In a nutshell, a saeguk for kids. Take a Disney film, split it into several episodes, dress the characters in hanboks and you have this drama. It mimics The Moon embracing the Sun - without ever nearing its intriguing plot or romance - in almost every aspect except for the detail of a girl dressed as a man despite the fact that she could never in a trillion years be mistaken for a man. To keep the parallel, we could say this is a fluffy rom-com dressed up as a Saeguk.
The romance is so cheesy I welcomed the politics with a sigh of relief. Everything happens too soon and... too much, depriving my otherwise romantic heart of the needed suspense and, yes, what I consider a must for romance: trepidation. I can't say I am an expert in historical dramas, but the little I know is that almost everything the two main characters do and say here is totally implausible: stroll hand in hand in the palace courts without anyone seeing them? Right. This is just one example out of dozens unlikely - no, impossible - situations. Unlike other reviewers here, I believe the second half of this drama to be a lot better than the first, with at least some plot developments, albeit rushed, at times.
The real saving grace of the show is Park Bo Goum. He clearly is talented and a pleasure to watch. His character is too good to be true, but well played out and multifaceted. On the other hand, I was a little disappointed in Kim Yoo Jung's performance. I know she's very young and has a lot of potential, but she didn't manage to make me feel a thing. By some camera angles, it was clear she wasn't looking at her partner when supposed to do so, and the result was kind of ridiculous. Her character is neither particularly brave, nor very strong or intelligent, so what's left in the end is a super nice crown prince who falls madly in love with a sweet pretty thing because she's a sweet pretty thing. I even came to prefer the appointed crown princess, she was refreshingly spunky.
The music is a collection of pop songs fit for everything and nothing. See above for the age target.
In conclusion, this drama had some real potential, even when the plot twists are predictable, but the final package is fluffy at best. Can be marathoned through for an overdose of lovey-dovey chirping.
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The thing is...this isn't so much of a remake as it is "loosely" based upon the Japanese Liar Game world. With that being said, for viewers who have seen the Jdrama I would advise you to keep that in mind (I was a bit frustrated towards the end). For those of you who haven't don't worry.
Putting this aside however, Liar Game was surprisingly riveting. I was beyond impressed with the three main actors, especially Shin Sung Rok, who plays Do Young the host.
Story: The story was decent. It was straightforward in the beginning, but as time wore on revealed that nothing was quite as simple as we had all thought. I was actually pretty excited about this, the mystery added to the allure of the show and games. I do feel like the ending lacked...a bit of a punch. It was definitely good, but not up to par with how the drama had been in the episodes leading up.
Acting: This was BY FAR the strongest aspect of the drama. Shin Sung Rok was unbelievable in his role as the mysterious host, and our other two main leads were excellent in their own rights. Kim So Eun played her character as believably naive and trusting, which I was beyond grateful for (the Jdrama, as much as I liked it, had me bashing my head sometimes in frustration). Her character development was gradual, but believable, and ended on a great note.
Music: Suspenseful at the right times, and light hearted all the other times. This drama didn't try to have an OST with standout songs (I'm looking at you Almost Paradise), which would have detracted from the story.
Rewatch Value: I'm not one for re-watching dramas, but if I were to this would definitely be at the top of my list!
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JapaneseDrama (over on Tumblr) was raving about this drama a few months ago so I decided to ditch my piles of homework and check it out. I didn't know too much going into it, but i was pleasantly surprised. Actually, I had pretty high expectations, but it was still a cute drama. The story was very very very typical, yet i still found myself on the edge of my seat, anticipating what's to come. The acting and characters are probably what won me over. Our protagonist was perfect! She's relatable, funny (facial expressions on point!) and all too kawaii. The SLS is very very intense in this one as well, and our second female lead was interesting and different. I COULD NOT STAND OUR MALE LEAD THOUGH. He was bland yet somehow super frustrating and confusing. I could go on and on ranting about him but i don't think he's worth the time. Though props on the cinematography.
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Zombie with Wifi/Bluetooth
Its an exciting zombie movie with a great story line and straight to the point, you feel the danger and wonder how would they stop it small twist here and there but you notice them early so by that i believe you already know what to expect.The acting is good except there some actors that have the same emotion throughout the movie cough jun ji hyun cough which lowers its rating but others are cool
the ending is not satisfying in my opinion and there is some plot holes that if they were fixed it could reach the hype of train to busan
But in general good watch try it.
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This review may contain spoilers
had potential but was really rushed
This BL series had so much potential tbh. I have not seen the webtoon yet so this is like my first time watching this and didn't know what to expect. It started off strong but felt flat as it progress. The plot was really rushed. Like I didn't even know when did Lee Da Yeol felt that archery was exhausting to him and he wanted to quit it. It felt out of the blue when he said he wanted to quit it or when Jo Tae Hyun felt disgusted of Lee Da Yeol in one scene and in the next scene he is running to him making up the most bizzare excuse which I have ever heard. Like it was so ridiculous that I wanted to punch him for sprouting that nonsense. Also I didn't like how Lee Da Yeol forgave him so easily. Like the time said it was two years but it felt like 2 months. Like making the girl who was so irrelevant the bridge in their love again out of the blue and with the excuse of being drunk that Lee Da Yeol was crying for Jo Tae Hyun like that was so stupid. like it was two years. If it was two month I would understand and again he forgave him so easily, like after what he did begging,crying and pleading would have been the minimum what he could have done and finally toward the end, it was just lackluster. I don't even know what the point of that was. Idk if they have just started dating which I don't think they are but they were acting like 5 year old who were out in a first date. Too much being shy and being a tsundere and teasing. Finally the thing I fucking hate about every BL series is the teasing of a kiss. I am fine with not getting a kiss at all but teasing it is what really push my buttons and they gave us finally with an ear kiss lmao which I didn't even think the lips were even touching the ear lmao. Don't do this. If you are not going to give us a kiss then don't half-ass it. A tight hug while sleeping would have been 10 times better than this. Like I said the plot was really rushed. It didn't give time at all for us to be in dept with the characters. I feel like it could have been better with 10 episodes with 40 min each. The actors did well ig. There was chemistry and they did the characters justice and the ost was nice. Overall it was kinda disappointing but it was cute I guess.Was this review helpful to you?
The story is really exciting and highly psychological. The chasing for dreams forces the candidates to open their mind reflecting about all their mistakes in life. This is often highly thrilling.
Meanwhile the main story develops and is solved in a fantastic final with a not forseeable conclusion.
Katagiri Jin does a great job because you allways feel that there is something hidden deep inside his character which will hurt everybody.
I am a rock fan so I was really surprised by the opening song which can be categorized as metal which is not typical for dorama is think!
The episodes are round about 20-25 minutes long so you can finish the whole dorama in a short time. This is also an argument for my high rewatching score!
Finally I can only say that it is not fair if you skip this season just watching the second with Sakurai Sho, because it is really good and it creates the base for the continuation.
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A reality check
All I would like to say is WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ENDING. I try to avoid sad endings like the plague and this one was exactly that. Oh gosh how much episode 9 and 10 broke me is beyond words. You can't convince me stuff like " This was an open ending" when in reality, it clearly wasn't. Let me tell you exactly why.1) The author's note in the end saying "To all those spring flowers in the world, although I couldn't achieve it, I hope your lives wont be like mine". Which is a direct way of saying to the viewers she didn't get her happy ending with the ML in the Joseon era.
2) She fell in love with the 2nd ml in the modern era and took his number. However, when she bumped into the ml from the Joseon era, she ignored him like a stranger and there was no more talking points between them which indicates a closing chapter of her with the ml in the joseon era and the modern era.
If were talking about f**ed up ending, this drama takes the cake. This is like scarlet heart ryeo 2.0.
In conclusion, I genuinely didn't expect this drama to take such a deep turn and to actually have plot considering the first couple of episodes were silly and hilarious and awkward in a more intimate sensual way but wow was I shocked when plot was introduced around episode 5.
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Started out entertaining but dumb and ended up just being dumb.
This wasn't anything like the Chinese original version but I was willing to forgive this version because it was so much fun. I liked that there was more humour and that the romance was less of a slow burn and was more sexy, though I missed the little animal drawings.But then in the last few episodes everything went wrong somehow: the writing and acting got so sloppy, it was like the police and the criminals were competing on who's less competent...
This could have been (and was for a while) a nice, lighthearted take. It's a pity that they didn't follow through and let their standard slip.
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================
THE MOMENT I NEED YOU... When you analyze it, it is hanging. It doesn't have a complete thought... Yes, the creator behind this mini-series can make the phrase into a sensible sentence. HOWEVER, they decided for you to continue the phrase. And when you watch the 4 episodes, you will realize that what they want to say and it can not be put into words because it is a combinitaion of small gestures and events that lead to the ultimate ending.
The very first striking difference in other Thai BL is the setting. It is not the typical school/university. However, those that enjoy the typical setting can enjoy this one too... The looks of the characters are not that old, as if they are newly graduate.
I like how they showed what really happened (flashbacks), one can easily think that they deserve each other. Viciously cunning to achieve what they want. You won't get lost because the flashbacks happened almost immediately after. I could also say that the creator behind this is an evil genius in doing that.
The story is pretty straight forward which is sometimes a breath of fresh air that you will stop thinking and just feel the interaction of the characters. Kinda reminds me of the HIStory series. Fast-paced and every episode will give you different feelings, emotions.
The first 3 episode is a very good build up to the emotion everyone likes to feel. But of course, all relationship go through rough and shaky times. May it be before, in the middle or towards the end, there is always one event that will question our feelings. Their relationship is no exception.
"THE MOMENT I NEED YOU" was shown and delivered to the audience without too much fuzz and it can not get any more raw than that. Didn't concentrate on the drama too much.
"THE MOMENT I NEED YOU", one will think that it is a person, but this mini-series showed it in a different way. The person you thought you need is actually a person in the past but rather another person that make you truly smile when it matters the most. Someone who is patient. Someone who is willing to make sacrifices. Someone who is honest. And little did you know, you became that person you are "needing".
"THE MOMENT I NEED YOU", yes we need a full series for this.
For me, for th title to be complete in thought...
The moment I need you...
... you just came in the perfect time.
ACTING/CAST
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Both Bank and Pon playing Mok and Bay respectively, given that this is their first formal acting is pretty good, actually excellent.
For a moment there I thought Bank missed an acting in Episode 1, the key scene how this story started, but later I found out that it was all deliberate. If stare could kill, Bay would not last long. Reminds of Dean how he looks at Pharm in Until We Meet Again. The laser-focused stare.
You can see that the interaction between Mok and Bay has no awkwardness as if they are acting together for a long time now. Their exchange in delivering lines and or facial expression and body language seems too natural.
Do I see a brigth future for the two main actors? Definitely a very bright future in the entertainment industry.
MUSIC
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The tempo is just right for the kind of relationship that the two is building. Not too slow and not too fast.
The beat is on point as well. Not too dramatic and not too heavy on the percussion.
The song is like pepper and salt to your dish, it heightens the flavor. But for this, it enhances the emotion that you are feeling.
REWATCH VALUE
================
Since this is so short and fast, it is always easy to watch it again and again and again. Especially if you are feeling down. Imagine you can be in love in the idea of being in love in under an hour. Would I watch this again? Honestly, not in the near future. But when I'm feeling blue and sad, this is a nice medicine to shoo-away the blues.
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highly overrated
First, I don't like that every couple in a BL has to be BL couple... How stupid is that?Second, the last two episodes are extremly rushed. While 8-parters are nice to binch-watch, they do nothing if the story does not fit.
I did not read the webtoon, so I can only review what I saw.
And the story is a mess and unbelievable. Only Ji Ho Geun and Kim Jung Ha made me believe in their characters. From bully to lover was unblievable as well in just one episode and to cast an idol for a main role was just a financial decision.
The last two episodes where rushed as f, for a better understanding at least four episodes have been needed,.
While the premise of the show started strong, the story falls of a cliff. The kisses shown were mostly just touching lips which is lame. "Song Joo Ha" could have kissed on the cheek to convey his feelings. A kiss on the lips would have not been needed, but maybe the director/writers thought the do need fan-service.. Also Han Tae Yi forcing himself was a stupid thing to do, especially when he does have feelings for Seo Do Yoon. While the first six episodes are ok, the last two are a total mess. Song Han Gyeom looks "gay" -(but which idol doesn't?), he does not fit his role at all. Sometimes you can feel he tries but his own personality is in stark contrast to his role and he does not manage to do it. With all the 10 ratings of several people I think they are fans of eyecandy but not thinking about the story which is maybe because our world gets more and more superficial. And to make all couples gay in a BL, is not what a good story needs. If they had only focused on only one couple the eight episodes might have fit. For me this series is disappointing especially because the first two episodes are the best and the last two are the worst.
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Light-hearted Romantic Comedy
I love love love love this drama!!! The first half of the series was so hilarious, it often put me in stitches. Then it got a bit more serious in the second half. ****Spoiler**** It was a nice twist when it got revealed that he was the missing Prince. Then the story moved to be more palace like, compared to when it started (it was mostly about the silk business).The chemistry of the main leads are amazing too. Bai Lu is so likable, she never failed at creating perfect chemistry with her onscreen partners. I actually watched this drama straight after I watched Love is Sweet (she's the FL there).
The ending song is so mesmerising. It matches so well with the ML! I'm so in love with him š. I first saw Lai Yi as Die Feng in Eternal Love. I watched The Legend of Fuyao merely to watch his story arch (and fast forwarded the rest - the main leads there got stabbed to death every couple of episodes and managed to survive every single time, it was just too much for me LOL). Lai Yi is such an underrated actor. He has this elegant aura, yet he can play evil role so well too (as in The Flame's Daughter).
The second male and female leads are so good that your heart bleeds for them. It's their bad luck to be fated as second leads!
I often drop drama series after watching several episodes if the storyline got a bit silly/ridiculous/draggy, regardless how much I ship the main leads. But Overlord is definitely not one of them. It has been very enjoyable thoroughly.
A light-hearted romantic comedy drama worth watching. It's just the right amount of palace politics, right amount of total episodes (36), and excellent performance by all cast members!!
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What an absolute cowpie.
I will sum this bad boy up for you real fast.(Click "read more" so I don't spoiler any of the masochists who want to torture themselves on purpose.)
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Here goes.
Blahblahblah some republican era shit blah blah blahblah secret weapons cache. Blahblah blah blahblah gun points at FL, FL tied up and dragged and crying and strangled and thrown on the bed and yelled at blah blah blah. 2FL justwow blah blah fake pregnancy blah blah whatever some secret meetings and uniforms some army shit idk. Blahblahblah blah blah gratuitously shirtless ML doing some shit idk wound dressing or nonconsentual sexy time or drunken undressing blahblahblah.
WHAT, A FACE CHANGE SURGERY OMG blah blah and FL is like YOU LYING PIECE OF SHIT IM NEVER TALKING 2 U AGAIN. Blah blah crying crying getting drunk breaking glass coughing blood. Blah blah blah blah ML DIES.
Thats ok though because the peoples army lives on or some shit. And maybe if you close your eyes really tight and wish really hard, ML isnt dead though so hey.
THE END.
*Bad dubbing
*2FL is a mentally retarded narcissist with an underbite problem.
*Villain does the villain-laugh like literally after every sentence and its so cringe. Bro. Get a desk job and give up acting, srsly.
*I give it a generous 4.5 because at least it didn't put me to sleep 20 times.
*I would recc this to, say, a coworker I pretend to like because I have to, but who really deep down I don't like.
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This review may contain spoilers
It's somewhere between like and hate ...
Let's see -Like:
Yin and War are still good together. Though it is War that emotes it better.
Depiction of true poverty. Really brought to life the effects of debt and poor choices. The sweaty faces (may not have been part of the script), cramped tumbled rooms and scrappy clothes made the setting believable.
Grandma bringing the comedy and sound counseling.
Rose accepting the refusal with a little class and not hanging on for scraps.
Bad happens to everyone. How it is dealt with is on you. Same event but different choices between Nang and Boss.
Aran's downward slide into poverty was covered.
Aran building Tattoo's ego when he needed it most.
Joke crying. Again, I repeat, Joke crying.
Hope reminding Jack that he had to do some dark shit for Boss, also.
When Joke saved Jack from Boss without telling him that he saved him.
Joke raising his hand to touch Jack's face but stops midway as Rose interrupts. Jack sneaking one last look at Joke as he goes through the doorway.
Hate:
Everything else.
Script felt like I was watching an ant farm. All over the
place with a ridiculous series of events and asinine characters. Four Horsemen? Chutes and Ladders? Collars that could detonante? A ring that turned Boss into gollum instantaneously?
Jack going back to Boss immediately.
Over the top acting.
Joke getting caught the majority of the show. A master thief he was not.
No explaination as to what was Joke's learning difficulty but he is a teacher for the impoverished children. How? Make it make sense.
Humor that was not humorous.
Joke looking clownish in some of his disguises.
Joke spent 5 years in jail and still got beat. What did he learn? How to pick the ugliest comical tattoos? The boy went in jail looking wealthy and came out like he was from the ghetto all his life.
Jack helped the entire neighborhood but grandma was still in poverty.
Boss' laugh.
The struggle of who would top? Not necessary to the script.
There was no real charm to their relationship and seemed lacklustre at the end.
There is more but I'll stop here. The entire production team can go back to school to learn how to create a series within budget with a coherent plot and engaging characters. Jack and Joker was a sweaty mess from beginning to end with too many characters and very little plot to tell a cohesive story. While actors can look for roles to show their versatility, Yin and War can do better. The beginning was good. The ending was not.
Rewatch: Only if grandma is hurling a plate of chive dumplings at me.
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SO DAMN GOOD
Two hitmen falling in love with informants on them. Messy but so dang beautiful. I lLIVED for joongdunk in this show omg, don't get me wrong FirstKhaotung were incredibly cute too but oof stylefadel really had the IT factor. GREAT plot, AMAZING actors, CRAZY chemistry, I don't know why I didn't hear about this show earlier it had me squealing and glued to my screen. The show has action, comedy, loads of romance (ngl I'm pretty sure we all saw the plot twist coming from a mile away but that said) they managed to make the ending very satisfying too. KUDOS!! Sidenote but oh my god DUNK IN CROP TOPSSSS petition for that man to only ever wear crop tops all his outfits were so slay and he's so hilarious this entire showWas this review helpful to you?
Great Potential But Suffered from Slow Pacing
STORY:My initial excitement for this drama fell by the wayside as the series progressed. Although the writers presented several interesting and unique concepts, they suffered noticeably in execution. As a result, the series became somewhat of a mess that left me wanting more. The pacing was horribly slow, with lots of silence in each episode, creating a very stagnant story line with very little plot development. I donāt mind a bit of silence as a creative decision to set the tone, but if youāre going to do it, then I need both the silence and every bit of dialogue to be important and push the story forward significantly. I didnāt get that with this series. And I know that with tight, skilled writing, a lot can be said in a small period of time, as Iāve seen fantastic dramas with half the number of episodes able to deliver rich, compelling stories (Obsessed, Right or Wrong, Boundary Crossing, Gay Ok Bangkok, etc.). The story here wasnāt terrible, but I just feel that with 12 episodes at their disposal, the brains behind My Dream could have given us a bit more.
Next, although some parts of the fantasy story line were fleshed out (albeit not nearly enough), the main story between Runway and Dream took a back seat to everything else in the drama, which was a bit surprising given the synopsis. In addition, some scenes that seemed important lacked sufficient exploration; there were also scenes introduced that had no apparent purpose other than filler, because they certainly didnāt aid in progression of the story.
The romance grew tedious and a bit tiresome because the characters were just running in circles every time.
Overall, with some tighter writing, this could have been a beautifully complex, multi-dimensional story. As it is, I think the writers got in over their heads and lacked a clear vision and the drama suffered for it.
ACTING/CHARACTERS:
Most of the actors and actresses did well in their roles. The one that just did not do it for me Taro, who plays Tanai. Bless him, he seems sweet, but his acting was incredibly stiff and he couldnāt really deliver expressions very well, which was off-putting as he was a main character. Best, who played Runway (again, another lead), though better, still wasnāt as strong as some of the side characters. But other than those two, I thought the cast did really well in their roles, though conversations at time felt a bit stilted and awkward. I wish they were given better material to work with.
MUSIC:
I overall like the OST. The opening theme especially is beautiful, and it complements the fantasy theme nicely.
RE-WATCH VALUE:
I may re-watch it once, a long way down the road, to see how the story feels when the next episode can be watched without waiting a week. But due to slow pacing and an under-developed plot line, I probably wouldnāt re-watch it more than once.
BOTTOM LINE:
I went into this drama with high expectations but was ultimately let down. It was okay, with some entertaining parts, but definitely not the best drama out there. Iām kind of surprised to hear that SS2 is coming (as of right now anyway), but Iāll probably watch that one as Iāve already committed to the story. For this drama, not sure that Iād recommend it, but if youāre curious about it Iād say give it a try.
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