese dramas).
Zheng Ye Cheng - very believable as the loyal and loving Mu Le. Had a very innocent charm to him. As Ah Ying, (and it might have been his age playing into it for me) but I certain times couldn't take him seriously as a powerful prince. But he was very good IMO.
Zhang Yu Jian - it might have been more of his character (kind of my type lol), but I honestly really liked him as an actor. As I mentioned, he was a very matured character with a strong sense of justice and loyalty, but he had his moments of being romantic and also being playful/flirty which balanced him out well. I personally think he was the most well rounded of characters because you saw his strengths and faults more clearly and ZYJ did a good job portraying those different parts.
OVERALL:
Again, I didn't severely dislike this drama. I honestly think it was relatively captivating and fun to watch, BUT there were just a lot of plot issues and character problems that I wasn't a fan of, hence my lower score. It seemed to be a fairly popular drama while it aired, which I can see why, but looking at it overall, there were too many core problems I had with it for me to give it a higher score.
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If I were to describe this story, I'd say, imagine tossing a stone into a pond. This drama is about the ripples extending outwards from the stone; but not only are we looking at these ripples, we are also prompted to ask ourselves why the stone was tossed in the first place. It's of interest to note that the title is translated literally as, "The Distance Between Us and Evil," which really says a lot, because a major theme in this series is examining the distance between labels: good/evil, victim/perpetrator. In the end, the story serves as a wakeup call for society, a reminder that we all tread between the lines.
I would recommend this to those who prefer serious, heavy dramas that bring important topics to the table and enjoy character studies. This is produced by HBO Asia, so those with HBO subscriptions may be able to access it; if not, hopefully subtitles surface soon.
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Beautiful Fantasy Romcom -A tale entangled with music, love and fate ❣️
**May contain spoilers*"The Theme is unique, Sets and Costumes are beautiful, Plot is smooth and Acting skills are excellent. Each character has his/her own connotations and thoughts and storyline.
The highlight for me is the music and the musical performances 👌❤️
I already enjoy Chinese music a lot but there is a bonanza of musical instruments that accompany here which is a treat to watch for viewers with musical interest! The actors are so good with the instruments that it gives us a very natural , relaxed feel while we watch them play! All songs are beautiful ❤️
ML, YunMu, Young Master and the only Son and potential heir of the ruler of Dongsheng, pretends to be playful on the surface and keeps a low key but is actually quite resourceful, strong in martial arts and has amazing musical knowledge and is extremely handsome! But he has to put up that act due to an undisclosed secret! Only his closest aide Xiaoqi knows this. Miles Wei with his amazing looks, talents (sings, dances, musical instruments, martial arts!!!) and excellent acting skills fits the bill perfectly! He has sung the song "Acquiescence" which is beautiful. It is just that much more impactful when the actors sing the tracks!
FL, Su RuoFei, is an exceptional talent in music and looks forward to establishing her Green Flash Music Workshop and help talented fellow musicians. She is fated (through the green light/Jade) with the ability to help YunMu with his secret and through some comic situations ends up being his private entertainer! Kiki Xu, plays her character well. She has strong dancing ability and I am so looking forward for the "Highlight Clip" of her "dancing on the drums"! She has sung the OST "Living up to the encounter " which is amazing! She probably knows how to play musical instruments too.
Su Ruoshan, FL's sister, owner of Melody Musical workshop, is power hungry to become the Music Minister and uses every means possible to achieve this! Zhang Yue's acting is very good as the evil sister! This actress is so easy on the Harp that it makes me wonder if she can actually play it irl!
Then there is an Uncle, Yun Shang (His Majesty's brother) who eyes the throne and had schemed against his nephew previously. His love interest is the sister of FL.
SML, Jin Shangyu played by Caesar Wu, is a childhood friend of FL and another musical genius! He is hot and amazing as always! He is the calmer and the sensible one of the lot and he is in love with our FL.
Huang Ying, daughter of SML's teacher, whom he cares for (and doesn't love!) only because her parents die in floods, is pursuing him against all odds! Her character is like an obsessed stalker at the beginning but it develops into a nice kind helpful one in the later episodes!
Will these characters come together and become a couple? How will their characters develop? Will Su RuoFei help YunMu with his secret? Will YunMu become the Royal Advisor and successor to the throne? Who becomes the Music Minister? Will there be a redemption arc for the villains?? The rest of the story seems to be about all this!
It's only 24 episodes and nicely paced. The first 14 episodes are light-hearted and entertaining. There is some angst from episode 14-19 as the FL gets framed! There is a bounce back from 19 onwards with some real musical performance challenges, martial arts, romance and enjoyable friendships!
Considering that it's a low budget production, the sets, costumes, music , cast, visual effects are all great!! Remember this was filmed in 2021 and C drama has evolved since and so have the actors!
Overall it's a well made, light-hearted , thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable drama!!
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A Wonderfully Crafted Love Story
This is a wonderfully crafted love story that takes a unique spin on the time travel genre. I've seen many time travel dramas, but this one is undoubtedly the most intriguing. In this drama, the first time our male lead, Shen Bu Yan, travels back in time and meets our female lead, Lu Yuan, is actually the last time she sees him. He first meets the older Lu Yuan - and each time he time travels, he meets a younger Lu Yuan. So it's like a reverse timeline story which makes it even more depressing imo.It is a low-budget drama, but I think they've used the budget very well. I can tell there's been a lot of care put into this. The cinematography actually looks really good and has some memorable shots.
I have to say, Zhang Ya Qin [Lu Yuan] carried this drama! She absolutely nailed the character. She perfectly showed the different personalities of each Lu Yuan, from a carefree Lu Yuan to an empress. She's also so beautiful I can't- On the other hand, Guo Jia Nan [Shen Bu Yan] honestly delivered a very mid performance imo... He was definitely outshined by Zhang Ya Qin.
Overall, I highly recommend this gem. It's a short one, so it should be very easy to get through. Plus, the story makes you wanna watch the next episode right away lol.
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Visually stunning with a truly poetic story. Insights into the early 16th century art included
"Saimdang, Memoir of Colors" is an excellent KDrama with historically impressive dimensions. The focus here is on the legendary artist Shin Saimdang, whose head is also depicted on the 50,000 won note today. The KDrama pays tribute to the great artist and also pays tribute to her roles as a devoted mother and virtuous, yet uncompromisingly progressive woman. The focus is on a time and space transcending, tragic love story - fictitious... or at least not historically documented. (But why should´t it have happened in this way or another? ... :-)----------------- SIDE NOTE --- Shin Saimdang (1504 -1551) ---
... was a painter, calligrapher and poet who was valued in her time and far beyond. Since her father had no son, he gave her (rather unorthodox for a girl) an education and training in literature, poetry, calligraphy, embroidery and painting. Her works as a painter are characterized by their particularly sensitive view of nature and its subtle, sensitive representation. Today only about 40 paintings in Indian ink and mineral colors can be directly assigned to Saimdang. However, it is suspected that many more works of art have survived, although they are not clearly signed as her works. Shin Saimdang has also gone down in history as the ideal of the good mother. She had five sons and three daughters, some of whom also inherited their mother's talent. One of her sons is the even more famous Neo-Confucian scholar and politician Yul-gok Yi I.
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In addition, as far as the perspective of traditional art is concerned, the special focus of this KDrama is the nature of the world of animals, plants and mountains. Actually, it could be mentioned here, that South Korea is characterized by several mountains and 21 national parks on more than two thirds of the country's surface. This KDrama aesthetically focuses on the spiritually legendary mountain region around the Geumgangsand - The Diamond Mountain. It probably got its name in connection with the Diamond Sutra of Buddhism. It was a center of Korean Buddhism, traces of which can be dated back to the 1st century. At the beginning of the 20th century there were still more than 40 active monasteries in the region. In any case, the mountain world plays in several respects an important role in this gripping historical drama.
Special dynamics arise through the play with intertwining time and space. There are two plots. One is set in 2017, the other in the early 16th century during the Joseon era. One follows a young art historian writing her PhD thesis on artist An Gyeon's work 'Geumgangsando'. The other follows historical Shin Saimdang through the first 3-4 decades of her passionate yet virtuous life. Parallel to the art historian's research and struggle with it, that is at the same time enhanced and endangered by Saimdang´s diary, insights on the artist´s eventful life are revealed. Both storylines are quite exciting in their own way. Particularly charming: people from Saimdang's time-line seem to have reincarnated in Seoul in 2016 and are once more somehow connected to each other... Surprisingly, the fulcrum where the timelines converge is Tuscany in Italy.
This extraordinary and visually stunning KDrama offers a truly poetic, heart-rending story, added with interesting insights into the special aesthetics and sensitivity of contemporary Korean art of the early 16th century, as well as the paper production craftmanship of that time. It is rounded by an atmospheric soundtrack and, last but not least, actors who are as if absorbed in their roles. At last, there is plenty of makjang, too.
Taking everything into account, the story is effortlessly captivating over 28 episodes.
At the end I was left in bewilderment, yet to some extend somehow surprisingly satisfied, too.
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"Sometimes, it's better to choose your own family."
(I deleted my previous review because it was too verbose)Understated yet touching, fantastic performances especially in the last half hour, perfect casting, great direction, a close look at economic disparity within a modern and developed nation, doesn't glamorise poverty, balances both hope and bleakness, fully deserving of Palme D'Or IMO. A testament to love transcending biological relations, proof that a complete puzzle of family can be formed out of leftover pieces.
You should watch this one twice.
10/10
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Definitely recommended!
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This review may contain spoilers
The smoothest series, watchable- not bad but not exactly amazing.First a quick recap. The cutest motorcycle driver (Mork) was dumped by his girlfriend for being poor. The (probably rich) doctor (Tawan) was heartbroken by a cheating lover. Together, they formed a friendship, and becasue the doctor, who brings his own protection(i mean the helmet), keeps riding the cute guy, I mean getting his services, I mean as a driver (SPOILER ALERT) they fell in love. And lived happily ever after. The end.
But seriously, who wouldnt fall for those dimples. Those sweet smile can make one wet and flood the dryest of the Saharan desert. The real question is why it took Tawan approximately 9 episodes to finally admit his feelings for Mork, still puzzles me.
There are so many things to love about the series. First, its a breath of fresh air that the series is not school or university themed, because god knows we have way too much of that already. Second, the main couple, their chemistry is not exactly electric but its hard to hate them. Did i mention how cute Fluke is? Everytime i think the show is too boring, this guy hooks me back in. Third, i love Mork's uncles specially since it is rare to see long-term same sex couple in a series. Fourth, the motorcycle ride in episode 7, when Tawan fell asleep behind Mork is BL gold.
On the other hand, these are some of the things they could have improved. First, Mork's friends were ok, but the riot act during the festival was totally unbelievable and could have been played better. Next, the second couple Toy and Boss. I loved seeing Yoon but Best could use some acting workshop, i just cant believe their chemistry. Third, I also hate to say this but Nadia and Mayom couple didnt make much impact, if only they gave them better arc. Fourth, and i dont know why, has something to do with the pacing, sometimes, it can feel a little too boring.
So, in overall, would i recommend? Yes, like i said, the dimples alone deserves the screen time. Would i rewatch? Hard to tell, but maybe not anytime soon.
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This review may contain spoilers
An intense, powerful and emotional thriller.
„If you’d have all the money and power in the world, what would you want next? To live forever.”I didn’t expect much when I started this drama. Sure, I finished the first episode and thought „ugh, another 16 hour show about serial killers.” I was so glad I was wrong. Oh boy, It is MUCH deeper than that.
To be honest, it is extremely hard to express how dark and emotional this drama really is. As we arrive to the second half of the show we realize that our beloved ML is not only fighting against the antagonists, but also his own darkness.
The cinematography and music was on point. The combination of the dark atmosphere and the sometimes suspenseful, other times overly emotional music just came together perfectly, making a drama that feels like a punch in the gut – in the best way possible.
While some characters could have been a little bit more interesting, and some things did feel a tiiiny bit convenient and exaggerated, I have to say: everything connects BEAUTIFULLY. The writing is actually so good that even when you see a twist coming, you're still going to feel the things you’re supposed to.
That is a word I would use to describe this drama: FEELINGS. All kinds of feelings and maybe too much of them, because I swear to GOD it ripped my soul apart.
The plot is really well done and there are many twists throughout it, constantly keeping us on the edge of our seat and eager to see what happens next or just simply feeling hopeless.
The three main leads are phenomenal and the side characters are great. The old man was my favourite. The acting is incredible. Seol Hyun's acting was just too good. At times I could feel what her character was feeling. I wanted to cry with her.
I could go on for hours about how good the fight scenes were and how explosive the chemistry between the leads was, but I’m just going to tell you to watch it. It’s something everyone needs to experience. Go watch it.
So what is Awaken really like?
Addictive. Unforgettable. Emotional. Brilliant.
Also it's great to see more dramas get more than one season, but why not do the same with this one? There is so much potential here for a second season.
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1This review may contain spoilers
Dramas with a moderately dark, controversial, and intense plots addicts me to it a LOT. And, 'Sachi-iro no One Room' is such a drama. The plot is pretty controversial, as you can see how it romanticized a case of kidnapping. But, if you check out the drama, you'd realize that it isn't exactly a case of kidnapping, as the supposedly stalker male-lead simply saved the female-lead from committing suicide and only asked if she wanted to live with him. She agreed, as she had given up on life. It was nothing serious for her to live with a stalker after getting abused by parents, bullied by classmates, and sexually harassed by her teacher. If you simply look into the drama, you'll find out how the story is interesting and how it would pull you into it- and the doubtful thought you had after seeing the summary would go away from your mind.
The actors are pretty good too and the simple-yet-so-satisfying cinematography would surely make you enjoy this short drama as much as I did. Plus, the OST is absolutely amazing. Recommended indeed!
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Sweet Home ended me
Sweet Home ending is insane. The special effects, plot, cast and production is well planned. The ending was way different from the webtoon and there is now more room for season 2. Every single monsters is so detailed and so insane. I loved how they didn't show many things which the webtoon had, now they show it in the season 2. Amazing acting from Song Kang, Lee Shi Young, Lee Do Hyun and everyone. Everything single scene was a slay. One of the best Korean drama of 2020. Must watch! They way I panicked in every episode is very scary.Was this review helpful to you?
Seriously though, I'm re-watching this show for the 3rd time now and enjoying it immensely! Even though I know what's going to happen I still have nail biting moments and I've noticed very small details that I believe I missed the first two times. It speaks of the universal search for your person or people. The ones who when they're around you, no matter where you are it becomes home. If you watch it you won't regret it.
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First the things that I liked... I really enjoyed the relationships that developed between all of the main characters and the staff at The Most (yes, THE Most). Ha Ri and Hye Jin are adorable together. While Ha Ri does have some demons I really do feel like the girls authentic friendship was delightful and not something I see in many dramas. The main couple were cute together but SIWON WAS AMAZING. If it were up to me, his character would be the lead of a spin off show. Also shout out to Shin Dong Mi as the Fashion Director. It was a minor role but she brought a lot of heart to it and was one of the main reasons that I loved The Most staff.
Okay, now despite all of that... the story was pretty superficial and a bit of a mess. We had these beautiful characters but their stories didn't really come together to tell anything meaningful. Hye Jin as a young girl and Hye Jin as a young woman have a lot of similar interests but virtually no personality traits in common with each other. One is elegant, the other goofy and the story never explains how just because she ran into hard times a person could change so much. This is just one example of MANY where the plot details are thrown in but never really integrated into the story. The Management Team, Sung Joon's weird eating/zombie habits, Hye Jin's sister, Ha Ri's bizarre relationship with her parents and step-parents, (which had oddly both too much and too little detail)...and don't get me started about the CEO's son mystery. In the end all of these things just felt like red herrings thrown in to fill time around the central love quadrangle.
In summary, I really, really enjoyed parts of this show but, despite the show being about the importance of what's below the surface, as a cohesive drama She was pretty lacked a lot of depth. Watch it for the cute fluff but don't expect much more.
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