This review may contain spoilers
This was a cute simple one
So, the FL is determined to prove that ML is a merman that saved her but, of course, ML doesn't know what she's talking about. He's an orphan that's trying to find out answers, but that still doesn't stop FL from trying to discover ML's secret.The first kiss is episode 7 all because ML read her notes and wanted to get FL's satisfaction that he wasn't a merman. Of course, the SML also has loved the FL for a while now, but he gets turned down (of course), but SML at least gets to fall in love with SFL (which, is adorable).
ML & FL doesn't officially go out until Ep. 14. She did confess her love to him in ep 11 but was turned down because he wasn't ready to open his heart again after what happened to his first girl. He didn't want to make another mistake.
Each of the characters has their own personal issues that they deal with and of course, you have other people that come to the resort that have their issues that get resolved in the end.
To me, I know some didn't enjoy it, but I was actually enjoying it. Though, FL hasn't changed much from when she did "Miss in Kiss". Her hair is mostly in a side ponytail, but she was still cute and "annoying" as ever. Haha
Also, expect LOTS of half-naked guys. I didn't mind it so much. I just wished they didn't wear speedos. I preferred them in the swim trunks. And I think that really bothered me the most was that it was 1 girl and 4 guys for the swim rescue team. I would have liked to have given her another female friend, but, SFL was good for me. She wasn't AS clingy as most second females would be. Once she knew that ML liked FL, he accepted her defeat.
P.S. - In the end, we'll never know if ML is REALLY a merman since whenever he got wet, he never once became a merman, so we'll never know who saved FL in the beginning, but overall, it was a cute drama and I enjoyed it. It was a nice cleanser after watching "Sweet First Love".
Was this review helpful to you?
Having spent the better part of the series sobbing, I will attest that this is a tear-jerker. Stories that deal with severe illnesses often are. Refreshingly Good Life avoids becoming maudlin and though tears well up, they don’t always spring from tragedy. I found myself most moved by the powerful relationship between Waku and his father; the change love brought into their lives at the most crucial hour…this is more important than anything else. The short length of the drama guarantees a sharp focus on their journey. There’s just no time for romantic detours or melodramatic spoons dipped in to stir extra conflict. (As a side note, Waku’s adorable yet illuminating narrations were fantastic; their presence bolstered the emotional atmosphere of the plot exponentially.)
Only two performers stand memorable, which works since Good Life focused almost solely on their characters. Sorimachi Takashi tugs insistently at the heartstrings as Daichi Sawamoto, the “papa” of the title. His character brought to mind the imagery of a trembling pillar; Daichi tries to take everything on his own shoulders, never letting anyone else see his deep vulnerability. As a result, he appears strong but aloof – blindly unable to understand that his life is lacking. Transformation from such a person into the gentle and loving father whose heart finally opens is conveyed compellingly, both by the writing and Sorimachi. On the other hand we have Kabe Amon, who played impressively as Waku. Not only is he super cute, he’s startlingly believable. It was easy to forget Kabe is healthy in real life and that Sorimachi is not actually his father (despite their immense chemistry).
Music is fittingly simple and nostalgic. Unfortunately, the soundtrack soon feels repetitive by the halfway point. A specific piano melody manages to stick in my mind, as well as the tender “Mata Ashita,” by JUJU.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The difference
Ok as a fan of love 020 of course I need to watch this as a comparison. Thank God there was a kind hearted person who upload it with english sub.Ok. Let's do the comparison between this and love 020
What better:
1. The process of Onoda Asahi (OA) falling in love to Arisawa Ichika (AI) is better than Love 020. OA takes his time to know AI before deciding to be in a relationship with her. AI also more careful to OA, since of course he is stranger to her.
2. The friendships between AI and Ikemoto Umi (IU) is way better than the friendship between Bei Wei Wei & Er Xi in Love 020.
3. Sasahara Kengo (SK) is way better man than Cao Guang combine with Zhen Shao Xiang in Love 020. This year he is my second lead syndrome, he is way better for AI than OA.
4. At first i really afraid they make the story complicated by adding childhood friend for OA, but turn out Shibuya Satomi is really nice woman.
5. The story overall actually more make sense than Love 020, Love 020 sometimes quite too perfect, but however i'll always have prejudice about that drama.
Ok now the bad part or the one that really ruin the story for me:
! Warning spoiler alert!
1. They break AI and OA apart!!! :( This one the one that make lower my score. I really hate this kind of break up. Break up just because he wants to protect her...!!! In their case no need for break up, he needs to stay by her side instead. I really love how Xiao Nai & his gang clean up the messed in the internet, they just clean the site, hahaha... Just like Bei Wei Wei friend said, that's how them as computer student take care of the problems. In here OA just like SK said, he can't protect his girl.
2. OA himself not so much a charm as Xiao Nai. I can't sense his charisma, i don't get what makes him so special.
3. The CGI in the game really bad & quite hurt my eyes :(. We can see they really have quite low budget.
Overall i really happy i can watch this adaptation drama. :)
Was this review helpful to you?
Good enough.
This is a comedy will make you cry as hard as it will make you laugh. It is a very personal, very moving tribute of comedian, actress, screenwriter and first time director Jia Ling to her mom, Li Huanying - factory worker, volleyball player and first person in Xiangyang to own a TV.I tried to watch this shortly after its release but dropped it within ten minutes because I was put off by the fact that Jia Ling chose to play herself, the then 18-year old Jia Xiaoling. In her late 30s at the time, she just doesn't look the part of a teenager so I abandoned it before I realised that nonetheless, she feels the part because she IS the part; every emotion is heartfelt down to the tiniest nuance. And of course she is who she is today because she is a funny lady, very, very funny with excellent comedic timing. Nonetheless, the criticism that the main role is possibly mis-cast is a valid one. There are some rough edges to the overall production that are very acceptable considering this is her directorial debut.
The main premise is simple, based on universally relatable mother daughter themes. Like many, I can vividly remember being 18, feeling awkward, unaccomplished, insecure and possibly a factory production run error of my lovely and vivacious mother. We have all been Jia Xiaoling, wanting to make our mom's proud, longing desperately to be worthy while dead set certain we are not. A freak of nature transports Xiaoling back to the past, where she meets and befriends her young mom and has a chance to be a part of all the most important events in her life. She hilariously and movingly tries to change her life for the better even if it means her mom ends up with someone else to hopefully have a more worthy daughter.. And in the process she movingly comes to the realisation that she was always already good enough. These are tried and true mother daughter themes that may seem to have been beaten to death but Hi Mom still manages to articulate a fresh, creative take and deliver a moving, heartfelt twist to this tale as old as time.
This is not perfect but I can happily give it a 9.0 and call it a masterpiece because it is an unforgettable movie that will make you call your mom or hug her if you are lucky enough to be next to her. After all, this humble, low budget production is only the highest-grossing movie of 2021, the second highest-grossing non-English film of all time, and the highest-grossing film by a solo female director. If like me, you haven't seen your mom for over a year due to covid, you may want to wait to watch this. But you must definitely watch it.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
What a great and actually gay drama. As in, Tao Mo & Gu She are really in love and they get their happy ending - and that’s why the Chinese censorship cut the drama from 28 eps to 12, which is why the beginning is rather slow and the last ep very rushed. Because the censors might’ve cut the show but the director and everyone involved still scrambled and did their best to give the viewers the book ending, the fairy tale ending for Tao Mo and Gu She. And the very last scene is one of the most touching, softest and sweetest thing I’ve seen in a Cdrama yet, hands down!So yes, I can highly recommend the drama. There are scenes that drag a little - see above - but Tao Mo & Gu She and their love - their scenes in general, really, they range from touching to truly hilarious - are worth it. The actors’ chemistry is fantastic and they were in 3 dramas together already, twice playing lovers, so… Thumbs up from me, for sure!
Was this review helpful to you?
An Enjoyable Way to Pass the Time
A fun romance/crime drama that managed to keep me entertained for its 16-hour run time. It's certainly not groundbreaking but then again, it's not trying to be.- 3 Pros -
1) The Couple
A strong couple is exactly what this drama needed and, luckily, the writers and the cast managed to deliver just that. Whilst they keep things relatively lowkey (there's no sweeping grand gestures or slow-mo gazing into each other's eyes), their chemistry is palpable in every scene they're in and the relationship itself develops in a way that feels sweet, natural, and surprisingly mature. It is very much a relationship of equals and, by the end of the drama, you can tell that their love for each other is rooted in mutual trust and respect. I feel it's still quite rare to see a truly healthy relationship in the k-drama world so it's nice to see Newbie and Chief Ko develop one that feels so normal.
2) The OST
A good OST adds another layer of colour and emotion any scene it's in and there are certainly a few of those in Catch the Ghost. Particularly memorable are Woosung's (The Rose) Feel My Heart, Roh Tae Hyun's Highlight, and ABRY's Wanted. They're on the more upbeat side and they normally made me smile and start humming along when they started playing (Feel My Heart Being an exception).
3) The Representation
Whilst Catch the Ghost isn't a particularly deep drama, I do appreciate its decision to tackle subjects like ASD and dementia. I thought both strands were relatively well handled (given SK's reluctance to address issues like mental health and neurological conditions) and I liked that the characters were allowed to be more than just comic relief.
- 3 Cons -
1) The Plot
The plot itself is really not that strong, especially with regards to the main crime. The pacing is bizarre at points (some key information gets revealed way too early) and there are leaps of logic left, right, and centre. It feels like the writers are trying a little too hard to mislead the viewer in order to fit in more plot twists but, because a lot of them feel so contrived, they end up being a lot less impactful than indented.
2) The Subplots
There are certain subplots I feel didn't get enough screentime to make their inclusion worthwhile. The Police Commander and her daughter had a really interesting relationship and it would have been nice to have seen it grow and develop. As it was, it just felt rushed and out of place, wrapped up too quickly for it to have any real impact.
3) The (Sort of) Love Triangle
This one is purely personal but I do hate love triangles with a passion so I thought I may as well include it. I personally didn't feel it was necessary or that it added anything to the story (when do they ever though?) and all it ended up doing was make me like one character a little less than I would have otherwise.
Was this review helpful to you?
Hidden Gem
I almost didn't watch this because of some of the reviews, but gave this a shot, and found myself highly entertained by this series. I REALLY have to like a FL in order to watch, and I LOVED the FL in this. She's tough and flirtatious and funny. The ML has a different personality than most ML's I've watched. He's not one dimensional so sometimes I had to guess on what he was thinking. He even had me wondering how much he loved the FL up until the very end.The chemistry between the leads is spot on, and I enjoyed the real kisses between them. I would recommend this series for the lead couple alone.
Was this review helpful to you?
Pros:
1) This show is a great introduction to debate. The show was produced and written by debaters, and you can tell throughout the show that they aimed to show the world the joy and value of debate that they experienced for themselves. The usage of debaters as characters in the show only adds to this. The pacing and format of the show is almost like a sports anime, where you become interested in something you never really cared about before by the passion and motivation of these characters. As someone who has been in mock trial and debate, this show feels authentic to my experience on this type of team and to how joyful and rewarding an experience like this is.
2) The characters are likable individually, and together, they have a lot of chemistry. The writers have created characters with quirks and depth, who may fall into general tropes but are still memorable nonetheless. Pan You Cheng straddles the line between charming-annoying and frustrating-annoying really well with Bai Yu. Lin Xin Yi plays Xiao Xi with a lot of overwhelming cuteness, but in no way is Xiao Xi labeled by the show as a stupid airhead. From the protagonists to side characters to antagonists, the motives and personalities of the characters have emotional logic behind them and they are understandable. The unfortunate exception to this is Xiao En, who is charming enough but definitely lacks depth. Sally, the actress who plays her, doesn't really sell the role. She's a K-pop star by trade, so this makes sense, but it still is kind of disheartening to know that her character was probably mostly conceived to draw in the K-pop crowd rather than to make an interesting character or advance the plot.
3) The romance is good, I promise. This bit might be a little biased, since I'm a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope that this genre cultivates so easily. The romance is never too much to where it overwhelms the show, but it's an important thread to the tapestry this drama weaves about these students' lives. Different types of romantic love are shown: idol worship, unrequited love, tsundere pining, old friends who care too much to confess, etc. There are multiple couples. You will squee and aww. Every romantic moment feels earned, but some people might think that's too slow of a burn.
4) The writing is smart enough to where you know the plot is predictable, but you're having fun so you don't really care. It takes that generic sports anime "I wanna win the big championship!" mentality, but you see these characters work hard and analyze and review so much that it feels earned. You feel proud of them when they win and grow and learn. And they don't have a straight shot from the bottom to the top.
5) The show tackles big questions without being preachy. A lot of the debate topics are huge questions that new adults face anyway when they're away from home for the first time. These include questions about obsession, choices, love, and purpose. This provides a great opportunity for the writers to both create character growth and move the plot along while maintaining the theme of growing up, and they use it really well. Instead of clearly leading the show to tell the audience what is the 'correct' opinion, the debate format shows the different viewpoints people have on a subject and subtly encourages the audience to think about it too.
Cons:
1) The wording gets really technical at times. For those who can't understand more technical Chinese (English subtitles aren't on Youtube as of writing), it can be difficult to follow along with what the debaters are saying. This includes Wechat messages and modern slang.
2) When the actors have to tackle tougher scenes, their lack of experience shows. While there aren't a ton of immensely emotional scenes in this drama, when they do show up, the acting is... awkward. This is kind of understandable given that many of the actors/actresses in this drama are fairly inexperienced.
3) Some elements of the production pull you out of the show. The most obvious one to me was the time of year. When it was supposed to be the middle of winter, I could hear cicadas in the background of the audio and trees that were completely green. Another is the music: while not as horrendous as other shows, the songs with lyrics sound really cheesy. The background music is fine though. The dubbing is okay but sometimes the audio mixing sounds messed up, which can take you out of an important scene.
Other things of note:
*Some episodes begin with a "cold open" style opening--usually some sort of funny hijink or past memory that's not continuous with whatever's happening in the plot. This can be jarring and confusing at first, especially if you're used to C-dramas that recap the last episode in the first 30 seconds.
*Debate topics always have some relation to a character's current conflict or problem. It's contrived and unrealistic, but if you can look past it, it will be worth it.
*The title sometimes spoils plot points. Learned this the hard way.
*A stale meme from over a year ago is referenced. Sorry about that.
TL;DR: Watch this if you want a breezy, sweet show with cool characters that grow through debate.
Was this review helpful to you?
Loved it!
I love lakorns but, unfortunately, many times I find myself fast forwarding through scenes and episodes of many of the lakorns I watch. Sampatan Huajai, however, was nothing like that! In fact, I found myself going back to rewatch some of my favourite scenes! Miracle!Weir and Thisa were stunning and, after watching these 16 episodes, I cannot think of a better pair for the role of Naboon and Wan. I loved Naboon and his protective; cunning; caring and lovable (and cute) nature. I loved Wan and her smartness; strength and dedication to her family and ability to think things through and not jump to conclusions. I love how we see their strengths and weak moments. Basically, I loved everything regarding their relationship - which was what I loved the most about this lakorn. I fell in love with their chemistry, their longing eyes, their cute scenes, their respect and support towards each other.
The plot also progressed pretty well and the story was great. It was interesting, gripping and full of action and mischievousness. My favourite action scenes were within the island, they were exciting! The action does slow down after 5 episodes and we start seeing less of the main leads together, which is a bit sad but the lakorn remained interesting and exciting. As usual, there were some misunderstandings between leads - as with every lakorn - but the best thing is that it was not those misunderstandings that drove the story forward since the plot was strong enough to not require that. Even the side stories added to the plot progression. On other lakorns, I usually just roll my eyes when useless side stories show up and skip through the scene. However, the great supporting character in the show made me stay through every scene. They were intriguing and funny and their own stories interesting.
The lyrics were beautiful. "I just realized I can't live without you... Thank you for being in my life " – that’s beautiful! The soundtrack fitted perfectly with the story and the scenes.
Long review short. This is one of the best lakorns I have watched and if you're looking for some good plot and chemistry, with added action, then this is the lakorn for you and I highly recommend it!
Was this review helpful to you?
For the first few episodes, Busu no Hitomi had everything for me. The characters were built to be very likable and human, and there were lots of laugh-out-loud funny moments. However, after these introductory episodes, things started to go a little awry and I found the character's actions and motivations less and less easy to understand as they strayed further from those core values exhibited at the beginning. By the end, I had little emotional investment left in any of them, and the drama just kind of petered out for me with a lackluster, and laboured, ending.
Overall, I wouldn't say this drama was bad, per se. It had a lot of potential, and it was just frustrating that it wasn't realized and optimized. If the characters could have been more consistent, with the story having less complete u-turns and need to throw in unnecessary and often confusing conflict, I would have scored it much higher. As it is, I'd consider it worth watching, and I'm glad I did, but it's probably better to go in without hopes raised too high by how good it appears to be at the beginning.
Was this review helpful to you?
Story - I felt the story was realistic, very accurate and I feel as though a lot of young people who finished University can relate to this.
Acting/Cast - All the actresses played their roles exceptionally. I can't fault anyone.
Music- Music was good. Matched the scenes.
Rewatch Value - Yes.
Overall - I enjoyed it because I could relate to it a lot but if you are looking for a romance filled drama then probably this isn't for you.
Was this review helpful to you?
It's quite different from other kdramas in that it is episodic with small stories that start and end in a single episode and only a few storylines that carry over through the entire series. This means that grudges and misunderstandings never last for long (thankfully!).
It's focuses on four three-generation families in a mountain village and the main character is a woman who separated from her husband and now has to raise her daughter and his daughter-from-a-previous marriage single-handedly. Being all alone and without any money (her husband's company has gone bankrupt and left them with huge debts) she's got no choice but to go home to live with her father, who'd been opposed to her marriage from the start.
It's a drama about building bridges and redemption, how everybody can change and become a better person, if only you give them the chance and the opportunity to do so. And talk about your issues and work them out! Even when some of the problems have simplistic solutions, I still really enjoyed it as it's got its heart in the right place.
I loved the ending which was low-key but realistic and in line with the rest of the series (that's all I'll say about it as I don't want to spoiler it for anybody).
Was this review helpful to you?
Freaking masterpiece!
Guys this is a hidden gem! OMG!!!I marathoned this one, (yep 40 episodes and I didn't even see where my weekend went...) and it was SO WORTH IT!
Ok, just let me say that the actors were great, be it the main or the rest of the cast. They portrayed all the emotions so well. All characters have motives, backgrounds and feelings (you can even the sympathize with villains) they are very well written.
This is a story with many shades of gray, no one is perfect, and that kind of makes it better, because you can find traces on them that are similar to ours.
Of course nothing is perfect, there are WAY too many twists and at some point you kinda just want for things to run smoothly (for once), but at the same time, you also get excited over the new discoveries and clues you get, so the more twists the more immersed in the plot you get.
I'm not much into crime/mystery dramas but this one is legit awesome. Seriously, I don't remember watching something from this genre and enjoying it so much (well with the exception of "When a Snail Falls in Love" but they are not similar in the romance category).
*(If you hate spoilers, or like to find things for yourself, avoid the comment sections like the plague!!)*
I'm definitely gonna check out some more dramas with this cast, it was splendid, from beginning to ending.
This one is definitely a must watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
-great soundtrack
-great cast
-great humor
what i didn't like
-weaker story this time around. the movie discusses events happening a year later from the drama but while the plot is the same (get the girl), there's not much else to the movie.
-rehashing the same scenes from the drama despite that this takes place a year AFTER the drama. redoing the same scenes from the past seems weird given the context
-flat ending. we get a resolution however um, that's it.
bottom line: the weird/sad thing about this film is that you HAVE to watch the drama in order to get the movie. if you don't, the movie seems even more empty.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A COMPLEX WATCH
4Minutes is definitely not your typical BL series. If you're expecting something light and easy to watch, this isn't it. I’ll be honest, I found it a bit confusing at first. Some viewers even suggested starting from episode 3 to understand it better. But I dove in from the beginning and decided to just go with the flow.Once you settle into its rhythm, though, it’s pretty intriguing, and you start to see why it gets such high ratings. It’s not just a story you watch, it's one you have to think through. You’ll find yourself analyzing each scene, trying to figure out what’s real and what’s just in Great’s head.
Yes, some scenes repeat, but that’s actually part of the whole experience. It’s not lazy storytelling, it’s deliberate. The repetition reflects Great’s chaotic, looping thoughts, especially since the biggest twist is that everything we're watching are just his mental WHAT IFS during a near-death experience. Wild, right?
The series tackles some heavy stuff, such as death, grief, and loss. A lot of people were dead in this series and it’s not always easy to watch. The emotional weight is real and adds to the intensity of the whole thing.
Now… about the NC scenes. Let’s just say, if you’re not comfortable with very intimate scenes, you might be in for a shock. The bed scenes are some of the most explicit I’ve seen in a BL series. It’s not just steamy, it’s intense. If you’re conservative or not a fan of NC content, you might write this off as borderline porn (I laughed, but it’s kinda true). But to be fair, the intimacy also plays into the mental and emotional state of the characters, so it’s not just there for show.
Overall, 4Minutes is bold, experimental, and not for everyone, but if you’re up for a deeper, psychological ride that’s not afraid to push limits, it’s absolutely worth the watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
