This review may contain spoilers
The main characters are classmates (they don't seem to be roommates despite what the MDL synopsis says), and it's not clear how close they are at the start. But after Jack places his hand on Bank's thigh, they frequently go on school toilet trysts. How much of it is merely sexual desire and how much of it is mutual attraction or even love? We can't really tell, but the relationship is kept purely sexual for a while, with Jack barely speaking to Bank after the trysts. For Bank, it seems to be purely sex at first--he doesn't even consider himself gay (I guess what he means is that he hasn't considered a romantic relationship with another guy even if he enjoys sexual activity with one guy).
Despite Jack's aloofness, he seems to be the one who actually wants to be lover with Bank. Its also at this point where it becomes problematic to continue using the male pronoun for Jack because it is revealed that he is transgender. Despite having had sex with Jack, Bank claims that he isn't gay and tells Jack (dressed as a woman) to go away.
But perhaps the love was mutual. Eventually Bank realizes that he has lost someone he loves.
I must have seen mini series and short films that have more running time and yet end up telling much less of a story. Of course, My Friendship has its flaws. We learn too little of the characters too late to be more engaged. Yet, the actors have done surprisingly well in conveying the latent desire that the characters barely dare to reveal and their confusion while maintaining a relatively casual front to each other when they are not engaged in sexual activity. Oak, in particular, manages to portray Jack as someone who seems cold not because he is cold but because he fears revealing more of himself.
A sequel has been announced, but I'm not sure how the story is going to be linked, given that the Part 1 has already revealed the key events, including the death of one of the characters. I think a different cut can make things better, but I can't be sure about a sequel.
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I'm always careful with dramas that put soul-switching/multiple personalities (or whatever you may call it) on their front page, and it depends on the writer's skill whether I will like it or not. I have not yet seen Kill Me, Heal Me (but I want to), so the only other drama I can compare this to is Hyde, Jekyll and Me which has also some diverse opinions. I don't want to scare anybody away from this drama just because he/she didn't like Hyde, Jekyll and Me. There are not much similarities, I only felt slightly reminded of it in the beginning.
At long range Meloholic has its own charm. It starts as a rom-com with a silly student who doesn't care to feel embarrassed while confessing his love for his girlfriend in front of everyone - with the most cringy method ever. Of course it leads to the guy getting dumped. After an incident he achieves the ability to read the minds of women by touching their hand - ONLY woman that is. Later on he meets this girl that seems so different from everyone else he's met over the last years (of course there is no other girl that wears her heart on her sleeve - therefore as we all know it doesn't need further explanation how and why the leads will fall in love, right?). Crucial point about this girl though: She has two personalities and therefore doesn't want to date anyone.
It sounds kinda like your default premise, doesn't it? Well, I won't deny that. And throughout the drama you won't find any unique tropes at all. It's the same chair with just another covering. Even the crime case that suddenly pops up out of nowhere is nothing new anymore. BUT it spiced up the story quite nicely.
It was well connected to the romance plot and moved the story forward. It subtly gained more weight until the right time was near for it to come to the fore. The more you got to know about it, the more thrilling it became. There were only two things that bothered me. It always looked like they wanted to hide the culprit until the story was ready to expose him. But it was pretty obvious who it was since early on. That attempt to hide him was too strong to be trustworthy. The second issue was the finale. Some nonsensical decisions took place that marred the otherwise well done crime.
Because of the additional crime theme the psychological part of the romance and personality aspects is kept short and superficial, so don't expect any deep analyses of dissociative identity disorder or telepathy.
If I had to mention something positive, it would be the comedy. Seriously, I'm quite picky with that one, but I liked it in this drama. Even though it was pretty daring sometimes (yeah, call me a prude but some of them went overboard), it made me laugh out loud other times. And even though it's being used in every drama by now, I still can't get enough of that whiny puppy sound they play whenever a character is showing his puppy eyes.
Okay, let's get to the cast.
Kyung Soo Jin. I love her - like forever. The first time I saw her in was Shark. She was already in her mid-twenties but played a high school girl with so much confidence that it made me remember her for future projects. It's so nice to see her play adult roles because she's capable of so many versatile characters which I just confirmed with this drama again. She is playing two very different personalities stuck in one body. Believe me, you don't recognize the previous personality when they are switching. She's pulling off that role so well that even though the script doesn't allow her to deepen the character, she still manages to breath life into Han Ye Ri/Han Joo Ri. If it wasn't for her, this drama might have become one of the few I would have dropped eventually.
Why? Because whereas there were other entertaining traits, the male lead was a huge turn off. I can't exactly outline what bugged me. His acting was really strange sometimes and it felt awkward to watch him. Especially the kisses. Even though they became a little better towards the end, it was still not enough to satisfy me. There were times when I thought that he looked too much like pervert, although half of it was intentional for the comedy. Maybe... another part of my annoyance might also have been his character. Except for breaking promises he made to his girl, the biggest failure he kept doing was holding her hand to check her thoughts - whether she does say what she thinks or is lying. That's the biggest betrayal of trust you could actually do. If you truly care for your girlfriend, you have to trust her. And if you can't help but to touch her (of course you won't be able to hold back at some point in a relationship), wear some goddamn gloves (even more so tell her about your ability).
Other than that - although it might sound like a contradiction - the leads did have chemistry. I enjoyed their lovey-dovey behavior at times. It was cheesy and exaggerated, but still kinda cute.
Choi Dae Chul, who is playing a university prof and the non-related Hyung of the male lead, is my personal highlight in this drama. He was a pleasure to the eyes and I was fancying over him throughout the whole show. Can he get a lead role in an awesome drama, please?
As I already mentioned before, the finale was a real letdown. It had inconsistencies, stupid decisions, default dialogues, convenient accidents, more stupid behavior and one of the most common drama clichés ever. Even the villain became low-carb food in the last minute.
While my review started out quite positive, it became rather critical mid-way. I have to admit that I'm quite torn about this drama, but I also enjoyed it in some way. If it weren't for Kyung Soo Jin and Choi Dae Chul, my rating would definitely be lower. Half of the show only worked because of those two. And the crime. And the comedy. And the subtle waving between those two genres.
It's hard to say whether to recommend this or not. If you're into the male lead, then you will probably enjoy this alot. If not... phew, you have to decide for yourself whether you can cope with the male lead and still enjoy the things I highlighted ;)
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All allure with little depth!
Have you ever had a dessert that looks so visually stunning yet when you taste it, it's nothing more than mediocre. Still, even though it’s not the best thing out there, the overall vibe of it sticks with you, giving you a good one-time experience. This drama was that dessert for me.As someone who enjoyed the Korean version and was excited about the Japanese adaption, I have mixed feelings. This version felt less toxic as compared to the OG and leaned more on the philosophical side bringing out the classic Japanese slice-of-life story with shades of melancholia here and there. I would call rather call this "inspired by" rather than remake because alot of details differ.
The drama gestures towards the complexity of every character and their emotions but never lingers long enough to actually explore their depths.
With only 8 episodes, there was a lot to cover and while it does try to touch those aspects, it only scratched the surface. It felt like important details were glossed over. I feel like I understood more because I saw the detailed K-version and it was easy to relate and understand what was happening on the screen and what significance it is going to hold in the story further even though it may not be explicitly shown in the drama.
But all is not lost. The acting of the leads and supporting cast and the beautiful cinematography hits home, almost distracts from the story's shortcomings.
The visuals are stunning. I am not even exaggerating when I say the entire artistic atmosphere is beautifully crafted and well-shot! From the colours to the framing, everything was so thoughtfully designed that it felt like art in motion, truly a feast for the eyes.
The chemistry between the leads feels genuine yet awkward as it should, perfectly mirroring the complexity of their characters. There was always an unspoken tension and a subtle longing in their eyes as if they both were caught between desire and hesitation. A look where they each desperately need each other but just can't fully embrace.
Yokohama Ryusei in particular, was an absolute sight to behold. This might be a bit biased, but his presence elevated the entire watching experience. His expressive eyes and delicate gestures add layers to his character despite the narrative's flaws.
Overall, this doesn’t offer much in terms of narrative depth but visuals and the actors performances make it worth a one-time watch. Just don't expect to be fully satisfied with the plot.
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1) If you're watching this on Netflix, you're covered, because it lists this special as a 13th episode, so it won't play before the drama; but if you're following the descriptions on various sites calling this special a "prequel" and think you should watch it before the drama: DON'T. This is a prequel, of sorts, but it's meant to go AFTER you've seen the drama, otherwise you'll get massively spoiled.
2) If you think this will shed any light on the events of the main drama...yeah, no. It does tie some things together and sets the tone for some things the drama only describes, since it's set before the main conflicts leading to the drama take place, but it's not going to answer your questions, maybe generate more.
That being said, I don't think this special was really necessary, in the grand scheme of things, so I'm giving it a lower score than the drama, but if you have it available and saw the drama, give it a go anyway.
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I hated Yoo Il-Han at the beginning, and who wouldn't? He's vain and so desperately pretentious when there's nothing that would give reason to his vanity. I found it a little pitiful how he held on to that overblown pride of his as some defensive measure against his failure as a musical director. You can tell that he wants to make it so bad to the point where he forgoes his true self to do it. And that is exactly why he's a no-name--he forgot about his originality in the process.
So you can imagine how gratifying it is to see a character like this grow and be the better person at the cost of his ambition. It was humbling seeing him do that one act of selflessness.
Then there's Kim Young-Gwan, played by the cute Ji Dae-Han, who is a half-Korean, half-Filipino boy who is missing and looking for his Korean father. He feels like he doesn't belong and the people around him don't help.
In regards to that, I think the movie raised some interesting issues such as racism in Korea. People kept commenting on Young-Gwan's dark skin and how his heritage is an issue. He's a half boy and that's all they care about.
As for the music (since this is majorly a movie about making musicals), I thought the music itself was great and the dance routines were amazing (some performances gave me goosebumps). Yet I didn't like how incredibly autotuned the singing was. I know the kids singing in the movie are not professional singers or anything but the autotuning was too much and too obvious. It ruined the songs a little for me. However, not everyone would have a problem with this as it depends on personal opinion.
I recommend watching this movie overall~ I had so much fun watching it.
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4 Love stories in bite sized pieces!
This 8 episode BL anthology was short, sweet and honestly, pretty refreshing. Each story was wrapped up in two episodes, each around 20 minutes long. It wasn’t a lot of time, but it was enough to capture the vibe and give away those warm fuzzy feelings without dragging things out.What stood out to me the most was the overall tone of the stories. There was no unnecessary drama, no toxic love triangles, and thankfully, no cheating plots. It was simply a collection of heartwarming short stories about love. It felt refreshing to watch a drama that stayed light throughout without resorting to overused dramatic twists. Somehow it gave just enough time to catch all the different vibes of romance.
The acting was genuinely good. Every actor brought a lot of heart to their roles and it made it super easy to get attached to the stories, even with the limited screen time.
The production quality seemed pretty solid too- clean visuals, nice editing and it all felt put together really well for a mini-series. The storytelling stayed focused and didn't try to do much, which made it a really easy watch.
Obviously with such a short runtime, there was not much room for deep character development or heavy emotional storylines. The focus was more on capturing those fleeting moments like the start of a crush, the awkward excitement of first feelings rather than diving deep into the characters' lives. For what it set out to do, I think it pulled it off really well.
Overall, I thought this was a very well done mini-series, charming, easy to watch, and honestly better than many of the bigger, mainstream Korean BL dramas out there. If you are looking for something light and do not mind short episodes, I would definitely recommend this!
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The story is good, the characters are very well written. This is especially true here, because the characters stay true to their basic nature throughout the drama. There aren't any miraculous changes in nature or transformation from evil to good. It's more like,as the drama progresses, we learn more about who they are,the choices they make and come to accept them for it. I guess what I'm trying to say is, the drama/writers do not make or project any judgements about their characters, but leave them for us to accept,all the good and the not-so-good included.
The cast was equally good. Lee Dong Wook did not disappoint, Kim Hyun Joo was very endearing and every other cast fit in well.
Like I said before, the story moves along at a good pace, sustaining our interest with enough emotion,suspense and court room action.
The only thing I felt lacking in it, was probably the romance angle. Tae Jo and Eun Ho became great partners, but the underlying suggestion of romance which was always hinted at, remained just that- a possibility. Perhaps that's the way the writer/makers wanted it to be, but I was left wishing to see how it would have turned out.
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If I had to describe it with only a few words, I'd probably call it a Japanese version of Dexter. Yet at the same time, Joker manages to be something entirely different. If you're like me, then the whole 'law doesn't always prevail' storyline is like a rare jewel. There are other Dramas that touch upon the flaws in the law, as well as people taking the law into their own hands, but I don't think they do it as well as Joker does. It doesn't try to sugarcoat things, make excuses for the criminals or have some main character ranting about how "bad" killing criminals is. No; you are given the story of the characters, the criminals and the victims, and then you see justice served. No dancing around the subject, no pseudo-morality, just cold, hard justice. Joker doesn't hold back when it comes to showing you some of the worst sides of life and humanity in general, especially in regards to just how many people actually get away with what injustices that they do every single day.
Aside from the story itself, the acting is what really draws you in. The acting in this was absolutely flawless. I have seen some good Dramas in my time, but this.. wow, just wow. It's truly emotional and the characters just suck you right in with them. You feel for the victims of the crimes and you cheer when the criminal is finally given what they deserve. It's like watching it all unfold in real life; you can barely tell that they're just acting.
The music is also nice, and this is definitely the kind of Drama that I'd recommend to everyone and anyone. It doesn't matter what kind of Dramas you like, what kind of person you are, or whether you agree with this sort of thing or not. Joker is an utterly brilliant Drama and one of the very few of it's kind. I'd easily say that it was one of the top 5 Dramas out there. If you don't watch this, then you're seriously missing out.
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Adorable
This was only a two episode follow up for Vice Versa but I don’t think it could have been any cuter. If I was married I would absolutely plan special days like that! It was such a clever way to keep the love alive. Just wondered why Talay was working in a tent. ha ha Also, adding the kid was just as cute and was so funny in parts.The cast was great as they were in the full length Vice Versa. Jimmy and Sea make a great match as they are well suited for each other. The little kid was a charmer and was very talented. I would watch this show again.
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It's a bit old now I guess, and maybe the plot is not very original, It reminded me a lot about one of my favourite dramas Maou. But with a story about love, money and status.
I have always loved revenge storys and I guess most of the dramas I watch is about Revenge and therefore I just had to watch this drama.
The revenge plan is brilliant and has a really different "taste" to it.
The actors are great and the music really became a part of the story itself.
I'd recommend watching it alone if you don't want to be seen crying of joy and sorrow at the same time.
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The story was actually really pleasant and fun to watch even though I didn't expect much out of it. Since it's a sitcom, the comedy is very in your face and over the top at times (most of the time) but I found it rather refreshing. I can only take so much of sad and intense dramas before I need a happy break. This drama is perfect for one of those happy breaks because even though some of the characters go through some difficulties, they are usually short-lived. The humor and comedy also keeps things from staying too serious for too long.
What really got me hooked was the characters in this and not just because I already liked some of the actors to begin with. The characters are really exaggerated at times for comedy purposes but the characters in general are actually pretty realistic. I'm not going to dissect all of the characters but their situations are all very relatable and for the most part believable. They're fun, silly, and sometimes dumb but it's all part of their charm! I found the majority of the characters very likeable and thought the actors portrayed their characters well! I honestly don't know how they were able to film most of the scenes without laughing hysterically. I salute them all!
Now, I do understand why someone would want to drop this. A lot of people seem to have a problem with the laugh track that they play during funny or embarrassing moments. I didn't like it at first but I didn't really mind it later on. I guess it just depends on your level of hate for laugh tracks or your ability to not pay attention to it. Also, I do think that you have to have a certain sense of humor in order to completely enjoy this. The story does have its more serious moments but for the most part it is consistently comedic and embarrassing. Yes, embarrassing. So, if you can't handle secondhand embarrassment, you'll most likely be watching quite a few scenes through your fingers. ;)
Overall, super fun, cute, and silly! It provides quite a few good laughs and has some really sweet moments. I recommend that people at least give it a try even if they're not completely sure if they'll like it. To those of you who want to watch it, happy watching! :)
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The actors did a fabulous job in their roles, and the main leads were on fire with the chemistry. There are lots of great kisses too! I found myself smiling a lot while watching this.
If I had one complaint - it's a really minor one - I would say that the last episode wrapped up a lot of story almost too quickly, but it was still very satisfying. But this is not even enough for me to knock my rating down.
This drama is going on my list of favorites just because I love it for what it is - cotton candy sweetness. I will definitely re-watch this just to see all the cute moments again.
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“With You,” invokes nostalgia for whoever watches it. We see the squad of friends, the “this isn’t just friends, but this isn’t dating either” relationship, the teachers we love and the teachers we....weren’t quite fond of. This is hands down my favorite school drama of all time.
The character developement is exquisite, and each character is perfectly imperfect. Our male lead, Yu Huai, is an intelligeng out going guy that exudes best friend turned boyfriend vibes. It’s hard to find anything negative to dislike his character. Despite how he excels in Physics, his character struggles with subjects unrelated to the pure sciences and chooses to neglect them all together to focus on honing his skills in Physics. A choice that will later prove to have consequences.
Geng Geng is a sweet goof ball of a female lead. Initially she can come off as the typical unintelligent female lead, but she’s actually quite normal with a hint of raw talent in the arts. She’s a little clumsy, and Yu Huai finds almost everything she does funny, but she has a heart of gold and builds great relationships with those around her.
This story isn’t about romance, it’s about the lives of two characters and their friends as they navigate their way through adolescence. This naturally includes romance, and this story DOES tell quite a beautiful relationship between the two leads, but it’s their faith, reliance, and natural actions between the two that is what attracts the viewers to them.
“With You,” masterfully tackles common issues amongst teenagers like finding a place you belong, learning to voice your own opinions, stress from the vast unknown future and much more.
The acting was amazing and I’ve fallen in love with the actors/actresses that have portrayed these characters. The story didn’t recieve a 10 from me mainly because I personally believe the ending was somewhat rushed, but I still loved it.
A side note about Lu Xing He (second male lead), I didn’t dislike his character. He is somewhat of a typical second male lead with his contrasting straight forwardness about his interest in the FL, however this drama did a great job at showing regardless of his “perfect,” one may appear, feelings can not be controlled. People are not obligated to reciprocate someone’s feelings, no matter how great said person may be.
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Wasn't a total waste, but didn't really grow on me
I started this drama without any expectations, but along the way I developed some. However, in the end, none of them were delivered in a way that left me satisfied.Firstly, the romance was mostly built on misunderstandings, stubbornness and bad communication, mixed with yearning, protectiveness and constant self-sacrifice. But it had its nice moments too, and those are the moments I cherish the most, because they were the ones that kept me watching.
Secondly, some of the characters deserved more screen time than they were given, and some were present way too often. The villains were quite predictable, yet somehow a little disappointing, and the supporting characters were always there to support, sometimes even stealing the spotlight. Some of the side plots were particularly interesting, and I would have loved it if they had developed them more than they did, but the screen time was given to the main plot, which felt quite repetitive at times, especially in the middle part.
Overall, the story wasn't a total waste, but it didn't really grow on me. It was often messy and chaotic, detaching me from the characters and leaving me wondering why they did what they did, and why the writers had to include this or that, because sometimes the plot choices really didn't make sense.
If anyone wants to watch this, my conclusion is this: don't expect too much. Enjoy the visuals, the actors, and the mess the plot offers, and you'll be fine. As for me — once bitten, twice shy. I will remember this as the first drama of Song Weilong I ever watched, but otherwise, I am shelving this and probably not returning to it again.
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