Completed
Battle of Changsha
18 people found this review helpful
May 30, 2015
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 5
Overall 9.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.0
For quite some time I've been stalking Wallace Huo, I consider him a very good actor, he has shown how many various roles he can play and be really natural and believable. I've been waiting especially this drama to be subbed cause I find this period of time very important in history and worth to be seen through television movie and dramas plus last couple of months war dramas really picked up my interest, somehow I got attached to them the most

So finally I was able to find this drama subbed and I was happy cause of Wallace who, to tell honestly, looked amazingly dashing in uniform, and I was confident that this drama was going to be all about love story set in the WWII era, but I was so wrong. Battle of Changsha is one of the most emotional and heartbreaking dramas I've ever watched but most of it doesn't even have to do with romance at all.

What was the greatest strength of this drama are their characters, the whole Hu family, they were the heart and the soul of it. You follow them through all the hardships, you laugh with them, cry with them, watch them as they grow and mature and they slowly grow on you until you realize that they’ve become a part of you and when everything ends you feel so empty, like someone stabbed you with a knife and ripped your heart. And now I’m stuck in Battle of Changsha and I can’t get out nor I want.
Whole drama is filled with so many raw emotions, every single detail of it feel so real, what left me speechless is that none of the characters are perfect, they are all full of problems and weaknesses, they deal with life in monstrous time of war and struggling to survive by any means.

This drama can be separated in two parts, the first half of it is more funny, lighthearted and relaxed than the second full of heartbreaks and overwhelming emotions, especially in the last couple of episodes where you'll start to sob and cry an ocean of tears and where your soul feels like dying and you can't breath. You're kinda expecting that cause yeah no one said war was easy but still you feel heartbroken to the core.

I got attached to many of the characters but there are few of them that grabbed my heart and for whom I ached and cheered the most. First of them as my favourite are the twins, it was impossible to separate them here as in drama too, they were together all the time like one. Xiang Xiang- the bold, confident one, a girl who wasn't afraid to speak her mind and fights for what she believes, I loved her transformation and how her character grew up and she became a mature, strong young woman; and Xiao Man- the immature one and he stayed like that almost until the end but then he also showed how mature and real man he became through many terrible and tragic things he experienced and has gone through. I loved their bond, they have to be my favourite brother-sister couple, the best siblings ever, I laughed so hard with them, I respected them and how they fought for their freedom, I cried so hard with them, they really made me too emotional, even now while I'm writing about them their picture and scenes shared between them are so vividly shown like they're in front of me.
The other character who was the most lovable is their brother in law, that guy who at the first glance looked so harsh, cold, evil but when you got to know him you see how he actually love them all, how he protected them, how he was doing all the things he's done just so they could be safe and have a roof above their heads and food to eat. His unwavering love for the sister was admirable to the core, so powerful and strong, he made me wondering how is i possible to love someone so strong and firm. I really enjoyed in scenes shared between him and the twins, they were at the moments so hilarious and then the next one they made you cry. And when you add to that the character of Wallace- who was also fantastic, his eyes, his expressions, how he secretly protected Xiang Xiang, he simply draws you in, he was a true soldier, brave and courageous worth the praise; you get four amazing characters who made this drama to be so freaking, torturing, astonishing beautiful.

Although a war drama there were a few battle scenes, whole drama is more a family drama in times of war. Despite that special effects for them were still excellent and those scenes in the battlefield and in actual fight were brutally realistic as mush as possible which only made it better (or worse) to the viewer, you tend to be more emotional and involved.

I honestly don’t have any real complaints about this drama besides some very minor things that I can easily overlook. Seriously, everything from the directing to the musical score was wonderful.
Battle of Changsha is a true rare gem. Yes, it has been a heavy, rocky, heartbreaking ride but I loved it completely and don’t regret watching it at all. Simply because a drama as beautiful as this one deserves multiple viewings.

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Completed
Wu Xin: The Monster Killer
18 people found this review helpful
Nov 23, 2015
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This is what I call a sleeper- one that nobody expects it to be as pleasant as it turned out to be. The acting is strong overall with several decent performances and this is impressive in my opinion, despite being a young cast made up of fresh faces. This series may just be the break needed for some of these young actors. The story is interesting, packed with good monster-fighting action and develops at a good pace. Most unsuspecting however is how emotional the story actually is.

I am so glad this series exposed me to Elvis Han who's got this sense of charming maturity and appropriate acting chops to give a very honest performance in his Wu Xin role. But who am I kidding without the following mention: the boy's got abs !!! But the best (and also favorite) performance probably goes to Ian Wang as Commander Gu Xuan Wu. The series wouldn't be the same without him - he is as loyal as a friend as he is obnoxious and grandiose, a comedic relief and above all a refreshing contrast to our main male lead Wu Xin. He dominates the screen with his humor and charisma and his expressions are such a treat to watch.

I did not expect myself to like it as much as I did, since track record for this kind of genre in the past seemed more about eye candy than anything substantial. If that's what you were thinking then be prepared to be proven wrong and taken in for a pleasant surprise . Although categorized as action/thriller and for some - horror, I really enjoy the humor in this. It is smartly done and appropriate. Where they managed to insert humor in the most unlikely or random of places is something audiences do not expect but will thoroughly enjoy.

The soundtrack is great, I particularly love 'The Longest Journey' by Li Qi and the beauty of its lyrics.

Overall I am glad I gave this a chance (the fact that it's a short 20 ep series sold me on it to be honest) and here I am now hoping for a sequel. "Don't judge a book by its cover" is best way to describe this series - get ready to be taken in for a surprisingly eventful and emotional journey, you will not be disappointed. I can promise you that you will be getting more out of it than you ever expected .

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Completed
Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy
18 people found this review helpful
by Eirish
Jul 24, 2025
Completed 0
Overall 1.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 2.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

DON'T WATCH THIS SHI

If you're in for the story just read the novel or webtoon instead because this shi changed everything from the original story to the point it's not recognizable anymore. The CGI is bad, the lines are bad, the very "ADAPTATION" is bad. They butchered my favorite novel and I refuse to acknowledge this as "Omniscient Reader" blergh. I gave 2 stars out of respect for the actors but that's it, just read the novel instead. ( I am not A b o t just saying in case those insensitive people accuse me as one😝, I created accounts across different sites just to rate this one star, that's how bad this movie is and mind you a lot of ORV fans are doings this and again, that's how bad this shi is;> )

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Completed
Sunflower
17 people found this review helpful
Jan 16, 2012
Completed 1
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
I've never really become addicted to watching Korean movies just as Korean dramas. I don't know, maybe I've grown accustomed to drama series that the movies just seem too short for comfort.

However, Sunflower, perhaps, is one of the few enticingly dark stories that gets marked in your head. Kim Rae Won portrays Tae Sik, a high school drop-out who paid jail-time (was it ten years?) for 'cleaning up' the neighborhood of high school punks and thugs. We see how he's trying to catch up with the changes around him and how he's sincerely wanting to change through an old dirty notebook where he keeps a list of 'To dos'.

But oh, some people just wouldn't have it. He's been maimed, bullied, pushed to the limit. So much that it makes you want to cringe when he just keeps quiet and walks away. And when he does snap, it was like a volcano erupting.

Story is a 10 - closer to reality.
Acting/Cast 10 - Awesome characters.
Rewatch value - well, if you want a tragedy...

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Completed
Long Khong
18 people found this review helpful
Aug 31, 2020
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers
Okay so I just finished watching this series and must I say.... it didnt meet my expectations.... it EXCEEDED them!!

At first I was so close to not even watching the show cause it wasn’t properly available for international fans, the bl romance got censored and we never got to see that steamy locker scene so I was kinda disappointed...

But I decided to give it a try and I DID NOTTT regret it! Although there wasnt gay romance and they didnt make it easy for international fans, the story and the plot were magnificent. During the series one by one the characters die in a different way but the way they die is so smart. Praewa makes them think that its their fault their friends are dying and she is getting into their head, brainwashing them so it can be easier for her to kill the others afterwards. In addition, the plot twist at the end caught me off guard as I couldnt even imagineee that!! Like- WHO COULD HAVE KNOWN? It was so smart and the way it ended didn’t disappoint me at all! Not even in the slightest!

The acting literally shocked me. I didn’t except them to be so good!! They did an absolute amazingg job and they couldnt have done it better! I respect them for that!

The ost fits PERFECTLY for the whole concept and the singer is a queen herself so I just love it!!!

All in all I think that everyone did such and amazing job with this series and I definitely recommend it to everyone! Give it a shot and I hope you wont regret it cause I didn't either❤️

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Completed
Surely Someday
16 people found this review helpful
by Ashu
Sep 1, 2011
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0
If you're wondering about the high scores... Well, I guess I have a thing for good acting.



I hardly ever watch movies, but when I do, I read up on them a lot beforehand. This one seemed promising in many ways. Oguri Shun as the director (*fangirl*), good cast and interesting plot. Many reviewers seemed to think this was a good movie too, so I figured 'why the hell not'.



I don't regret it.



The movie is funny, well written and brilliantly acted out. It tells the story of 5 friends in high school who separate and re-unite 3 years later, each fulfilling their own role: The shut-in, the yakuza, the unresistable musician, the pervert and the 'normal' guy who is longing for his prostitute 'fiancé' that he got 'engaged' to at age 10.



The actors are amazing. I can't really underline that any more than I already have.



The music is great. Most songs have english lyrics as well, so they are easier to sing along to if you were to download buy the OST one day. :P



Being a complete shut-in who doesn't share the world of dramas with anyone but myself, I watched this by myself, but the atmosphere of the movie gives off a vibe that it would be great entertainment to watch together with friends or family. (Well, maybe not your dad because of the not-so-subtle sexual references in it. :P)



ALL IN ALL



I fell for this movie.



I love it.

And I'm sure you will too.

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Completed
Yumi's Cells Season 2
18 people found this review helpful
Jul 23, 2022
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers
My favorite part of yumi's cells will always be the fact that it's not a black and white, destiny, love story. There's no past connection. There's no once you date you can't not be together. There's just 2 new people meeting, getting to know each other and starting a relationship

Easily one if my actual favorites this year. I might go back and reduce 0.5 from my other 2022 dramas Since s1 I knew what will happen and that was for the best, since this drama is walking through new territory the anticipation can be dreadful, like Eve's ending ep had me in all types of turmoil 🤣 As an artist, as someone who hasn't found "love", as someone uncertain about alot of things in life, as someone who's alone, afraid to be alone and doesn't want ro not be alone, yumi's cells has been a healing drama for me At times it gave me courage, confidence, relatablility, hope, gratitude, happiness and envy❣


I have high hopes for sunrookie, lol I know nothing of him but I'm anticipating and longing for him😭❣
Maybe babi shouldn't have had a full season for himself, maybe it was better if by ep4 or 6 everything was wrapped up for sunrookie to show up faster and this could've been 16eps. Tho I won't mind a full season for sunrookie, I have high high hopes and I want to know how yumi will be with him


I'm mostly grateful the breakups made yumi stronger. And unlike 2521, she started appreciating her past loves😭

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Completed
Sword and Fairy
18 people found this review helpful
Feb 5, 2024
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

" If I am a Weapon, only you can be my Swordsman "

'Sword and Fairy' as a drama, delivers deeper thoughts than it appears on the surface. The characters are deep and complex with an integration of different backgrounds, thoughts and emotions. No matter how different their paths maybe, even if the ending is controlled by fate, they are still willing to overcome the obstacles together, because, there are greater goals to live and die for.
Unlike other wuxias, the drama doesn't really start with a backstory, so viewers may find it confusing. But I won't label it as confusing because the story actually follows the journey of exploring the backstory, the reasons of where they are today.
Still, I will be stating a little bit of introduction ( typically things you need to know) first, before going to review.

- The story basically follows Yue Jinzhao and Yue Qi, two amnesic orphans (NOT SIBLINGS) who neither remember their past, nor their roots were stranded in Wuyan Village 3 years ago. Unaware of their past, both orphans found solace in each other's presence, being emotionally bound, to the point that they could not live without each other. The duo set off on a journey to find their roots and their identity. On their voyage, they encounter evil sect 'Qiyuan sect' who try to scam them. In the process for seeking justice from Qiyuan sect, they discover that the sect may be way more complicated than just scamming. This sect may also hold secrets to their past and origin.

That was an extremely brief introduction, cause anything more than that could be a potential spoiler.
The drama has wholesome level of ANGST, no misunderstandings, and great potential TEARJEARKER!
The main leads are extremely dependent on each other, being each other's support for 3 years, they have grown a level of trust and maturity that no external forces can break.
The angst basically occurs due to the common troupe of 'sacrifice for the better world'. And ofc to protect the world, sacrifices are inevitable. Letting go of somethings are bound to happen. But there are too many sacrifices, too many to bear.

The first half of the drama brews the beautiful relation, friendship, romance, and memories to ensure worser heartbreaks, y'all HEARTBREAKS (plural) in latter half of the drama. So prepare your tissues.
Once again, the start of the drama may not be everyone's cup of tea as I mentioned before, afterall we are so used to knowing the background story in the very first episode before the main story starts, especially in wuxias. But this drama is instead about unraveling the background, the back story, cause we have two amnesic youth who have no idea about their history. Since the journey follows them finding clues to their identity, we know the story only when these two characters unravel them. So this has good amount of mystery too.

Its particularly saddening to certain extent because even the villains have a sad backstory, and so you cannot even hate them. Because their backstory and dark past are gonna rip you off everytime you are about to label them as 'black characters', yet at the end these VILLAINS are the ones who were the most SELFLESS ones from the begining. That is why, the characters are way MORE DEEP and COMPLEX than you could think.
All ' stranded threads' that you encounter in the first half of the story will be woven in the end. Everything will be in place by the end of the story.
This plot of this drama does a lots of play with emotions, so if you are able to figure out the backstory and emotions of the characters, you would actually realise that the plot and emotions run too deep. So you need to keep constant track on the dialogues, understand the meaning and emotions the every sentence represents. We gotta remember the fact that most main characters are basically in their 20s or even younger. They are forced to grow up lonely facing the antics of the society. So it has good integration of thoughts of both old age and young age, making the younger characters appear more mature than their mindset at that age should be.

I personally found the plot quite engaging, especially, since we had little bit introduction of every character posted by other fellow viewers ( I will write up the character introduction in the end), so it made my understanding of every characters' emotions very clear. The past titbits of memories, the timing of unraveling a particular mystery were well timely inserted. The pacing of story was quite good. The cgi wasn't the best, considering the fact that it's a tencent drama, but it has done a way better job than some of its last dramas. Besides the plot and the acting actually makes the CGI problem pretty much unnoticeable, and tbh it's not even that of a major issue, tho- I would label it as, has a room for improvement, since it wasn't the best.

The OSTS are beautiful, like so beautiful and once again, very well timed, earning brownie points to the scenes.
This drama, it's TOO BEAUTIFUL, and leaves too deep IMPRESSION, so do not miss it! You will definitely not regret watching!
_______________________________________________

Now, let's go for a CHARACTER INTRODUCTION ( no spoiler, but I feel you may find it necessary to understand their emotions and thoughts better)

1) Yue Jinzhao - He is a mature thinking and decision maker when it comes to the Yue pair. He has great thinking cognitive skills. But he actually very careful and doesn't trust anyone except Yue Qi.

2) Yue Qi - basically has great IQ, but 3- year old EQ. She may be naive and have childlike thoughts but definitely not on spoilt side, but she is quite thoughtful and straightforward. She values friendship and relations a lot. She appears to be adorable and cute softie, but is quite sharp, strong and powerful. Latter episodes reveal that she is probably stronger than Jinzhao. She is dependent on Jinzhao, when it comes to decision making and taking sides. She trusts Jinzhao more than anyone else and is always willing to Jinzhao.

3) Bi Luohuan - mysterious complicated character? Let's unravel what secrets does his character holds. He basically seems very engaged with the life of Yue-pair, especially Yue Qi?

3) Luo Zhaoyan - A woman dressed on man's cloth. She is an upright head of the family. She puts protection of the people and sacrifice for people above anything else. She is always considerate of others even if that causes neglection of her own happiness. Bound by the curse ' Luo family twin's death, she holds many secrets and complicated emotions'.

4) Xian Qing - A thousand year old wolf demon. Demons are not really favoured in the world of chaos, so he faces lots of struggles in the journey.

5) Ming Xiu - has a dark past, hence she hates demons, but she trusts Xian Qing, since he is her master's friend. Growing up lonely with only her master around, she is emotionally very dependent on her master and doesn't like to approach people. She appears very cold and distant.

6) Ju Shifang - An orphan, who lost his parents at an young age. His mother was a well-known genius in gadgets and mechanics, so he has always lived with the motto, to learn his mother's skill, protect his mother's only gift for him ( DouBao), continue a hierarachy and be a hero who is respected by people, because he has always been neglected and looked down upon, since an young age.
____________________________________________________________
ENDING: (spoiler)
The ending, I personally feel is very satisfying. It leaves us with a message:
" No matter what fate holds for us, in the end, we are still destined to meet "
It is beautiful and leaves a deep impression, basically a happy ending, but in a different way.
They meet again and fall for each other again. But this time, not as a swordsman and a weapon fated with a short life with heavy responsibilities to protect people, instead as normal humans with emotions, feelings and freedom to live and love like normal folks, a carefree life.
So I would conclude it as a happy ending, I mean compared to them forcibly growing up and maturing, and leading rest of their life in such 'sacrifice for the world' like motto, isn't this a better ending. This time they can live a carefree life. No need to care about responsibilities of people, of the world. Just themselves in their own little world filled with peace and happiness.

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Completed
My Gear and Your Gown
18 people found this review helpful
Nov 24, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 8
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers
This series is a bumpy and sometimes muddled ride. The production team apparently didn't trust the original novel enough to give it a direct dramatization, instead opting for a "life lesson" approach that is completely absent from the book, and this in itself is done too poorly to have much impact.

The book that this series is based on is a romantic comedy, pure and simple. It follows an outline that the series does keep intact to some degree: despite the bitter rivalry between a high school prince and the school's nerdy top student, the top student develops a one-sided love for the prince that ends up breaking his heart, only to have the situation reversed once both boys get to university. The top student has decided never to fall in love again while the prince (who has now become one of the most popular boys on campus) tries everything he can to win him over.

The book is very sweet and funny, with some touching moments along the way. (While the series was airing I posted a summary of the book's highlights in the discussion section on the MDL page.)

Rather than stick to the novel, though, the series forces two themes into the story that require some unfortunate disruption of the plot and the relationship dynamics:

- Always keep your promises
- Stand up for yourself

(You're forgiven if you happened to roll your eyes as you read that.)

For the "promise" theme, the promise in question is one that Pai makes to Itt under duress in high school, when Itt refuses to return a lost earring of Pai's that Itt has found. In exchange for the earring, Pai tells Itt that he'll do anything that Itt wants. Itt doesn't collect on this promise right away but waits until they're both at university, and what he requests is that Pai represent his faculty in the University Star and Moon contest, and win. (The series doesn't refer to it as the Star and Moon Contest, but that's what it is. The concept should be familiar to anyone who watches Thai BL.)

From there, whenever Pai seems about to fail in his attempt to win the competition, Itt shows up to berate him for not fulfilling his promise (i.e., the promise he was coerced into making to a thief for the return of a stolen item.) The fact that the series attempts to glorify this situation into something profound just shows how dim-witted the writers are. Pai would have been perfectly justified to punch Itt in the nose to get that earring back.

In addition to bullying Pai over the contest, Itt is also the agent for delivering on the "stand up for yourself" theme. Over the course of their freshman year in college he does this by showing up to publicly torture Pai in a number of circumstances. It's all for Pai's own good, you see. Itt's logic is that if Pai gets abused and embarrassed enough he'll finally learn to stand up for himself. (Ironically, when Pai finally *does* stand up for himself by confronting Itt over Itt's constant abuse, Itt gets furious!) (But then Pai immediately breaks down crying, so maybe Itt has a point there...)

Another problem I have with the "stand up for yourself" theme is that I never get the sense that Pai has a problem doing this. In high school, in fact, Pai is the leader of a club that is in direct competition with a club led by Itt, and this requires him to stand up to Itt a number of times.

Eventually Pai's own parents become complicit in this "stand up for yourself" scheme of Itt's, which only serves to make them look like bad parents. We never see how and why they come to do that, so it just becomes more of the series' lack of logic.

An element of the series that does follow the book more closely is the pairing of two other characters, Pure and Folk. Because their side story is not weighed down by any forced profundity, it contrasts refreshingly with the constipated interactions that are foisted upon Itt and Pai.

Pure is an equal-opportunity playboy, seducing women and men alike. After Folk becomes the latest in his string of one-night stands, Pure suddenly finds himself charmed and attracted by Folk's earnest sincerity. Their story becomes a well-done example of the "accidentally in love" trope and in some ways saves the series.

When it comes to the actors and their performances, Fiat is so assured and charismatic in the role of Pure that the other performances pale next to his, with the possible exception of JJ as Pai's best friend, Waan. As a viewer you are left with no doubt as to why Pure can attract others so easily. There's also a lot of good-natured, relaxed humor in Fiat's performance, including some cheerful asides about his own lack of height.

JJ's performance is equally relaxed. His prior experience in other series allows him to make Waan into a naturally chill kind of guy.

(The bromance between Waan and Pure is also a lot of fun. This is another original creation by the series and is something that the screenwriters actually get right, starting with the way in which the two first become friends. The only other thing I'll say about it is to be sure to watch for a scene where Waan takes Pure to see a doctor. These two guys definitely have chemistry, and as a result many viewers end up dearly shipping them as a couple.)

The other performances vary from very good (Marc as Itt, and Aun as Folk) to struggling (Win as Pai). In Win's case I like to think that he was hobbled by the script and direction. There are moments when his talent breaks through, but unfortunately this doesn't happen often, and as a result the chemistry between him and Marc isn't quite what it should be. (For me they don't reach the threshold of establishing themselves as a pairing to be shipped as 'MarcWin'. In fact I won't be surprised if they don't do another series together. 'FiatAun', or 'FAun', on the other hand....)

I hope we'll get to see Win in other roles where he can show his acting chops a little more. In the publicity videos I've watched he is upbeat and energetic in a way that Pai is never allowed to be.

For those interested in knowing how things go in the kissing department, have no fear. The kiss between Pure and Folk is suitably sexy and seductive, while the two that happen between Itt and Pai are plush and soft. For me the amount of lip action between those two was actually a little surprising. Given the tone of the series I expected something along the lines of what happened (or didn't happen) between Sarawat and Tine in '2gether'.

As a final comment, I need to say that it got to where I could no longer stand the endlessly meandering piano music on the soundtrack. I first realized how truly bad it is in a scene where one of the characters is sitting outside a hospital operating room, mourning the death of his mother. The major-key noodling just keeps going and going, as though he's merely waiting on a friend who's gone to use the rest room.

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Completed
My Sweet Dear
18 people found this review helpful
Oct 27, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 7.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

Want Something Sizzling Hot? Look Elsewhere

Overall: Well that was a thing. Though it has similar flaws with most Korean BL (rushed/choppy plot), I'm downgrading it because of the odd/bad ending. Watched on Viki.

Content Warnings: there's some manhandling - wrist grabbing, shoving to the ground

What I Liked
- the music
- the original premise of opposite personalities, we have a strict/disciplined guy vs free wheeling/out of the box thinker type guy. (unfortunately it didn't play out as I had hoped)
- that they showed some consideration for one another (not wearing perfume and covering sharp kitchen corners)
- juxtaposition/parallel of the opening scene between the two protagonists
- I did chuckle a couple of times
- that ear nibble/bite

Room For Improvement
- the nonsensical plot: why wouldn't the boss just fire the chef and hire the new one? The chefs should have teamed up at the end and opened their own restaurant together to teach the boss a lesson. There were no people at the fairground, how did the ferris wheel run? How do these chefs have so much free time? Why would the first chef's friends congratulate the 2nd chef???
- choppiness: scenes would just leap from one thing to another, how did they get out of the freezer?
- overdone cliches: "I can explain" (2 minutes of silence and gives no explanation) "I refuse to listen to your explanation (although you had 2 minutes to give me your explanation) and I will never speak or see you again in my entire life even though we work together"
- the flat, cliche evil female character who also has zero repercussions 
- lack of explaining character motivations: why did the 2nd chef sign the contract? He has a really nice apartment so he can't be broke?
- the ending, they didn't talk/date for 3 months, what??? The parallel was nice but we all know they should have kissed at the very end.
- some shaky camerawork
- I felt bad for that octopus

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Completed
City Hunter
18 people found this review helpful
by erwinjen Flower Award1
Aug 10, 2013
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This is a captivating drama series. It has both romance and the intrigue of revenge. The director was able to balance both aspect of the romance and revenge which I truly enjoyed. Lee Min Ho's character portrayed a son who was torn between revenge his type of revenge to that of his guardian. As you watch, you begin to root for his way of revenge rather than that of his guardian. Through all this his relationship with Kim Nana starts to develop more and more. The drama series is highly recommended and I guarantee that you will enjoy it. You would want to see every episode and wanting to see the next.

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Completed
Don't Think Twice, Love's All Right
18 people found this review helpful
by E-925
Aug 3, 2020
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Don't Think Twice, Love's All Right is a good drama dragged down by the limitations of its industry

One only need to look at the comment section to see my commitment to this drama (/Shrug/ Li Yi Tong fan). Obviously, I had and have major incentives to declare this to be the best thing since grilled steaks. Alas!

I was minutes away from finding out if the site has a 'zero' rating. Thankfully, Chinese drama writers after their obligatory sacrifices to tragedy managed to guide my 'ship' to port. Now, instead of being angry, I am merely annoyed.

The show is set in a large town where everybody is one acquaintance away from knowing each other. Essentially, there are four stories within:

1. The titular romance between our leads. Call this Pretty Woman with Chinese Characteristics. Contra those who avoided it purely 'cause of the male lead, in its first half, it is by a far the best thing about the show. It is truly heartwarming. Watch to episode 19 and stop!

2. The second romance is between a Legalist (The Chinese political theory of governance) and a broken-hearted romantic. Their romance is the funniest part of the show. Now I would totally watch a time-travel drama where a love-lorn romantic finds themself in Qin China. I didn't quite agree with the ending, but it was not all bad. It is the second-best part of the show.

3. The show starts to get weighed down by the other arcs. The usual drama, typical of C-dramas, involving scorned lovers and orbiters was generally weak and, in my view, unnecessary. But the man who broke our romantic's heart was charismatic enough to be a stand-out.

4. The absolute worst part of the show is the arc between Chinese Chuck Bass (When you see it, you'll see it) and Blair Wenwen. It has to be industry malpractice that allowed it to survive the cutting room.

The show tries to execute a complicated pirouette after episode 19 when it seems that our leads are sailing into a life of domestic bliss. They try to pull back the curtain and show life after the initial romantic glow fades. In my opinion, everything after that ruins the show. Episodes 1-19 were riveting television for me. After, it became a chore. I disagreed with every decision and typical of C-Dramas, they introduced far too many moving parts, dumbed down characters and engaged in aggressive acts of 'filler'--long pans, multiple flashbacks. The works!

This drama has many truly astounding actors. Li Yi Tong puts in the most charismatic turn I've seen on screen all year. I've got no beef with them. The writers, the production crew, the director and needlessly long drama seasons ruined what would have been an excellent drama. What-ifs aside, I cannot in good conscience recommend that you put in 30 hours on this. You won't be bored. That much is true, but I doubt you'd love it.

P.S

1. C-Dramas need to bin the whole 'scorned second woman' trope. Guaranteed cringe every time.

2. If you watch this, then after episode 19, skip to the opening scene of episode 37. Li Yi Tong manages to be both very cute and incredibly beautiful (there should be a word for that) and I don't think that is very fair.

3. Apple and Lenovo seem to have been major sponsors of this show. As far as I'm concerned, they are to be blamed for the post ep-19 clusterfucks.

4. https://mydramalist.com/35155-nodoka-no-niwa is the show that many of MDL users thought this would be. I'm tempted to watch it too, but the Japanese dial things up to 11 and I think I need lighter fare now.

5. C-Drama writers, tragedy is overrated. Happy endings and many babies for everybody; it won't kill you, you know.

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Completed
Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo
18 people found this review helpful
by Starae
Oct 5, 2013
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
If you're looking for a short and cute comedy, then I would recommend you give this a try. It's got some very light romance in it as well.

The acting is a bit over exaggerated...but if you've watched other Japanese dramas before you probably wont mind it as much.

There really isn't much to say about it, I enjoyed it and it's worth the watch if you need something to put you into a good mood because it's very simple and happy.

Don't let my lower ratings make you not want to watch it, for all you know this could be just what you're looking for!
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Completed
Only Friends: Dream On
18 people found this review helpful
by Annie
May 17, 2026
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

It was fun to watch and the actors ate

I know it's not everyone's favorite, but I really liked it and enjoyed watching. Of course, if you compare it to the drama and spiciness of the first season, is somehow lacking, but seeing it as it's own show, I feel it was messy enough to be entertaining.

Controversial opinion; my favorite couple was JackDean (maybe expected from me cause last season my favorite character was Boston). From Only Friends I really tend to enjoy the mess and Drama, and they gave me all of it! The acting was amazing from everyone, but Mix ate everyone up.

It was good and entertaining but may not be everyone's cup of tea, and ofc is no masterpiece.

Bonus points cause I always love OF OSTs !

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Completed
The Penthouse: War in Life
18 people found this review helpful
by Zgod
Jan 6, 2021
21 of 21 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Climb up a mountain but fall off a cliff

Everything went off a cliff towards the end. By knowing there will be two more seasons I could predict the events simply based on other failed TV series. This is why I wait for the whole season to come out. Season 2 will be a disaster since there is nothing left to build on. This is a very poor attempt at cash-grab.
The story build up nicely. The actings are superb. The production is great. It has so much potential from the beginning toward the climax. However, the materials are only good for one season of around 15 episodes. 21 episodes is already a stretch let alone 2 more seasons. A lot more characters and settings should have been added. The power balance disappear toward the end for convient plot - the classic Korean season ending.

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