Reviews

Pink and Gray is my all time favorite film, when I heard Yukisada and Horai were teaming up again I was delighted, so keep in mind this review is a little biased.
The first thing I noticed when the movie started is Yamazaki Kento's weight loss, which adds quite a bit to the visual representation of his mental health. The cinematography is delightful, the pacing is great, and the acting is superb.
As the tags and synopsis suggests, the story follows a toxic relationship which turns abusive fairly quick.


Nagata starts off as an enthusiastic play-writer, who lives for theater, but ditches his ambition for comfort. Constantly self conscious due to his procrastination, he makes attempts to test Saki's good nature, and belittles her.
Due to the ongoing abuse, the roles reverse and the unkept, homeless looking man we saw at the beginning of the movie, pursuing a beautiful model, turns into a once again seemingly ambitious man who dresses appropriately, and a depressed, shriveled version of now 27 year old Saki.
At a point of no return, Nagata realizes he's lost Saki, finally learning the consequences of his behavior. Saki 'escapes' Tokyo, and goes back to her parents to 'heal'.

It's a very good character study, really could not recommend this movie enough.

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Sweet reflection of season one

Almost every time cdrama's season 2 just fall down.But this one is exceptional.It has changed my perspective towards the continuation parts of sweet romance cdrama's . Exactly worth to wait.I can still feel the exact same strong chemistry between ML and FL ,the sweetness ,the fluffiness which we have missed for the last 3 years . This is super fluffy like the previous season.And the about actors,one word.Mindblowing.Especially Bie showed us a cuter version of Fang Leng in this season.I swear no matter how much characters Bie and Wan Peng will portray in the future these Fang Leng and Chai Xiaoq's character will always be remembered as their shadow in the their whole acting career. Both are borned to play Fang Leng and Chai Xiaoqi.As about Fang lie and Xiaobu another funny sweet secondary couple which we can't miss . These types of second seasons cdrama fans are actually looking for . While watching ongoing,I have feeling like it will be a much more better version season one.
Both seasons are highly recommend for those people who want to see some sweet dramas having no boring moments.Fluffier than cotton candy.The plot is rich enough to caught your attention.The hilarious moments ,the craziness of the couple are exactly I have been looking for .


(Pardon my grammertical mistakes,

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slow, sweet, silly, sapphic.... superb!

Opened this one on a whim scrolling the Gaga homepage, and had such a lovely time. Tonally a workplace romcom, Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko encompasses an impressive breadth of lesbian community for such a short and simple series. Ayaka's seduction of her older, competent, and charming boss is so much fun to watch, while Hiroko's bittersweet experiences as a working, lesbian woman in a different generation provide an emotional foundation for the conflict. The acting is bright and lively, but never fails to deliver on softer story beats. It's really a gem of a show that I very much enjoyed.

-The Full Review-
STORY:
This story is a little bit cliche--a young, optimistic, and open lesbian pursues an older woman who has guarded her heart as a result of homophobia and sexism faced in the workplace. Despite this, I think the story delivers very well on it's premise. Ayaka and Hiroko change each other and inspire each other to live courageously and freely. I particularly like how much it is emphasized that it is Hiroko's own work to create an inviting and encouraging workplace for her employees that allows the culture to move beyond traditional values.
One of the strongest elements of this story is the inclusion of a wider lesbian community. Akira's lesbian bar and the friendships and safety it offers provides an outlet for Ayaka's aggressive pursuit and Hiroko's reluctance to be open. I loved getting to see Hiroko in a different light with her brash and goofy friends. Likewise, I loved Ayaka and her friend's shared experience with discovering your sexuality and finding a confidence in your identity.
While some people will disagree with a coming out/stop being so cautious narrative, I think it was presented quite neutrally. Characters who choose to remain closeted (for any length of time) are given grace and understanding, and the resulting issues from conflicting desires is treated with proper weight. I understand being tired of this narrative, but I don't think it is done poorly at all. And I really enjoy these character's journeys.

ACTING:
I loved this cast. The choice to pursue an expressive and exaggerated acting style worked very well for these lively characters and their colorful world. As the series progressed and settled, the leads were allowed several long scenes of a more natural, emotional nature that raised the stakes of the story in a very satisfying way.
Kato Shiho's bright and bubbly personality pulled me into Ayaka's quest right away, and always kept her balanced on the correct side of pursuit over pushy. She was very good at pulling off the charming, innocent, and mischievous that made it so easy to understand why Hiroko liked her.
Mori Kanna's elastic expressions were likewise infectious. While they could potentially come off as "too much," I found her style contributed to the humor of the piece perfectly--especially when Ayaka leaves the room and her blank, boss expression morphs into pure lesbian panic and despair. I loved getting to see her flashbacks to a younger and more vulnerable time in her life as well.
For standout ensembles, I have to go with Naka Bambi and Seto Kazuya because, oh my god. I am but one little lesbian. But truly, everyone here worked well together and had such a joyful chemistry between them. I have a great fondness for every character in this show.

PRODUCTION:
I loved the color! I tend to think of JQL as having rather bleak, brutalist color grading but Ayaka's world is full of personality and color. I particularly loved the way different office spaces were used to capture Hiroko's reluctance--always drawing away in tradition, cold meeting rooms and finding common ground in the open-plan teamwork-centric main room (particularly when her scenes with Chinatsu were the opposite).
Of course, Ayaka's wardrobe is an absolute masterpiece and so, so cute! The progression from the clothing she is wearing for attention to clothing that sits more comfortably in her personal style is likewise very important to the story. I thought her finale outfit was particularly good at bridging the gap between her extremes.

INTIMACY:
There's always a production when they don't kiss until the end, but I really liked the body language happening between these characters. The use of space and casual touch was really curated throughout the story. When Ayaka moves in, you really feel how close and overwhelming her presence is, and her way of melting into Hiroko is very sweet. On Hiroko's side, the tension in her body tells stories and it's so wonderful to see in progress. I loved their chemistry.

In all, I really, really enjoyed this piece. Without discounting the weariness/wariness of some of the comments on this show, I think it has done a lot of work to go beyond the basic and deliver a more thoughtful and rounded story. To do that without losing the humor and joy of a romcom is quite special. I hope to rewatch this again soon.

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I don't know how to start. This mini drama was very surprising. I'm a bit disappointed by the fact that it was so short, and some things were a little bit unclear (plus, there are not a lot of dialogs).

But yet, it was really good!! The story is somehow sad, but really beautiful. Seo In Guk and Wang Ji Won were awesome, portraying a couple who just met, but somehow feel related. Seo in Guk appears to be a very good and apparently lost but adorable alien, who wants to find out what tears are.

In addition, the music is really beautiful. There are, as I said, not a lot of dialogs between the characters, but there is music almost all the time, and it conveys amazingly well the atmosphere and the feelings of the characters.

So in the end, I advise you to watch this, you will be surprised! It is beautiful, and you can't say it's a waste of time, as it is only 50minutes overall!!

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If you're here for Woo Do Hwan, he doesn't disappoint

Starts off with a modern case by case outlook in a historical period. The cases and situations are random, interesting, painful with quite satisfactory endings. There's a bigger thread that connects it all though. This becomes clear within first 2 eps, so not that much a spoiler. This thread paves way for some twists, a love triangle and revenge. And the last few eps completely deal with this part instead of the case by case style.
Cons first, not thorough or well covered story for a drama dealing with law and injustice and righteous causes. Gaps within cases and overall thread with how they took certain arcs, also had huge gaps or should I say, they tried so hard to keep things focused on ML who is not technically part of the royal fight, that they completely made it seem like there was only one person with brains in all of the royal court, which is the villain. And some of the build up expectations for certain scenes didn't seem to live up to it. Also, romance.
Pros. Woo Do Hwan is a one man show which is a delight to watch. Whether he's sad, angry, playful, happy or anything really. It's just so nice to watch for some reason. Cast is good. So acting and performance is all good. Dunno anything technical about cinematography but it certainly felt pretty to watch. WDH's relationship with everyone else in the drama is also fun to watch. His best friend, the FL, the SML and the supporting casts. Also his clients.

Overall, drama = 8 + WDH = 8.5

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Whatever

All I have to say about this series is that every single female character was written to look bad. The sister, the female reporter, the female witness, the daughter, and the female investigator. In the end, the good guy gets executed for nothing because the women couldn't get their sh*t together.

I honestly held out hope that one of these women would pull a Hail Mary but none of them did. Whatever the writers have against women, they obviously didn't care much for them to give them any stronger roles or saving grace. There wasn't ONE single likable female on this show. It's really pathetic the female reporter wept tears for the person who actually murdered an innocent detective rather than the innocent guy who got wrongly framed for his murder and she didn't do anything to help in order to preserve her job. Not to mention how she constantly drinks away her sorrows.

No one gets actually punished for the murders and cover-ups they all actually did. Not the murderers, the corrupt prosecutors, the higher-ups in the police force, no one. All the innocent people who died, none of them gets real justice.

Whatever.

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One of a kind masterpiece!!!

I never thought I would write a review but this drama left me no other choice.

Everything, from cinematography to the haunting soundtrack is pure heart wrenching perfection.

However, I do have to give you a fair warning before you start this journey: This is NOT a BL drama. So if you are looking for a gay romance this might not be the one for you. Crystal Boys is a look at the gay community in the 70s Taiwan. It's dark, gritty, passionate, sad, poetic... it shows you all the different shades of life that luckily most of us don't have to bear anymore.

Watching this feels like reading a deeply sad poem at night while a faint light of the moon is shining in through the window and the world quiets down, letting you completely lose yourself in the endless emotions of your heart...

Now let's dive in a bit deeper - MILD SPOILDERS AHEAD -

The story? 10/10

As I said, this is not just a love story. You will see what it was like to live at that time in Taiwan from perspective of the poor, the rich, the middle class. The plot follows several characters and tells many different stories of the 'crystal boys' trying to find their way despite their varied circumstances. Sometimes it feels almost episodic in nature. It's rich, it will make you feel all the emotions imaginable and most of all, it will stay in your memory long after you finish the last episode.

The cinematography? 10/10

Unlike modern dramas, you can see a lot unique thought that went into each shot. Most of the story takes place at night and the way the drama uses light and shadow is remarkable. Of course, it's an older drama so the quality is very different from what is common today, however in my opinion it only enhances the gritty story it tries to convey.

The acting? 10/10

Perfect cast. Again, this is not a BL. So don't expect every single character to be straight out of Vogue and GQ. The casting is very true to life - you actually get actors who are older than 20 (pure myth in today's day and age). And it all just adds to the realistic feeling of the drama.

Music? 10/10

If I could I would give this category 100/10. This might be one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard. Period. Not just dramas. In general. I was amazed to find a gem like this and had it on repeat for weeks. Each tone will tear your heart to pieces...

Rewatch value? 10/10

This is a subjective rating and also comes from the fact that I wasn't able to find many other Chinese/Taiwanese dramas that would be this serious. These days almost everything is happy and bubbly - which is not a bad thing. However sometimes I crave something serious, dark, poetic... and this ticks all the marks.

Final thoughts:

Do yourself a favor - just watch it. There is nothing even remotely similar among other dramas - so at least for the unique experience of seeing something completely different, give it a shot. You might just find your new heartbreaking obsession.

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To start off with - I don't know why this drama is categorized as a Romance drama on DramaWiki - there's very little to none in this drama. That aside, the drama was good without it. From the beginning I wasn't sure how I was going to like this drama, it's not that the story was boring, but it is a little slow in the beginning. What kept me going farther on is the mystery. This drama was more of a mystery/suspense/drama. It had me wondering what was going to happen next. Almost all of the characters gave me mixed feelings, at times I wasn't sure how I should feel about them. Especially Kim In Sook. As a main lead she's hard to understand and it's hard to like her because of that. Each episode made me wonder who exactly she was, what had happened to her to make her the person she became. Ji Hoon's character was one of the few characters I found myself liking from the beginning.



The acting was great! It was really good! I started watching this drama because Ji Sung is one of the main actors (Ji Hoon). After seeing him act in Protect The Boss I wanted to try another one of his dramas. To see him go from a more comedic role to something serious just proves he's a great actor. If you're a fan of his, this drama won't disappoint you when it comes to him. The main girl, Yum Jung Ah, did a really good job with her character. The other actors were great, as well.



The music fit the drama. There were a few songs, none of which stood out to me though. The instrumental part was good, the ending of each episode when the song plays made it out to be even more intense - and to see what happens next.



My rewatch value is low because although I found this to be a good drama, it's not something that became a favorite or something I'd want to rewatch more than once.



Overall - I think this drama is worth watching. If you're in the mood for something at a different pace aside from romantic comedies and such, this is a good drama to watch.

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After keeping Two Weeks on-hold for the longest time, I finally watched it, and I must say, it was one hell of a ride. The greatest thing about this melodrama is that it throws a lot of dense plot at the viewer early on but doesn't resolve it until it needs to. This allows the drama to keep a steady pace all throughout and keeps the viewer wanting to find out how everything is resolved, whereas a lot of other dramas I've seen rush the plot and leave a lot of unnecessary fluff somewhere in the middle or the end, thus making the story feel draggy. While the story is stellar, what it does well at is also where it slips a tad due to the fact that it's story line includes supporting characters that are absolutely narrow minded.

On the other hand, the cast was great. While the supporting cast did as the script demanded fairly well, the show excels primarily because the leading cast members were strong actors. From Jang Tae San all the way to Soo Jin, everyone's acting was superb. What makes it even better is that the supporting cast knew their job and didn't clash with the leads in terms of standing out.

Music wise, BGM was awesome. It changed the atmosphere and brought emotion to already emotion-filled scenes. My biggest complaint about the music is that one track in the OST stood out the most to me and that was the song by Nell played at the end of every episode though even that isn't that much of a big deal because it's a great song.

As we get to the topic of Re-watch Value, I must say that despite how great this show was, it doesn't have much Re-watch Value. My reason for this is because of the narrow-mindedness. It was overwhelmingly frustrating as a viewer (even though that's the whole point). Ironically though, it's funny that such intelligent people could be so blind about something.

Overall, Two Weeks is great. I was definitely in love with its pacing because sometimes I can't stand shows that fluctuate in terms of momentum, but this one kept it going at a nice pace. Even more so, the lead female was beautiful and her in-show daughter was absolutely adorable, and for that, I felt more compelled to get to the end game of the story in hopes that everything will end up okay for all of them. With that being said, my biggest problem with the show is that it's a watch-it-once kind of show but that shouldn't stop anyone from watching this great drama (at least once, haha).

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I'm really surprised no one has done a review of this film. I loved it except for the ending. But this actually falls into a genre with a long tradition in poetry and literature - the age old tale of "courtly love" - you can trace it back to Genji or mediaeval Europe - courting the loved one and sacrificing everything for him (or her in the European tradition). Gay lovers were not subject to the same discrimination in the Chinese and Japanese  (until Meiji) traditions (see e.g. Ihara Saikaku's The Great Mirror of Male Love). Plus there has to be a villain - and that music teacher brought something coldly sinister to it (ugh!). The music of Debussy was a bonus. A gem of a movie - but I was hoping he'd match the love shown him and return at last. Life's not like that, is it? Pity. A beautiful movie. What happened to Tsuyoshi Hataya?

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First of all what a journey it has been with all the uncertainty of subs for us and the struggle of subbing in the midst of all the chaos and nonsense for the Subbers. Therefore, I'll begin with my heartfelt gratitude to them who have made our viewing experience utmostly satisfying with the subs in spite of all that rubbish going on. You guys are @ma(u)zing.


Now the review. Well, sort of... (SPOILER AHEAD)



I had been waiting for this one ever since I had laid my eyes on the teaser. Reason: 1) Mik, of course, do I even need to say! 2) Pooklook. I liked her in Roy Ruk (despite the masochism). As soon as I found out it'll be the two of them I knew that the chemistry will be sizzling and they went beyond my expectation (just as I expected). My computer screen was melting each time they were together in a scene (even the no-kiss ones).

Story-
The story is as the description says. It was nothing interesting for me but I didn't care because of the obvious reasons. There were the usual preposterous Lakorn cliches save few but I am well-conditioned to them after two years experience. The most gripping part of it was the relationship of the leads which is the heart of the show. I don't know about others but as long as they were before my eyes I didn't give a hoot about what absurdity was going around. There were some things though that were still difficult to digest. Like, why on earth was the evil-doer forgiven in the end without facing any consequence! His growing-up circumstances cannot be an excuse. And how on earth after exhibiting complete Game-of-thrones kinda intentions towards his half-sister everyone behaved so normal around him in the family at the end! Actually, I sorta fast-forwarded through some parts in the last one and a half episodes. Did I miss any revelation concluding to such kind of casual yet weird behaviour? Please let me know. But then again I told myself that it's a Lakorn where anything is possible which is the charm and addiction of it.

Actors-
This is my favourite character of Mik till date. He has been playing these quarter-to-nice-boy roles with the mood-swing and attitude-swing of a schmuck toward his ladies in all of his shows so far. This was a complete 180-degree turn which I enjoyed the most. His acting is getting better with each of his projects and he is obviously pretty awesome at the chemistry department. And might I just add how wonderfully he played this role. His XXXL adorability added a triple sugar coating about my heart. It was simply delightful to watch him as a loving and devoted husband.
Pooklook's acting was better in her previous works. I think she's good in the heavy-duty intense and serious scenes. Here her chops were a bit lacking in the lighter ones. About the chemistry, of course, it's a given and I'll be repeating it in every other line I think, she is a pro. The last scene had my hair fly off my head (my real hair, no wig). I've never seen (that I can think of) a girl taking charge like that in a Lakorn before, except for Yaya when she was Nadech. Loved Pooklook's professionalism.

Supporting Characters-
The side characters were just that, the side characters. I didn't find them anything remarkable. The personal assistants/bodyguard of both the leads were sweet. The runaway bride and groom bothered the heck out of me. Call me a selfish sadist or whatever but I despised them to bits and didn't want them to be happy. Both of them were extremely selfish. At first, I thought that the girl will be somewhat better than the jerk but she was as devious, blaming the girl whose man she ran away with, at any chance. But then the writer, director whoever, decided everyone deserves a happy ending and karma is your forgetful friend who gets back at no one except maybe a bit at the crazy MIL.

Altogether, I liked it since the story of the MCs relationship is as per my satisfaction and that's what I look for in a show like this, mainly. Although the girl was impossible in the beginning she came around soon enough and she had reasons for being how she was. I will watch it again just for Mik and Pooklook.

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I was really looking forward to this drama because of the high ratings and reviews. It started with a great mixture of lighthearted, enjoyable characters, and the ever charming and enigmatic male trio of friends. The story revolves around this group of friends who, despite feuding parents, have determined to maintain integrity in business and loyalty in friendship. The development in the first half of this drama was positive and interesting, leaving one hoping for more.

As the drama progressed, however, I found myself wanting to skip through some of the repetitive dialogues in hope of moving through the storyline faster. About 1/2 way through, I really began getting annoyed with the lack of creative dialogue and storyline, combined with the stereotypical characters and their nonsensical actions. A lot of the drama and emotional turmoil seemed insubstantial and unrealistic, while many of the characters lacked clear and positive development. The antagonists in this drama lacked any humanity to the point of fixated insanity, while the protagonists who started out dynamic and proactive became apathetic, compliant and indecisive to the point of aggravation.

All in all, if this drama had ended at 16-20 episodes, it would have more than sufficed, as it is more or less a pretty stereotypical plot, storyline, and characters.

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Hello everyone! This is my first time writing a review and I'll definitely do my best to write a good and helpful one. So let's begin:

WOW, just WOW. I'm so impressed with this drama! There's absolutely no words words to describe how good it is. Although I'm a guy, I was soooo
touched and neverthless made my laugh at the same time... This is a drama that made influence of what I do and choose in life. People might think that this just a drama to watch for fun, and yes I agree but at the same time it is touching and will leave a lesson for everyone. So, If you want to watch a drama where comedy, family, revenge, romance, bromance, happy moments and sad moments are involved, WATCH IT NOW!

Story: The story isn't just outsandting, it is an absolute masterpiece. The writting was amaizing. Credit to the writer, she/he did an amaizing job to keep the balance between the story. I just couldn't ask for more and was left speechless! I really loved how the writer managed to hold the comedy, romance, revenge at right moments. So the writer was never left out of ideas, she/he always came up with new ones and kept you entertained. EVERY SINGLE EPISODES KEEPS YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SIT. Forgot to say that! It's just an amaizing story!

Acting/Cast: The director choosed right actors/actresses in this drama. Everyone did an incredible job. Noone can argue with that. I was very moved by the acting, espcially by Jong Bo-Seok and NAM GOONG MIN! Nam goong min should get the most credit for his acting in this drama. He didn't a thing wrong. Portrayed his character amaizingly without any sort of problem. His acting and character was really touching and good! But I can't really say that anyone failed to portray their own characters. Everyone did it SOOOOOOOOOO well.

Let's not forget the child actors/actresses, they were out of this world! Now, I'm someone who dosen't like to see child actors in dramas but I was so into them that barely noticed that they were just the child actors. Credit to them, can'´t take anything away from them. Carried the drama really good.

I was also impressed with the directing. The director, as everyone in this drama, did an amaizing job to get the best out of the cast!!

Music: I didn't really pay that much attention to the music but it had it's own parts when it carried the touching scenes! It was really good, I've got to say that!

Rewatch: I usually don't rewatch dramas but I just have to rewatch this one to not forget the lessons it gave me. And not only that, the comedy scenes were top notch. Unforgettable.

Overall: This is a must watch and I really mean it! If you haven't seen it yet, WATCH IT. Don't think twice, just watch it! You'll get to see everything you want to see, and all in one drama, what more could you ask for? This is what I call a real MASTERPIECE! 10/10!!

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