heartwarming slice of life series
Overall: this series really gets you in the feels. Aired on GagaOOLala, 10 episodes total about 20 minutes per episode. Has a 1 episode spin off. It is based on a manga which I purchased on Amazon and read (and it stayed pretty close to the source material).Content Warnings: past bullying, trauma
What I Liked
- the intro/outro songs
- sweet moments
- the cooking
- slice of life vibe
- that kid is adorable and the dad is super supportive
- Minoru seeking out communication
- production value
Room For Improvement
- not a fan of some of the exaggerated expressions, many series based on manga have a character like this but it doesn't feel right in the live action adaptation
- too many flashbacks
- wish we got some/more romantic attraction signals from Yutaka
- went too quickly from daytime to nighttime in episode 8 during a short story
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K-POP survival classic
mnet definitely set up Riina and Jihan as if they could do a few performances separately but no. They decided to play the same song repeatedly. Say what you want, but I've watched enough MNET survival shows to know about their snakes and evil arrangements. I hope you are watching this, DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU SEE ON HERE because mnet loves to make drama especially between women. Let's just enjoy the drama they create for clickbait and views, never mind. I hope I don't see anyone swearing at anyone here, if you want to blame someone blame mnet, not the girlsThe other issue I would mention is that I didn't need to watch it after the 6th episode. I didn't see any gram change in the rankings. Again, it was the classic K-POP Survival competition, which was brought by the popularity, not the talent, are we surprised no?
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The biggest reason I love this drama is the feel-good feeling you get from watching it. Compared to a lot of other dramas I've seen, this is really realistic and stuff that happens in real life. Very easy to put youself into how these people feel and why they do the stuff they do.
The music in this drama is also amazing. I absolutely love it!
Acting can't get any better. It's kids in this drama too and even they do it really really good. I have to confess though, the only reason I started watching was because of Kamenashi Kazuya, and he didn't disappoiont me either.
So, this is a drama I would recommend to anyone who wants a warm family drama without too much stuff that won't happen in real life. To put it simply, awesome drama!
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Why I was disappointed?
The characters:
The first 'Bad Guys' hit me hard. It was different. The criminals were not just senseless persons that went around throwing their fists- 'me man lets see who fists is tougher' while beating their chest. They were intelligent.
The story:
I am not comparing this to the first Bad Guys but I would think that if I am making something of the idea of something else then I would at least make it have something of the original. The first was an original the second was made from a blueprint of every other Korean drama out there. The only thing that was missed was amnesia. (I guess that would have been too ridiculous) If the child have not characteristics of its parents then it was probably adopted.
If you want a good action show I would recommend watching Heartless City instead.
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It's a Sweet romance with a Super cute FML
Found the start not to my liking but after a couple of episodes it got better.It's a Sweet romance with a Super cute FML and the ML is very sweet to her.
I was abit disappointed that the FML character wasn't more confident in herself and was kinda Naïve. I wish she would have stood up for herself abit more, but it was kinda sweet that the ML always held her hand and protected her.
Crazy 2FML!
there is something really annoying with the fact that they are always so insane, can anyone please write a 2FML character that won't hear "i don't even like you" and translate it in her head to "I'm in love with you let's get married" ?!?! There is something seriously wrong with that.
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The randomness starts at the episodes’ structure. The way the story is told? Random (well, sometimes it DOES make sense). The characters’ personalities? Random. Or that’s what you would think because every single one of them as a story behind, and guess what, you can buy all the explanations to the weirdness. But still, you totally get hooked to this.
Of course the main reason to watch this is comedy. Pure crack. But you want some lessons on Japanese culture and the origin of some Japanese words? Yes, you can have it here. You want some lovey-dovey scenes, you want some sweet scenes, you want some introspection scenes, you want some friendship scenes? Yes, of course. Or maybe you feel like watching one of those old black and white silent movies, yes, you have that here too.
Really, you have to give this a try. Oh, and I have to say I loved the costumes and how they did it, I mean, I couldn’t help but find Hoshi really handsome.
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Initially this drama started off at a pretty watchable standard. The young versions of the characters are played by the same people who play the adults, just in school uniforms. I liked the story behind the lead guys past, how he's looking for his sister, hiding out in book shops, living off of ramen. The introduction between the characters was great. The oddball friend falls in love with her best friends brother, the popular friend and the two guys crushing on her. I like the way that the oddball friend befriends 'Peter' and stays loyal to her promises.. however. I don't like the fact that this entire drama is based on the fact Ai Li Si refused to tell anyone who Peter was, and that her so called best friend didn't believe her. That was kind of the area things started to wobble.
Fast forward to the future and Ai Li Si has turned into this cold and distant woman who works as a science researcher. Now as a science researcher I would expect her to be fairly bright, despite her obvious emotional trauma. No. No she is not. The main female lead is probably one of the most naive, air heads I've seen in a drama. Now female empowerment in general is not something I talk about, I'm all for it but it's not something I ever talk about because I don't really argue my opinions. But this... THIS took the biscuit, the plate and the tiny little napkin it came with. I can't put into words how annoyed I felt at this female lead. I know a lot of female Asian leads are meant to be delicate flowers who need to be protected by the strapping young man with a six pack and a flaming axe made out of manly things, but this.. this.. I just can't. I don't see why or how the writers thought making the female lead so urghhhhh. I KNOW she's emotionally unstable but ughhh. Okay I'll stop talking about how peeved the female lead made me I think you get the idea, but it was like.. 73% of why I started skipping.
The actors themselves weren't awful, it was mainly just the way the characters had been written. I think with the scripts they were given, the actors did a great job. Not enough to win an Oscars (or Asian equivalent) but pretty good, especially in the first episodes when they're pretending to be high school students.
I like the way that bullying can be seen in this drama, as in... it shows that bullying can affect people whether that's the intention or not. There's one scene where Ai Li Si meets one of her past tormentors to try and only her memories, but he doesn't really remember bullying him. I think the way it shows that although it doesn't effect you, or doesn't seem like a big deal, bullying can be a big deal in some people's lives. It's kind of like how in Who Are You: School 2015 she tries to commit suicide, although not as extreme in this drama, showing the side effects bullying can have on the victims. Especially in Asia where you can hear a lot of extreme cases of bullying, but no one sees what's wrong with it (I don't know how accurate this is I'm just basing it off of blogs written by people who have taught in Asia).
That's second (and last) item I liked about this drama.
The music was okay, I don't really remember a lot of it... I know it wasn't bad, but I'm not about to go and download the OST.
So to summarise:
Good things - The first episodes where they're students, the portrayal of bullying in younger generations and the affect it can have on the victim.
Bad things - Weak female lead, predictable script writing and a little repetitive. Weak female lead and even seeping into weak second female lead is a large reason I disliked this.
But please keep in mind that this is my opinion and that I did start skipping because it bored me. It is possible that the parts I skipped had information to make this drama better, but in my personal opinion I highly doubt it. I was going to drop this drama, but finished it due to sheer will power. I wanted to give the drama a chance but it just didn't do it for me. I know a lot of people are fans of the innocent romance style, and if you like that kind of thing it might be worth giving this drama a try. But if you came up to me and asked me if you should watch this.. I'd say no. Or at least watch the scenes as kids and then just read up on the rest of the drama. There were a couple of good parts but I don't think that they were quite worth the other 10(ish) hours of not... very.. exciting script writing.
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Good Love Story
What a lovely and refreshing drama!I watched this drama not only based on the beautiful pictures but also the storyline. Even though it is 24 episodes at around 11 minutes each it is well done and worth the watch.
A Mu/Shen Yu Xi infiltrates the Red Stone Villa for revenge on Chu Jing Chen's father who killed her parents. How she does that is by disguising herself as a man and becoming Chu Jing Chen's personal bodyguard. We all know that she will get discovered sooner rather than later. But when she is poisoned while taking a bath, he discovers her "star tattoo" on her shoulder and realizes this is the girl that saved him when he was kidnapped as a child.
His oldest brother who is in a wheelchair resents everything about Chu Jing Chen but hides his true feelings. But when Chu Jing Chen tells his father and brother that he will not marry the girl that his father has chosen for him to expand the villa because of his feelings for A Mu, we think we will see happiness. But alas, just when he tells A Mu that he wants to be with her, she finds the note that he says that he will not fall in love with her. A Mu tells him to go ahead with the wedding. Chu Jing Chen is so angry that he agrees to marry his father's choice even though he has told everyone, even the bride that he doesn't love her.
The wedding commences and we find that the bride is A Mu. We never know what happened to the original bride. A Mu attempts to kill Chu Jing Chen's father at the wedding but is stopped by Chu Jing Chen himself. After telling her to run away, A Nian is fighting off the guards from the villa. Chu Jing Chen arrives and finds an injured A Mu. He takes her to his mother's hidden place that only he and A Nian know about. Explanations are made and he reveals he knows who she is. They then finish the wedding ceremony.
Chu Jing Chen goes back to see his father. His father is agreeable with his marriage, now with her true name of Shen Yu Xi. He goes back to tell her that all is well. But that at his brother's suggestion he will go to the sect of the girl he was supposed to marry and apologize in person. He tells Shen Yu Xi that he won't be long and left A Nian with her for protection. But they didn't get far after all of his guards are poisoned drinking tea at the rest stop. But luckily A Liang, his other personal bodyguard, stopped Chu Jing Chen before he drank his. He then thinks about Shen Yu Xi and races back to her only to find her and A Nian gone.
He eventually finds her and A Nian. They both had been drugged with a powerful aphrodisiac in which A Nian took her hairpin to cut himself so that he would not lose control and attack her.
They find out it is the brother that was the real killer of Shen Yu Xi's parents and not Chu Jing Chen's father. His father after finding out that his oldest son had killed Shen Yu Xi's parents had cut his wrist and his tendons to walk hence him begin in a wheelchair. The father and brother do die.
The sad part was that A Nian fell in love with Shen Yu Xi. He never revealed his love to her, but I believe that both Chu Jing Chen and Shen Yu Xi knew how he felt that is why he left in the end. Then we had A Liang who was with the wheelchair bound brother who was so disappointed and upset that he no longer wanted to stay at the villa either, so he left as well.
But there was happiness for Chu Jing Chen and Shen Yu Xi because she discovered that she was pregnant, and they were going to have a child.
In the end, I found this to be just one of those nicely done dramas that has plenty of kisses and beautiful moments that can send your heart racing. The ML is really nice on the eyes, oh and always kissing her. The FL is a good compliment to him as well.
Very enjoyable and is definitely rewatchable.
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I thought this drama was really loving and sweet. I like it a lot. Sure it needed a few things to make it better but it wasn't bad. I'm glad I watched this drama. I enjoyed watching it very much.
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1
1This review may contain spoilers
it just clicks with me
I think that this is Wong Kar-wai's cinematic masterpiece. It is a dreamlike exploration of love, loss, and the human condition. It's a film that lingers in the mind, a haunting melody that plays on repeat. I remember the first time I watched it, I was mesmerized by its beauty and complexity."The past is never over. It's just a story we tell ourselves."
The film is a tapestry of interconnected stories, each one a poignant reflection on the complexities of human relationships. Tony Leung's portrayal of Chow Mo-wan is nothing short of iconic. His nuanced performance captures the character's loneliness and yearning with a haunting intensity.
"Love is all a matter of timing. It's no good meeting the right person too soon or too late."
Zhang Ziyi's performance as Bai Ling is equally captivating. Her character is a mysterious and alluring figure, a woman who seems to embody the very essence of desire. Her chemistry with Tony Leung is palpable, and their scenes together are electric.
"Time is a thief, stealing the present from the future."
The film's nonlinear narrative structure adds to its dreamlike quality. It's like a puzzle, with pieces scattered across time and space. As the viewer, we're invited to piece together the fragments of the story, to connect the dots and discover the underlying meaning.
"Love is all a matter of timing. It's no good meeting the right person too soon or too late."
At its heart, 2046 is a film about the human condition. It explores themes of love, loss, memory, and the passage of time. The characters are constantly searching for love and connection, but they are often doomed to disappointment. The past haunts them, and they struggle to let go of their regrets.
"In love you can't bring on a substitute. When the Peony blooms, she stands tall. Does she mean no or yes?"
Wong Kar-wai's signature visual style is on full display in 2046. The vibrant colors, the stunning cinematography, and the evocative music create a truly immersive cinematic experience. The film's soundtrack, composed by Shigeru Umebayashi, is the perfect complement to the film's melancholic tone. It's a haunting melody that lingers in the mind long after the movie ends.
"Maybe one day you'll escape your past. If you dream hard enough."
2046 is a film that demands patience and attention. It's not a straightforward narrative, but a series of interconnected stories that unfold slowly and deliberately. But if you're willing to let yourself get lost in its dreamlike world, you'll be rewarded with a truly unforgettable cinematic experience.
"I once fell in love with someone. I couldn't stop wondering if she loved me or not. I went to 2046 hoping to find her there. But I never found her."
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Girl from nowhere? Nah
Before we start, yes there are indeed similarities between GFN and this drama however at the same they are quite different from one another in terms of plot. Each episode is a continuous storyline so not to worry about having a different plot in each episode.Story;
The story.., ah how to describe, I wouldn't say predictable but for me it lacked a little something but that's just my preference maybe because I have watched a lot of thrillers. Some scenes are creepy but nothing too heavy or any jump scares so don't be scared! It did feel very short though I hope they added some elements into it because It did make me want to watch the next episode immediately.
Acting;
Loved it. Nothing too much or unnatural, everyone played their part well.
Music;
I FUCKING LOVED THE TRACK
Incase anyone needs it, its 断面 by Dios.
Overall, just go for it. Its just 23 mins long, 7 episodes; good for a late night watch if you're bored.
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it lost me
Overall: though the man m/m dynamic was not my favorite*, the first few episodes were set up and done well, but then the plot deteriorated and by the end I was angry. Note that there is an extra scene after initial credits. Aired on Gagaoolala and Viki.Content Warnings: physical abuse/physical assault off screen but wounds shown, punches, non con kiss, mental health struggles, manhandling, manipulation, dentist/patient, age gap (10? years), if you have anxiety about dental visits then there are some scenes that might make it worse
What I Liked
- the sweet moments
- a few funny moments
- acting
- good kissing/continued physical affection
- dance scene at the end
- production value
Room For Improvement
- *the cold dentist and the vulnerable/traumatized (continuous) patient was not a favorite dynamic, I didn't like the side immature high schooler and reluctant bar manager either
- too many couples (4) most of which did not have enough development and 1 of which was extremely rushed
- the sister punching Jin Xun An twice and trying to punch him in the face was awful, you can care about your sibling but Bai Lang is a fully grown adult and you don't physically assault people, speaking of
- WTH was that with the dad, he's a total abuser but then on screen shown as a little grumpy and basically has no consequences (i.e. he should go to JAIL!!!!) This being glossed over was awful and it was totally unnecessary to the plot. He could have been the standard homophobe like the majority of BL parents.
- way too much time spent on flashback and showing an entire past relationship that I cared nothing about
- cliche ex enters the picture which leads to
- terrible communication skills for adults in their 20s/30s
- a straight wedding in the only Asian country where same sex marriage is legal complete with a bait and switch proposal had me fuming
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