Reviews

The Story is Good

The story and characters of this web drama inspired me to read the Manhwa, which is something I've never done before.

I liked the actual story, and the characters enough to keep watching this, but this is a no-budget production and it shows.

Don't watch this if you are looking for good production quality. Everything including the actual script is sub-par at best. Acting is a solid OK, though the actresses playing young Ye Mu as well as older Ye Mu are both gorgeous, in a natural and unostentatious way, and they suited their character perfectly. The actors playing the ML and SML fit their roles as well, but they weren't given much to work with appart from the typical handsome stoic male role.

Anyway, I read my first Manhwa because of this web drama, which is something I thought I would never do (I haven't read a comic book since childhood).

Oh! By the way, why not just read the Manhwa if you want to know what happens next? The c drama follows the manhwa well. Here's a link to the Manhwa:

https://mangagg.com/comic/raising-the-enemy-only-brings-trouble-series/

And the episode that picks up the story after the final c drama cliff hanger is: Chapter 25. There you go, you have all the info you need now.

Because of the interesting story, I'm giving it a generous 7.5 severed tongues out of ten.

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First and foremost I would say that I did watch "Itazura na Kiss" and I didn't like it. Unfortunately, I didn't know that this show was an adaptation because I definitely wouldn't have watched this.
This is my opinion so you are not obligated to agree with me.

Xiao Xi- as a high school student being weepy, clingy and immature makes sense but even as adult there is no growth. She cries all the time and doesn't learn from her mistakes. She is a complete submissive. In the end it seemed like she has a little strength but that bubble was busted really quickly when she saw a little bit of tears in his eyes. "Did you forget all of the tears you shed for him on the second leads shoulder?"

Jiang Chen- I do not understand if its bad acting skills or the character is a robot. His expression never changes whether expressing love, anger, despair or happiness. He dominant and manipulative. He thinks very highly of himself and treats everyone -especially the woman he loves- as trash. Basically, I haven't found a single quality that I like about him. In college they were in a relationship but it felt more like only she was in a relationship. At the end when they get back together, he is totally taking advantage. He is the only one benefiting from that relationship and she is the only one comprising in the relationship. He doesn't care about her at all especially not about her happiness. When you love someone their tears hurt you more than it hurts them.

There is almost no character development in any of the main characters. I wouldn't want to promote this culture (the main male leads attitude) for the next generation.

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10/10 no notes

I don't know if this is the sort of story that can only truly be appreciated by people at a certain point in their lives, but it hit all the right notes for me week after week. The acting is superb, the unfolding storylines are relatable, and everything feels warm and realistic.

Loving in the wake of loss and burnout might look less romantic on the surface, but it is slower and more intentional... and feels grounded even in moments of desperate intensity. The small adjustments that you make to accommodate an important person in your life, and needing to balance that against other commitments or considerations (without resentment) is exactly the kind of mature love being portrayed. A love that is quieter and perhaps less possessive, but no less deep.

Watching this series has felt like a hug that I didn't even know that I needed.

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Talk about bittersweet ending? I'm still drying the tears from my eyes. This was a well written and acted story. You could not help but be sucked into it from beginning to end. What I especially liked about this story, it was not a love between two characters of different backgrounds. What it was, was a story about a young man, Natsuo, who effortless brought up his two siblings and continued to run their family bike shop business. Being such a helpful person, it made sense that he would meet Yuki under these circumstances.

The love that Natsuo had not only for his brother and sister but also for his sister's boyfriend is portrayed very well here. The absolute love for Yuki was amazing to watch as a slowly grew. The diving sequences were also well filmed. This was my first time seeing Domoto Tsuyoshi. Even though he was new to acting at the time this was filmed, his portrayal of Natsuo will be cemented to your mind. Hirosue Ryoko as Yuki was also a treat as I'd seen her before but again both actors did a hell of a job. Last but not least is the surprise of seeing an extremely young Oguri Shun! Such an accomplished actor he was even back then!

If there is one thing I can tell you, make sure you watch through the credits as the story continues and what ever sadness is left after the end, will be wiped away. This is why I feel Japanese dramas do an excellent job in making you feel better even with a sad ending.

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Its been a while since I was here for a review, but its just that whatever I watched didnt really appeal to me or the review was too negative that I didnt want to bother ppl with it.
Anyway I just finished watching EAMR. What a fun, enjoyable and happy show! and after a long time I might add. Either its a heavy melo which frustrates and depresses you or so stupid you give up.
Who ever did the casting, did a wonderful and perfect job. The actors were so perfect for their characters, down to the ones with the smallest parts. The main couple was just adorable. There were no evil and kill joys to spoil this show, even the reporter girl who is supposed to be annoying is quite likable.
Finally, if you want to watch a light fun romantic show, this is the one for you!!No pretty boys or deep dark drama, just pure entertainment.

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Tissue Rate (aka how much I cried); 2.5 out of 5

- I give it a 2.5 out of 5 for how much I cried for this drama is mainly because I'M a emotional/sensitive person and most the times when I cried for this drama, it was because I felt bad for the main girl character Tian Sanqi

Wow this drama was so gooodddd! I would 100% recommend. Not only this is a quick and short type Chinese drama, but also the storyline was definitely an interesting one. I love the many plot twists that were apart of this story. The plot twist were what got me on my feet this whole drama.

I really thought I wasn't going to like this drama but because I was in quarantine and I needed a new drama to watch, I was like okay I'm going to watch this drama because I kept seeing clips of it on Youtube and trailer teasers as ads. Not gonna lie the first-two episodes definitely were the best, I was laughing so loud; my mom had to quite me down because I was watching this at night lol.

Story; This story was a super light heart storyline, personally I got super confused whenever they would show the scenes from 8 years ago when they were 10 years old (I'm just going to leave it like that because I don't want to spoil anything) but it later all came together nicely. I love the chemistry between the two main leads, BUT I didn't like that for the first few episodes, how he mentions he was her friend and was going to protect her but then ends up bullying her. I felt so bad for her (thats kinda why I cried; out of feeling bad). On top of that I'm glad the second lead Bai Yifei got a happy ending with He Ruoyao instead of giving us second lead syndrome with the first main female lead. What really kept me going was the crime and investigating scenes, I love how Sanqi was this strong female lead who didn't care what anyone thought about her.

Characters; My favorite character 100% was the father lead who was Zhao Cuo's dad. He made me laugh so much during this drama. I love that he sticks up for Sanqi and didn't care that she wasn't from a a rich family but she was from a small village, I love how they respect and treat her well unlike the other dramas I've seen with the father lead wanting the son to marry a rich family's daughter.

Overall, I would 100% recommend this drama, if you're looking for a good laugh alongside a cute romance storyline but also with crime and mystery cases to be solved.

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Joseon's last days

This was a great telling of the factors leading to the decline of a 500-yrs old dynasty. Was it 100% accurate historically? No, but that's why it's a fictionalized account, not a documentary. I was delighted that this centered on history with a love story woven in, rather than a love story with a historical backdrop. This one had me researching Korean history after each episode.

Fair treatment was given to the main players at that time, and very few were portrayed as "all good" or "all bad." Actual power resided in certain noble families, so family connection trumped capability and family interest trumped national interest. Jockeying for positions of power- Kim versus Jo, insider versus outsider- lies at the heart of this series. The means used to obtain that power were explicit, and clearly showed that at the end of the day, the welfare of a nation was secondary to the elites. Heungseon may have wanted to destroy the factional powers for a centralized government, but his own ambitions proved to be just as harmful to the people. Queen Min may have had a heart for the people, but her desire to topple her father-in-law to replace with her own influence, would add burdens on them. And hapless Gojong, as sad a figure in this series as he was in actuality.

Despite all this, the message I got was one of hope for the future of the Korean people. The foundations being laid to put value on a person's talents rather than geneology, value on education for all citizens, and value on being open to new ideas, as well as the idea of redemption, would see Korea through the years of darkness until her liberation in 1945. Sadly, the same issues that led to a divided Germany divided Korea in half. My hope is one day Korea, like Germany, will be united again.

The cast was amazing. Park Shi Hoo played Choi Chun Joong to perfection- inscrutable but with passion just below the surface. Jun Kwang Ryul was frightening with his changing persona. And Im Hyun Soo as Yeon Chi Sung made my heart ache for his utter devotion to any one who showed him he was valued.

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Cuteness overload :-)

This short series will circulate about the merman prince Gu Ze Yi in which as a prince he has a duty to marry a women from the land and to give birth to his future children.. but because his afraid of turning into bubble (showed in episode 1) he is running away from his uncle that is forcing him... during that time an unexpected event happened and she met a lady Lu Miao Miao.. in which accidentally the pearl of Gu Ze Yi is transferred to Lu Miao Miao in which after that he went to find Lu Miao Miao to retrieve his pear together with his brothers and the story begins..
.._then another mysterious lady Bai Qing is up to something and will join the story...

This is such a very simple and cute love story.. its very easy to watch, not a lengthy one or complicated while I'm watching I did not skipped anything cause of course its just short hahaha... l really love this short series you may give it a try cause I think that its worth watching and a very cute adorable drama to kill your time and entertain you at the same time...

though this series has a very low ratings.. I think its not that bad, but for me its just a good series.. thought just like any other dramas even if its long or short have a high rating or low it has still some flaws and netizens/viewers will say something about it so l there for conclude you go and see it for yourself 🙃😉

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This show is the perfect example of not sh*tting where you eat ie. to not date people aka the roommates you live with. Anyway, just got done watching the entire 10 episodes and here's are my thoughts. First of all, the opening song is great and Morikawa Aoi looks kawaii af in this. Now with that out of the way, I can ramble on about the show. What started out to be an interesting premise only turned out to be shallow love triangle. I mean, Moriakawa's character Terada is the epitome of your typical reserved and shy Japanese girl who's a pushover. Then you have Nakao Masaki's character Hongyo who's her childhood friend and is dense af to the point that he has literally no character development throughtout the course of these 10 episodes. All we know about Hongyo is that he's dense and emotionless for some reason and had sex with Terada in high school. Then we have the second male lead in Yuki Kousei's character Hase who wants to make Terada his wife because he sees something different in Terada from the girls he dated. The reason for why he wanted to be with Terada was left unexplored. Not to mention his mommy issues. Then we have Nakamura Risa's somewhat retarded-like character Akari who's weird to say the least. First she acts as if she liked Hongyo, then when Terada asked her whether she liked Hongyo, she acts as if she just discovered the very act of hugging or kissing someone out of affection. Someone get this chick to a sex ed class!

Anyway, Hongyo and Terada run into each other after she ends up living in a sharehouse thanks to her friend and due to some reason, Hongyo can only get hard when he's rubbing against Terada. The plot seemed intriguing at first but then they added Hase as a second love interest for Terada even though you as a viewer know that Terada is gonna somehow predictably end up with Hongyo in the end. (They're both even on the cover of the drama for God's sake lol) Throughout the entirity of the show, we had minimal character developments for both Terada and Hase as they narrate about their childhood and tell a bit about themselves. Hongyo being the first male lead has literally no character development since we know nothing about him other than being a dense and emotionless writer who can't get hard and who had sex with Terada in high school.

Throught the show, Hase persues Terada to marry him despite being okay with Terada and Hongyo sleeping together and even having sex. Hell, he was okay with her having Hongyo's baby when Terada thought she was pregnant. That dude has some weird psychology and the reason for him liking Terada is unclear and unexplored. The best reason he gave on the show when asked why he liked her was because her hand felt warm as she was taking care of him while he was puking. Like I said, that dude has a messed up psychology.

Then there's the second female lead Akari who has the least amount of character development since unlike Hongyo, who slept with Terada in high school, we don't really get to know much about her other than the fact that she's crazy for Hongyo and thats it! She thinks she likes Hongyo (people on the show like each other for the most bizarre reasons on this show btw) and was just okay when Terada reveals that she liked her and that her and Hongyo have been sleeping together all this time. I honestly don't know what her whole admiration with Hongyo was all about since that was left unexplored as well. Her character was just there for the sake of it contributing nothing much to the plot.

Then last but not least, we have Terada who starts liking Hongyo after having a sleeping arrangement with him and eventually having sex with him. The one thing I just didn't understand was why she liked him in the first place and what about him does she even like? Even on the show, when Hongyo asks her what she likes about him, we never got an answer to that boggling question coz here's a dense dude (Hongyo) who's emotionless to the core having a sleeping arrangement with you and thats it. They don't have the sort of chemistry you'd expect in a romcom. Neither do they have anything in common. Its like Teraada's character was written to like Hongyo just for the sake of it. On top of being a shy and fragile pushover, she deceives Akari by not telling about her about sleeping with Hongyo when she knew that Akari liked Hongyo. And then, she sleeps and has sex with Hongyo anyway despite being proposed to by Hase. And she lies to Hase in the 9th episode about her not kissing Hongyo during their sleepover time when infact she did. In that way, I found Terada's charaacter to be all sorts of messed up and I doubt a metamorphical expensive price tag is gonna solve her problems.

I kinda felt sorry for Hase when we learnt that this was gonna be a love triangle since I already knew that the second male lead was gonna get rejected . But I knew he manipulated Hongyo when they don't show what him and Hase talked about in the 9th episode due to which Hongyo was cold to Terada which caused them to break up. And on top of that, the characters lack development and progression. Not to mention how they never talk it out with each other about what they have in mind. I guess that this is a good example of how reserved the Japanese can be in general. Either way, Terada sure does get around, having dated both male roommates of hers. I can honestly say that this show despite its shallow predictablitity and lack of character development teaches us to never sh*t where you eat ie. never date the people aka the roommates you live with coz things can become awkward as hell if things don't work out. Also, Terada is the kind of girl that would stay in a shitty relationship just because of a nostalgic high school connection. If I were the writer of this show, I'd make Terada leave the house and find a better relationship than an dense dude or a manipulative dude with mommy issues. That would be a better ending than the predictable ending we got in the end.

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Like other reviewers will say, never to be seen again. As this is a true story, you go in knowing that and the events that lead up to Sang Woo's (in the movie) kidnapping, it makes you question whether or not what would you do? Would you allow your child to stay so long outside? Would you never check on your child who is at the playground right outside your window?

This movie definitely brings out the questions AND the tears. The ending when Samg Woo's Dad is on the air; never will I need to see those emotions as well as the pain and emotions emitted by both parents throughout the movie. This is definitely not a movie that would attract everyone to see. But I must say it was a GREAT movie!!

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In the beginning I was drawn to the interesting story plot, good casting, and because mystery and crime dramas happen to be my favorite. After watching the first 2 episodes I became hooked. This drama did a good job in keeping the suspense up, but ultimately in the end this drama became quite predictable. But that wasn't necessarily its downfall, because even then I really did enjoy watching this.

The acting was pretty good. I love Matsuda Shota, and haven't been disappointed with his portrayals in his dramas. So coming into this drama, I had high hopes of his performance and was quite pleased overall. As for the rest of the cast, there was no one else who I was really familiar with, but I did take a liking to Matsuoka Masahiro. He acted well and I enjoyed watching his portrayal of Terashima.. Same goes with Renbutsu Misako, I loved her portrayal of Kaori and how loyal and trusting of a character she was.

As for the music, I loved the drama's theme song. It was fitting for the drama and was upbeat and something anyone would enjoy. Overall, I liked this drama. It may not have been by favorite, but it definitely kept me guessing throughout all 10 episodes and was good in keeping up the suspension. I may watch this again one day, just not anytime soon. I recommend this drama for those who enjoy mystery/crime dramas, and if you're skeptical of starting this drama I suggest you really give it a shot. I personally enjoyed it, so hopefully you will too!

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A Faithful Live-Action Adaptation of Anime Magic

In the depths of "As Long As We Both Shall Live," we're beckoned into the heart-wrenching life of Saimori Miyo. She's a girl born from the chilly, loveless grip of an arranged marriage, and her existence takes a cruel twist after her mother's passing. Her father's mistress and her daughter, Kaya, step into the scene, relegating Miyo to a life of servitude. In her family's eyes, she's the daughter with no merit, bereft of the psychic abilities that bless her stepsister.

Miyo's journey is one of pain, a painful marriage born from a painful upbringing. Her betrothal to Kudo Kiyoka, a military captain known for his rumored cruelty, seems like a sentence to torment. But here, expectations take a drastic turn. Miyo's new husband defies the grim rumors, revealing a heart brimming with kindness. What follows is a marriage drenched in joy and eternal bliss, defying the dire predictions.

"In As Long As We Both Shall Live," I discovered a transcendent live-action adaptation of the anime world that resides so deeply in my heart. It's a meticulous mirror, near perfectly reflecting the source material. As I ventured into this cinematic realm, it felt uncannily familiar. Lines and scenes from the anime echoed in my memory, etched as if with indelible ink.

The movie's pacing is an art form in itself. The anime's early episodes delve deeply into Miyo's life, her struggles, and her lack of psychic gifts. It carefully constructs her world and the emotional maelstrom that surrounds her, revealing supernatural aspects later on, around the fifth or sixth episode. The movie, however, unveils these wonders from the start, a clever dance that balances Miyo's quiet existence and her inner demons with the revelation of a gifted world.

Music is the movie's beating heart. It weaves seamlessly with pivotal action scenes, enhancing their emotional impact, and eases into gentle melodies during the blossoming romance between Saimori Miyo and Kudo Kiyoka. The score is more than a soundtrack; it's a guiding force, leading us into the depths of their evolving relationship.

The movie is a symphony of masterfully filmed scenes, each a visual masterpiece, leaving you entranced by their sheer beauty. Attention to detail is awe-inspiring, capturing the anime's essence and translating it into breathtaking cinematic art.

From the very first frame, the movie bewitches your senses. It's a mesmerizing dance of music and visuals, drawing you into its tender embrace. The scenes are meticulously chosen and sequenced, submerging you into the narrative's profound depths.

The storytelling in "As Long As We Both Shall Live" is a precision symphony. Action sequences, woven seamlessly into the gradual growth of a profound connection, add layers of depth to the characters. I'd love to delve into more detail, but spoilers are best left avoided.

The live-action adaptation leaves no room for doubt. The cast is impeccably chosen, embodying their characters to the core. The film's dedication to the anime is visible in every frame, transforming it into a cinematic journey that feels like a masterful recreation, in the best possible way.

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Cute, suspenseful, touching series with social critique

Don’t be fooled by the title or the light-hearted music in the opening credits. The Miracle of Teddy Bear may at first seem to be BL fluff. But while it does give us all the BL fluff we want, it gives us so much more. There is a lot of cuteness, but there is suspense that is deftly sustained, there are touching subplots (beyond just the romance but quite seamlessly integrated with the BL story) and there is even a critique of the BL industry and the state of LGBTQ+ rights in Thailand. It ventures where most Thai BL series avoid–the fact that the LGBTQ+ community is not respected and its rights not formalized in what is arguably the BL capital of the world where drama series are concerned.

To be sure, the series has its imperfections. It is so ambitious that it is bound to fall short in some aspects at some points. I could comment on how the social critique is a little lacking in subtlety in some scenes (such as one in which many of the characters are seated together, with one blatantly showing her homophobia). But I won't say there are serious flaws.

Despite the minor flaws here and there, the series is first and foremost seriously engaging. It starts with the fantastical – an already sentient teddy, Tofu, is suddenly transformed into a human being (and he himself doesn’t know how he gained sentience or transformed). He ends up being taken in by Nut, the owner of the teddy bear who knows nothing about the transformation. There is, however, a sense of mystery and suspense that is sustained — and it is not just about Tofu’s transformation. The plot is actually rather complex, with several different threads gradually and cleverly woven together.

We may notice quite early on that Tofu’s sentience and transformation is linked to Tatarn, who is in a coma after being viciously attacked. However, the connection between Tatarn and the other characters is unclear at first. What I find pretty amazing is that the multiple narrative threads do not feel out of place even before they become clearly intertwined. The story moves from one narrative thread to another (Tofu’s transformation, the assault on Tatarn, the college days of Nut, Nut’s scriptwriting work (he’s writing the script for a BL series based on his own experiences), and the past of Nut’s mother) naturally before weaving them together. Without a good production team, the different narrative threads would be a disaster even before they come together.

The characterization is also strikingly complex. Many viewers are appalled by Nut’s behavior towards Tofu and his mother, but this is not a weakness of the series as it does not make Nut’s behavior seem acceptable. It is just that Nut is ultimately a good person by nature and his past experiences have caused him to behave badly. His experience with homophobia and bullying have made him distrustful of Tofu and resentful towards his mother – we see the destructiveness of homophobia in the character, and he is not romanticized as a perfect boyfriend or son. (His best friend, Gen, services as a nice foil to him. Unlike Nut, who has a homophobic father, Gen’s parents accept him for who he is and they are eager to see him getting a boyfriend–Gen has turned out to be a pretty much well adjusted person.)

We do have to give the characters and the relationships between them time to be developed, however. Don’t assume or pass judgment too quickly. Initially, it may seem that the female characters are one-dimensional. Prib may seem to be no more than one of those typical BL female characters who are in love with the male leads, but there is more to her. The most impressively complex female character (maybe we can take out the word ‘female) is Nut’s mother. The nuances in the portrayal of Song’s (one half of the side couple) relationship with his father is also impressively done. The acting is generally excellent, with the actors and actresses playing different points in the characters’ lives impressively well.

(Personally, I really like the pairing of the actors for Tofu and Nut. It’s not often the case that I find both the actors playing a couple cute, and this is one of those instances.)

With many BL series nowadays, the ending is predictable–the leads end up together happily, we want them to, and we more or less know they will. But with The Miracle of Teddy Bear, we are kept wondering from the start–will Tofu turn back into a teddy bear or lose consciousness? This has kept me watching the series, and I hope the miracle includes a happy ending.

Update -- A note on the ending:

It's not a sad ending, it's not an open-ended ambiguous ending either, and yet I won't consider it a happy ending. I can accept an ending with Tofu dying/disappearing and Tatarn waking up with Tofu's death--this has been hinted at early in the series. But the ending, which is a bit of a compromised happy ending, ends up with quite depressing.

It seems for a while that Nut loves Tofu too much to get back with his ex, Tatarn, even after Tofu "dies". And perhaps this was intended at first except that perhaps there was pressure to make the ending a little happier. But it becomes more depressing because Nut ends up going back to Tatarn, admitting that he does miss his ex after all. And the "happy" side of the ending is that Tofu doesn't die but is transformed back into a sentient teddy bear. But this is actually seriously depressing. Everyone thinks that Tofu has died, but he is transformed into a teddy bear and is taken back to Nut's house. So we have this sentient teddy bear, who is still very much in love with Nut, but is unable to say anything to Nut ever again. And this poor teddy bear has to witness Nut going back to his ex. He is supposedly able to accept all of this, but it's a situation that is very depressing and disturbing too. It's a well written story, but I this is one of the times when I wish the ending had been a more conventionally sad one.

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I decided to watch this drama because I enjoy stories about students, I've been trying to watch some older dramas recently, and I am somewhat of a Takuya Kimura fan.

The story was a little melodramatic for me, and that got frustrating at times, but the acting was decent and nothing felt fake. I enjoyed all of the cast, and think the actors fit their characters well. Narumi was my favorite character because she was very relatable and had complexity.
The soundtrack was sweet and romantic and I especially liked the opening "True Love" by Fujii Fumiya.

As far as rewatch value, I might rewatch it someday since the story was character driven and I enjoyed the characters and their interactions, but it will be awhile. While some plot points were a little predictable, I thought the ending was pretty good and came with a few twists.

If you are looking for a bittersweet, somewhat philosophical drama that explores friendships, relationships, and all the shades of gray in between, you will probably enjoy this one. It is also interesting to see what Japan looked like during the 90's.

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