That milk was spoilt in episode 1
I wish I didn't remember details from episode one of this series, but more than anything, I'm glad I don't recall at least some of it. Oh goodness this was..The plot was non - existant. There was no plot, it's as simple as that.
I still can't figure why the two leads liked each other, I've watched ten episodes and I still don't know why they fell for each other. Their relationship is the basis for the entire plot and from my indication about the plot being non - existant you can put two and two together.
Individually, two of the worst characters I've ever seen on screen. They were right in naming one of the characters 'plain milk', because that's the amount of personality the two leads had. Like plain milk. I could never figure out why they were considered to be attractive partners when both of them had the emotional range and personality of a piece of cardboard.
But apparently that was enough to get the leads to fall for each and two other characters to fall for each of the leads. Boo to me I guess.
The second couple was better. Actually they were amazing. Until they weren't. For maybe seven episodes, they were the only characters who kept me going but you can't ruin your track record can you? The writing absolutely ruined their relationship as well by adding silly misunderstandings and arguments that went nowhere by the finale, and boo to me again.
The third couple were like a magician's act, they would appear in a few episodes and disappear for another few and then show up for one scene in the finale just because. Call it inconsistency or my general lack of interest after one point, but I genuinely forgot those two were a couple at one point. Boo × 3.
There were a bunch of side characters who's sole purpose was to create drama, a bunch of others who created drama but were also integral (not really) to the story and it was just a collosal mess that I started on a whim because I needed something to rant watch. Acting was.. fine I guess, but I suppose there's no necessity to act your heart out when your character is written to have only one expression or reaction.
This is a great rant watch by the way, zero plot, zero chemistry between the leads and zero patience for anyone who watches it by the end of episode 10. Have fuuuuun!!
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With each episode at 30 - 40 minutes a pop, this is easy to binge watch.
Speaking of watching, the subtitling Gods and Godesses thought enough of the Amazon Prime users to give us the whole season complete. Viki is catching up, but again on Prime it is complete.
If you make it to episode 10, then you may as well watch the whole thing because curiosity will kill the cat, and only viewing satisfaction will bring it back.
I do understand that my review does push for viewing, but to really understand what you are getting into...you gotta see for yourself.
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Story 9/10 : The general story is actually not that original. I've seen many American movies like it (for example Denzel Washingtons' Man On Fire). However, that doesn't lower the entertainment value of this film. This films story has you on the edge of your seat for the ENTIRE film. The scriptwriter(s) deserve much praise.
Acting 10/10 : They were all perfect. Everyone was perfect. I would not have changed any ANYBODY.
Music 7/10: The music was good, but it wasn't anything that I will remember. It served its purpose perfectly, and enhanced the effects of the movie. It's not an OST I will look up and listen to again later.
Rewatch Value 6/10 : This is probably the highest rewatch value i've given to any movie. I'm not someone who rewatches movies or dramas. This movie is action packed, so it should allow for a good rewatch. However, the amount of entertainment you get from this movie does hinge on its twist and turns so that might detract from its rewatch value.
Overall 10/10 : This is a great movie that I'd recommend to people OVER 18. It does have graphic violence and slight nudity. Overall, this is one of the best Asian movies that i've ever seen.
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Everything happened so quickly
The story was okay, not that great but it is watchable. The acting was not so good though, it could have been better but it is okay because in my opinin it didn't affect the story much.They production again could have been done better.
The episodes were short, everything happened so quickly. I wish BLs in korea have longer episodes. But the ending was beautiful and satisfying for me.
Now for their chemistry, I didn't think there would be much chemistry since the episodes were so short, but they did satisfy me towards the end. Tbh, I continued watching the series just to see their chemistry.
It's a good series but don't expect much.
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1Fresh and Bold New Concept - Room For Improvement
My first impression of this new Korean series was beyond expectations. "Once again" is one of the first LGBTQIA+ series from south Korea that can keep a little bit up with the quality of higher-budget Korean dramas or at least it seems like it’s getting closer to the potential behind their skills. I mean, I wasn´t so sure in the first few minutes but the way this series is cut, the colouring of each scene, the screenwriting, the acting and the visuals - it kinda surprised me.Story >> 8.5 >> 8.0
This kind of basement for any kind of relationship is stirring. In my eyes, this plot had so much potential to blow up and leave not only me with goosebumps. I also liked that the pathing of each episode and the way they portray the story and also how both main characters stay loyal to their personality. Just felt like it missed a bit of their actual romance but with that storyline It’s obviously hard to display their love to the fullest.
Acting/Cast >> 8.5 >> 8.0 >> 7.5
Moon Ji Young (Shin Jae Woo) caught me off-guard in the first episode, I didn´t expect his performance to be so intense so early on but in the end his performance became a little to monotonous. I have a similar impression of Lee Hyun Jun, (Kang Ji Hoon) and the best friend, I think they all presented a solid performance!
Music >> 7.5 >> 8.0
The music was fitting the series mood. Actually, I even find it quite soothing.
"Once Again" is one of the Korean LGBTQIA+ series I´d recommend watching when wanting to see this industry evolve step by step and therefore it doesn’t have to be perfect.
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A huge disappointment
It was one of the worst dramas I have seen so far. I wasted my time on this that's what I regret most. With the promising and talented cast they messed up the whole story it's really meaningless and it doesn't make sense at all you just get a huge disappointment in the end I watched it due to high ratings but from what I can see the high ratings are just from fans of main lead because the story is a big failureRecommend to not watch this unless you want to waste your time or you are a huge fan of main leads so you can digest anything stupid like this...
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Sweet Crush. Fun First Romance
Theres a lot of this genre (college romance) out there but this is among the better ones in terms of acting, production and overall storyline.Qin Shen, the cold talented and super tall male lead and Yuan Qian, the cute, friendly petite female lead are classmates in the sculpture major. Somehow after a mini accident, she learns she misunderstood him and both begins to see the better side in each other. It didnt take long for the ice to thaw with Qin Shen.. given that he used to say girls and dating are meaningless and waste of time. But when he looks at YQ he cant help smiling and the warmth will enter his eyes.
Best part. Qin Shen took notice of YQ very early on and her quirks and attitude amuses him. More than half of the drama are the two dancing around each other. Theres a saying, one stroke shy (strokes to write a chinese characther) and thats how you can describe their relationship. They seek each other out, hang out, talk, hints and flirts but never really comfesses. The acting and directing makes this enjoyable even amusing.
SML does not really get annoying, mostly a puppy still hinging on their childhood memories. While SFL is no fun to watch, i just wish she stops chasing given that ML cannot be more obvious of his coldness, nonchalance and blatantly ignoring her most times. Really, QS reserves his gentlemanly nature, sweet , caring and even considerate gestures only for FL. When needed he helps her out, supports her and respects her decision. Hes also the type that doesnt shy away from doing couple-things and enjoys being dote on by FL. With the exception of his penchance to tease her and sometimes twist and negates his own kind intentions, i find its a mix of his own enjoyment (you will find hes actually a lil black-bellied and to save face).
Their roommates are a hoot to watch. ML has 2 funny bros who are also classmates. Their scenes and dialogues are so funny. FL has 3 wonderful friendships with her roommates too. And both sets of roommates already clue in on the push-pull relationship of the leads.. they are just too obvious haha.
Acting wise is good. If done wrongly could have been cringey or stiff. But both Ireine Song and Aaron Deng have a good camaraderie so there a natural synergy. You can watch them interact all day and be entertained.
Ps one of my fav moment is when QS retrieved the water bottle he threw to the trashbin after hearing from his bro that YQ was the one who bought it. He didnt care evyone's looking or the trashbin. It spoke volumes how he feels about her.
Verdict Fun fun and easy watch. No real angst. Flirty interactions and sweet first romance that blossom between two people who thought they would remain single until they meet the right person.
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This review may contain spoilers
Everyone has an opinion
This has got to be one of the hardest review I have ever written, not because of the things everyone was pissed about. But because I actually really like this lakorn. Personally, I like an arrange marriage, deceiving, dramatic, and complicated plot. (and toxic but that just me) It has been a while that I have seen a good plot from Thai lakorn. The last time I even really enjoyed a lakorn is Roy Leh Saneh Rai starring Tik and Aom, and that was a long time ago. So just a heads up that this is my type of genre. I might even be the only on here that like this lakorn.I love a good slap kiss lakorn and I know it's not for everyone but that's what make Thai lakorn so different and unique from other dramas.
With that said, I do feel like a review is very much needed especially with all the backlash this lakorn received. I wanted to keep this review simple but I have personally been invested in this lakorn from the start that I just want to fully write my review and how I feel about this lakorn.
Firstly, the synopsis on here is partially correct. In this remake, Tawan is not related to Yadfad and her family (it is correct for the original version). Tawan lived with her mother and she's an online maid. Aside from the difference of Tawan and Yadfah not being related, they still follow the plot of Tawan being Yadah to marry Tohmon. Tawan occasionally work for Yadfah family. Tawan mother got sick and she needed money to pay her mom medical bill which led her to offer herself to be in place of Yadfah. I love a plot where FL is poor, independent, strong and striving. Tawan and Tohmom often run into each other but Tohmon never saw how she look like because Tawan always find a way to cover her face.
The first few episode were very comedic and rom-com that I will have to agreed that it is a bit too much. Some of the characters acting, the jokes, and the scenes overall was flat and dry. However, when you pass those scenes it's actually a good plot. The lakorn definitely took a turn and went to melo drama. Once the drama come on, oh boy, you better be prepared. You will feel so much hate and anger toward Tohmon.
I am very into a mean, cold-hearted, and heartless ML in lakorn so this plot was up my alley. Mai is such an amazing and underrated actor. I am so glad they chose Mai for this role. Mai played this character so well, he does such an amazing job at being an a-hole that I can't even hate him for long, he is so eye-candy. He does such a phenomenal job at conveying his expression. Mai carries out his jokes well and even his funny scenes. Not every actor can pull it off and Mai did great. As for Pie, this is her first FL role, I feel like she did great. She was able to portrayed her emotions, feelings, and expression well.
As for chemistry goes, I can see the chemistry between them. It is not those explosive and sexy chemistry but it's the kind of chemistry that make you still want to keep watching because both their acting are so good. Although, I was hoping for more of character development from Tohmon, his feelings toward Tawan wasn't as strong. It's the kind of lakorn where you can tell both leads have feelings for each other but it is not always as clear.
As for the nangrai, they are annoying but I definitely seen much worse, the nangrai in here are tolerable. Although I kind of wish that Sophit wasn't a bad person, in the episode she's very flirty with ML and he knows it too, he acknowledged her flirtiness but always reminds her that she is just his close friend. I was hoping that Sophit would just be the flirty secretary/friend who help Tohmon come to terms with his feelings for Tawan, but nope, Sophit just had to be a bad person.
Next is the backlash this lakorn received. There is a scene (episode 8-9) in here that may be a trigger to some audience. There is a scene that portrayed Tawan to be raped and everyone in the family has view Tawan differently. Rape is a very sensitive topic and never shall it ever be laugh at, make fun of or even joke about it. There should never be any victim blaming. I truly believe that there's not enough talk about rape in the community and there is no easy way to talk about it.
I understand that in the lakorn, especially Tohmon character could of assessed the situation better and be more supportive toward Tawan. In the episode, Tohmon character was portrayed as very disgusting of his wife after the incident. Every one of his actions definitely meant to be that way, perhaps. In my opinion, his actions came off that way, but he is just as hurt, he felt powerless as you can see his character changed. Tohmon actions were deeply rooted by pain of not being able to protect the person he love. He too went through a "traumatizing" incident of seeing his wife being kidnapped and "rape", not being able to do anything because he knows it is his fault to begin with. By no means I am justifying Tohmon and everyone else characters. He was definitely wrong for his actions.
With that said, I feel like this production took a risk and came upon a very sensitive topic that made many people upset. There is no easy way to address rape or rape survivors/victim blaming. This is the reality and the world we live in. As much as we want to perfect this topic in movies or lakorn, it is not perfect. There are ugly side to this topic as well. When we no longer talk about a topic or see it, (not just thai lakorn) it is so easily to forget that it does exist and that sympathy for the survivor is not always present. Don't twist my word and says that I am saying this is okay. I am simply saying, we see this happens in real life, we see how society treat some survivors and how much injustice there is in the world we live. I would of like it if the director, producer and writer included resources for the individual affected can seek help from. Both Tawan and Sophit went through a traumatizing event (we can see how this affected Sophit, her character changed, her mood switch, and she was always paranoid. This is the reality when a survivor went through a traumatizing incident). If there's anything that I am upset about, it's that the doctor didn't offer this help to Tawan.
I am sure many of you won't watch this lakorn after reading people comments and review. But honestly, you can read all of it and if this genre or topic is not for you, you are only wasting your time. At the end of the day, I know this is a scripted lakorn. People were already complaining that this lakorn was too comedic and now it is too dramatic. Either way, no lakorn is perfect. If you want to judge the logic of every lakorn then how can you ever enjoy them.
I genuinely like this lakorn and don't get me wrong, I was frustrated with Tohmon character but there's ways the innocent and hurt in his eyes when he see Tawan that just swoon me back in. It's has been a while that I can really say I enjoyed a lakorn from Ch3, their lakorn from last year was a huge disappointment for me. This one is so full of many emotions. I know some viewer will disagreed with me because of the direction they went and it also appears that this remake is completely different from the original. It's up to you to decide whether you want to watch or not. Be open minded and judge this yourself. If you do decide to watch it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
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“The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”
MY NAME, as the name suggests is indeed a game of names. Reminds me a quote by Homer that said, "How vain, without the merit, is the name". The impact, influence and inemancy that a single name can bring in the world, is quite evident in the history and the present itself.The mini series by Netflix Korea is undoubtedly the 3rd best action thriller Kdrama of the year after Taxi Driver and The Veil, in terms of action of course. Revenge thriller plots and female fighter element is not something new for us, however, "My Name" stands out because of putting only a single girl at the center of the story who seeks vengeance at any cost.
Yoon Ji Woo is highschool girl who's bullied bcs of her father's deed and right on her birthday, see witnesses Yoon Dong Hoon, her father and only family, being killed through the peephole of the door. Despite resenting her father, she tries to give him justice but ends up at Dongcheon, the biggest drug ring of Korea, where she knew Dong Hoon worked. With the help of Choi Mu Jin, the leader of Dongcheon and Dong Hoon's closest friend, she prepares herself to avenge her father. Later she joins the police force and subsequently to Narcotics Control team on Mu Jin's conspiracy where she's partnered with Jeon Pil Do, a righteous and hardworking detective. The team is led by Cha Gi Ho, an old enemy of Mu Jin and can do anything to catch him. Jung Tae Ju is the most loyal subordinate of Mu Jin who controls everything in Dongcheon.
Talking about the story, it wasn't something wow for me. Can't say it's predictable bcs despite a common basic revenge story plotline, the screenplay and multiple chaptered elements of the script is actually well put. But again, avid thriller fans can point out or at least assume the main culprit of the story and that was my case too so I wasn't very surprised at the major revelations either, hahaha. Considering the entire thing, I am not very pleased. It started nice and expectedly kept the thrill up till the halfway of 5th episode but after a peak scenario that happens around it, the story started going a lil down and became somewhat uninteresting (?), yes! The ending? I'm very disgusted with how they shitted on the last episode. Well, the turning point at the beginning of the finale can be accepted considering some people actually change their stances under the influence of virtue but then they had to ruin it again in the same episode. Very disappointed bcs it could have been a lot better with the original plan but the writer seemed to have struggled to make it extraordinary, just to mess it up in the end, oof.
Well, will give brownie points for acting though the characters are not that wowish except for Han So Hee whose character also took a bad turn in the finale.. She as the central character did a very good job. I don't think she has struggled much in the industry with the number of dramas she's done but this sure should be a booster in her career. Kinda felt absurd when the character gave in to the ML in later episodes, when she had been the strongest being all her life. Ahn Bo Hyun finally getting attention? Yes! Well, glad seeing his improvement over years. His character was poorly written for someone as a ML and didn't leave any impact for me but fine. Park Hee Soon ahjussi, the master actor, surely won over with his performance & charms, plus his fighting skills. Lee Hak Joo has done his job just perfect all these years and it's evident from this as well. Do I really need to say about Kim Sang Hoo ahjussi? His existence is what we assures about the drama's quality haha.
Overally, the drama is dominated by Han So Hee and Park Hee Soon who are the most major character. The story greatly revolves around their relationship, trust build-up, loyalty, care, hate and finally to a downfall.
The direction is pretty amazing and it had to be bcs the person behind it is Kim Jin Min PDnim with a record of good and familiar titles. Cinematography work is notable too which is the signature mark of typical dark and shady Netflix Korea original series of it's kind. Background score setting and screenplay editing was on point along without the sound production. There aren't many OSTs in it but all of them are in English and quite catchy with a touch of modern pop that also fit with the mood of the drama and it's development. The lyrics wasn't on rhythm but at least made sense and was kinda enthralling to the ears.
Please note that comedy and romance are not the elements of this story so be prepared to be thrilled continuously throughout the drama. There are slight dark comedy adjusted here and there. And at first the partnership between Han So Hee and Ahn Bo Hyun felt like a subtle romance but what happened in the last ep was very absurd to me. That was unnecessary for the build-up. Also the ML's fate at the end was very stupid.
Finally, let's talk about the best thing about this drama, i. e. ACTION. YESSSSSS! This drama is entirely a power-packed thriller full of action and violence, even to the point of drastic bloodshed. In fact, the story is set up in the dark underworld universe of drugs business and mafia culture where fight for power, wealth and position is very common and a required element. You'll witness dreadful fights throughout; sometimes gangsters fighting in groups, one to one face-off, several beings ganging up on one or vice versa. The fights are not just the show-off of physical power and fighting techniques, they involve dangerous weapons, power-arms and sometimes, drugs. The one who dominated everyone else in the drama was Yoon Ji Woo (Han So Hee) who survived every single fight, proving herself the strongest in the race though that was not very realistic. Then it was Park Hee Soon (Choi Mu Jin) who was very good at fighting and was almost undefeatable. Watch it with a major TW if you're sensitive to brutality bcs there are a plenty of it, especially the group fights where people get killed in numbers like insects.
Han So Hee obviously needs a standing ovation for her performance. Her acting was nice but what makes everyone notice is how she she managed to good job in learning and showcasing her fighting skills throughout the entire thing, proving her determination.
OKAY! Overally, MY NAME is not something very fabulous but it surely is an interesting and enthralling watch which successfully keeps up the interest till the end even with an inconsistent graph. Only if the final outcome were a lil better and unnecessary events wouldn't have took place, I'd gladly mark it at 8.5/10. Ain't gonna discredit the entire work because of the ending, but yeah, I am displeased with it. Anyways, it's worth the one time watch, go ahead!
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This review may contain spoilers
Open your damn eyes please!!
(Only minor spoiler) All the BL fans here rating it 9 and 10,, I just–don't get how?
The storyline was such a mess. Characters weren't even properly contructed, it was like too many things coming together but making nothing out of it? Unnatural. Yes, that's the word.
I had such high expectations after seeing all the reviews but man, sorry to say but such low standards guys really!
The cringe was real and the ml Jin Won was really living on just one braincell.
The flashbacks and episodes were so confusing, atleast for me and most of time I was just wondering, "why the f*ck do we need that situation?"
Like the whole loan shark case really disturbed the show for me. I didn't feel anything for that angst. And again, Jin Won really made me frustrated like boi Sang Ha told you his whole life story but in the end again you still stayed dependent on that one braincell of yours rather than paying attention.
They could've just developed a sweet fluffy genre of the drama and it would easily cross more than 8 stars but sigh..really poorly written. Just cuz it's a BL, it doesn't have to 'SO AMAZING AND CUTE', I hardly could bare watching those 8 episodes of 10 minutes. So, yea, please consider the plot and background too!
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FL's mother is the only main character, everyone else is a support character
This drama is just FL's mother messing everything up and every other spineless character compensating for it.1- 17 episodes the tension builds up where FL's mother keeps messing up
18 - 37 we expect either FL's mom to change or FL to grow up. Nothing happens
FL grows only a little bit and that's it. By episode 30 everything is same and everyone forgives FL's mother even though she hasn't changed. I don't know if the writer wants to convey that "we should forgive our parents even though they keep interfering in our personal/professional lives". FL's mother is still annoying. The only reason this deserves a 6 is just because the leads were awesome. There were a few good love/romance scenes but they were very less compared to the screen time given for FL's mother.
This drama would have been better if a) FL and ML got more screen time
b) FL grows up more
c) FL's mother becomes a good person at the end.
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This review may contain spoilers
The most Korean-like JDrama that I have ever watched
To be honest, after reading the description of this drama, I was not that interested, but I decided to watch it for two reasons. Firstly, because I really like Nakamura Tomoya, and secondly, because I have a lot of free time (I need to get a life!). In the end, I was happy that I watched it. Now, let me explain what I mean.
PLOT
The first thing, that I found fascinating, was the plot. I felt that this series did not follow the standard Japanese-plot norm. That is why I thought that they were mainly influenced by kdramas. Honestly, this is the only Asian drama in which I liked all of the characters. I found both the lead and the secondary roles to be interested and I wanted to know more about them.
To be more specific, we have a handsome and rich person (Asaba Takumi), who does not enjoy eating sweets, that gets to meet under a weird coincidence a loud and pretty female (Inoue Kiki), who loves to eat sweet things. Asaba is the CEO of the company that Inoue works in one of the company's convenience stores, and they meet by accident before knowing who the other person is. Due to some strange set of circumstances, Inoue leaves the convenience store and is being placed at the Production department of the company, in order to create new sweet recipes. We experience their everyday lives and the difficulties of creating low-cost and tasteful convenience store sweets.
CHARACTERS
Asaba is a cold-hearted person (at first glance), that seems indifferent of what other people think about him and is goal-oriented. However, in reality he is a sensitive person that always takes into account how the people around him feel, and he is a warm person with strong ethical personality. He works hard and faces every obstacle that comes in his way. On the other hand, Kiki is a young female that had experienced failure in her life before. She is afraid when other people have high expectations of her, as she believes that she will fail once again. Asaba was the first person that not only believed in Kiki but he also needed her honesty and creativity. As she was feeling needed and appreciated, feelings started to develop towards Asaba.
Two key supporting characters are Makoto and Riho. Makoto is a childhood friend of Asaba, and works as a vendor at the company. His personality is bright and joyful. He seems a bit childish, but the truth is that he is a mature person with kind feelings. While, Riho, a kind-hearted woman, is working at the Production department of the company, and is the ex-girlfriend of Asaba. In the series there are 3 more characters that is mainly used for comic relief, but I loved them. I personally call them “The Three Stooges”, as I found them funny and I liked it when they had screen time. The Three Stooges, are consisted of the Manager, a Chinese girl, and an early adult man. What I really liked about them was the chemistry that they had.
ACTING
Let me start with the main leads. As I have said before, Nakamura was the reason why I decided to watch this series. I am a fan of his acting and the roles that he usually portraits. I enjoy it when he gets to play a tsundere role, and that is why, I loved his acting in this drama. He was able to execute the role of the capable and innovative CEO, greatly. Moreover, he was able to present the mixed emotions he was feeling, and the consequences of his action, in an amazing way. What I am going to say next, has nothing to do with his acting, but when he wore glasses and the turtleneck, I found him really sexy. Also, I love it when he is laughing and smiling.
As for Mori Nana, it was the first that I watched with her as the main lead, and I was surprised by her acting. Taking into account her young age, I believe that in a few years she would be the talk of the town. She has a bright future! She was able to make me feel her sadness and sorrow when she was feeling down; but I was also feeling excited and motivated when she was excited and motivated. This might be just my personal opinion, but she reminded me of Inoue Mao, the female actor who had the main lead in Hana Yori Dango. If she invests more on her acting, she would become one of the best Japanese actors.
In addition to the strong main leads, the two supporting actors had nothing to be jealous of! Nakano Taiga, was able to execute the role of the person who is in love with someone that does not like them. Moreover, every time that he showed his caring side to his friends and the person that he loved, I wanted to meet him in person and be friends with him. I get the feeling that he is who would take care of the people close to him and would never betray them. As for Ishibashi Shizuka, I thought of her as an amazing actress. At first, thanks to my previous drama experiences, I thought that her character would be a pain in the ass and she would create problems; however, she was actually a strong-willed individual who knew how to behave when she won or lost. Ishibashi, was able to perform her role in an elegant way.
WHAT BOTHERED ME
I will rephrase something that CINEMASINS say: “no drama is without a sin”. There is no perfect drama for me. I would always find something that bothers me. For instance, in kdramas what usually bothers me is the difference in the social classes that the main couple have. One has to be poor while the other is rich.
In jdramas, what usually bothers me is the fact that the main couple does not have much familiarity with each other. They do not help me, sympathise with the couple and understand their feelings for each other. That is what happened in this drama. Even though, I enjoyed their acting, I have to admit that I did not think of Kiki and Asaba as two people in love. I thought of them more like friends and colleagues, rather than people who have feelings for each other.
The next thing that bothered me was the unexplained use of time skips. I do realise that I am watching a series and that I don’t have to think a lot about this; but please do make it believable. For example, processes that would usually take many days or even weeks to be approved, were implemented the following hours. THAT’S NOT HOW IT WORKS. As an individual who has studied management, I could tell you that the steps from forming an idea and actually implementing that idea, is a long path! But, in the series they made it seem like they could do whatever they wanted, when they wanted.
Another thing that bothered me (THIS IS A HUGE SPOILER), was how Asaba made a move on Kiki, while she was in a relationship with his best friend! OHANA MEANS FAMILY! You can’t do that to your best friend, to someone who was always there for you, someone who has your back all the time, someone who is ready to fight for you. That’s just wrong! I do not care how much you love the other person; friends are irreplaceable!
The last thing that bothered me was the elevator. There were a few scenes, that I assume where shot, in an outside glass lift. I was rather bothered, and a little worried, with how fast that elevator was. I do not know if this is a standard speed for the lift in Japan, but I was sincerely worried about the people in them.
P.S. I want a series that focuses on “The Three Stooges”. I BEG YOU!
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Totally enjoyed this one despite having reservations about the female lead. Both Oguri Shun & Ishihara Satomi did an amazing job in this Drama.
Rich Man Poor Woman was cute, funny, sweet & extremely endearing with a great score & OST. It's one of those Dramas that re-uses the same songs throughout & I know some may not like that but personally I feel it binds everything together thus helping maintain the mood. I think for me; that's what really made this Drama stick in my mind.
Plenty of problems. Typical Japanese style non-romantic kisses; random jumps in the story, not really anything earth-shatteringly new either as far as story goes & plot holes the size of mountains but somehow I just don't care one iota!
Definitely recommended if you're feeling a bit down, tired or sick.
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This review may contain spoilers
ngl, one of the worst BLs ever
(This is by no means an objective or organized review)I went into this series with a decent amount of expectation because I like the cast. And in most cases, I like the story of two childhood friends growing up being lovers. HOWEVER, I am seriously disappointed and pissed for the whole series.
1. SCRIPT: Definitely poorly written. I find almost all the interactions between characters, especially Tonhon and Chonlatee, very awkward. Their romantic scenes feel to me as too pushed. I understand this is a lighthearted series and the screenwriters are likely to want to make us laugh. However, some scenes are just down straight stupid.
2. STORIES: I have a lot of issues with the social responsibilities this series touched on. Of course, it does convey a clear message that all people are no less of a person because of their sexual orientation. And I firmly believe it has a good intention of de-stereotyping the LGBTQ+ community. However, here are some of my main issues with it:
- The moment Tonhon "realized" his love for Chon, the first thing he did was having sex with him. This makes this whole thing seems like THAT is what he wants (Not to mention no consent was explicitly shown).
- Tonhon’s dad’s character development process where: this is a character who can have a lot of space for development. Despite so many ways writers can make him realize his misconception, they chose to make him realize "gay people aren't all bad" under the situation of an accident, literally overnight. You may have different feelings about this scene but for me, it seems like Tonhon's dad just "forgave" them for being gay BECAUSE they helped him. There's no further open discussion about whether he actually isn't homophobic anymore.
- Women ≠ baby-making machine: the last episodes made me super angry. Tonhon's dad obviously never realized his mistake of viewing women as a utensil to make an heir. Miriam even became a surrogate mother because he wants an heir??? What in the world! I personally don't think surrogacy should be legal for many reasons (it facilitates human trafficking, surrogate mother's risks, etc.) but I understand people may have other views. However, here, while I appreciate Miriam's selflessness, the whole reasoning behind it is simply fucked up.
- Tonhon kissing Amp for his ego (to prove his masculinity???) and sure he apologized but did he realize his mistake? He literally tried to get Chon to trust him by expressing how long he has loved Chon. A person does not need to "prove" their gender expression or sexuality to other people ok? Not to mention that one's sexuality has nothing to do with one's gender expression. And Chon apologized to Tonhon even tho he did nothing wrong?? Smeh...
3. PACING: terrible pacing. Both about character development and the story going forward. There are a ton of useless scenes without pushing the plot.
I will not forgive this series for not addressing the issues above. There are many other problems that I haven't mentioned (like privacy and personal space, stereotypes about women, lack of well-portrayed characters, etc.) but these ones are what I'm most dissatisfied about.
Probably not an issue for most people, but I dislike the fact that Tonhon is just getting shirtless for absolutely no reason. I just don't need it lol.
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This review may contain spoilers
I was very skeptical about this drama after watching the first few episodes because i found it too cringey for my taste. However the more episodes i watch, the more i get lured into the story. Okay, this drama has its flaws. It is not perfect. It is cliche at times. You will get frustrated with some characters that you just end up screaming in front of your laptop because of how stupid they are. You will probably have a love-hate relationship with the main characters. But I guess that's what makes this drama really addicting. It gave me different kinds of emotions and will make you think if you should empathize with some characters or not. Midway on the drama and I was already rewatching some episodes. And now that I finally finished it, I am back with rewatching my favourite parts again lmao.
The chemistry between GJ and YZ is no joke omg. Their love story is one hell of a ride but the end made it all worth it T_T The acting is also sooo good, most especially Zhang Ming En. I fell in love with his portrayal of YZ - how he nailed being a sweet boyfriend to GJ and how he acted as a jerk in the latter part. I felt his pain when he thought GJ betrayed him. I also love the character development that is very much present in the drama and how it walked us through the characters' journey to forgiveness.
Overall, there's never a dull moment watching this drama and I believe they wrapped everything up in the end. Definitely recommended if you're a sucker for romance like me. But even if you're not, it is still a good watch as it offers you some life lessons along the way (which is for you to find out *winks*)
PS. Also the OSTs make the drama even better huhu
PS2: So I have read other reviews about this drama and to be very honest, I enjoyed this more than Because Of You. I guess it's really a hit or miss. Try watching a few episodes atleast and see if you'll like it.
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