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ACTING/CAST: Decent. There isn't really anybody else besides watching these two interact.
MUSIC: Unmemorable.
REWATCH VALUE: If I'm bored one day, maybe.
OVERALL: I felt a lot of pity for the student throughout the show but the ending is satisfying.
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This review may contain spoilers
"The truth depends on who tells it best"
Copycat Killer was a copycat of numerous serial killer stories, set apart only by its relentless and gratuitous images of young women been tortured and murdered. Told in a time before social media, it tried to paint television news as bringing as much chaos to society as the brutal murders of imperfect victims.The drama utilized character types we’ve seen before. Chris Wu played the brilliant and moral prosecutor with a tragic past who is a thorn in everyone’s side for not tolerating any dishonesty and doggedly devoting his life to solving crimes. I found this confusing. Prosecutors in my country use the evidence police bring them to go to court and try the cases, they don’t dig up the evidence themselves. Cammy Chiang was the overly earnest young reporter disillusioned with the news media. The criminally underused Ko Chia Yen was Wu’s ex and a psychologist to help him make sense of the killers’ motivations. Ko is a gifted actress who had few scenes and none of which showed her range. Ruby Lin’s news anchor and producer had potential but the writing let her down as well. The villains ranged from mildly complex to laughable.
Copycat’s writing was uneven and the pacing slow. The first three episodes were more confusing than world building. Story lines that promised follow-ups were dropped. In the initial episode, a killer made the statement, “As long as the evil in your heart is triggered, anyone out there has the capacity to become a killer…Do you think there’s no evil in you?” The writing clumsily tried to push Wu’s prosecutor into that ethical corner. The news media was shown as morally bankrupt, uncaring of how much damage their coverage did to victims and their families as long as the ratings were high. Due to their race to air the most graphic or emotionally volatile content they became complicit in the killers’ crimes.
Aside from the writing and pacing issues, the main problem I had with this drama was its depiction of women. It tried to have it both ways-repeatedly show scantily clad women tortured and murdered in a titillating manner and then call out the media and society for blaming the victims. One character that was written for us to empathize with due to his loyalty and connection to main characters simply emphasized how unimportant young women’s lives were. The noble citizenry vilified the imperfect young women as being unworthy of justice and finding their killers a waste of tax payer money. The old myth of only the perfect victim, the chaste and obedient woman from a good family, being worthy of our sympathy or help was trotted out again and again. Perhaps Copycat was highlighting how victims and their families are often victimized as much by “righteous” people as the criminals who committed the heinous crimes but the lingering shots on chained women or extended scenes of gratuitously murdered women muddied those waters. The drama also briefly addressed the troubling old belief that the family of a perpetrator was as guilty as the criminal and not worthy of a happy life even if they had nothing to do with their relative’s actions.
Copycat Killer was a disturbing drama, not because it dealt with serial killers or had gory scenes, which it did, but because in trying to show society’s misogynistic and limited views of women they simply reinforced violence against women as a means of entertainment.
11/17/23
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This becomes a BL when you watch the special episodes...
First of all, this kind of humor is not everyones cup of tea. And there is no international distribution which is quite sad. GagaOOLala takes every crap show, but did not take this one.Of course when you see the "normal" episodes you may question if this is a BL, but I would argue for it, because Toru's feelings go beyond admiration imho. When you have a chance to see the two special episodes it makes everything clear and without them the series is not complete. So my rating reflects all twelve episodes (it*s two half episodes, so if you see a special with around 26 minutes you're fine).
If you have a chance to see it with proper subtitles (not the AI slob), the show makes sense, the character development makes sense and I felt Kishi Knight had an interest in Toru from the get go. Near the end we also get why he got an interest in him with a flashback before he became Torus tutor. And thanks to a friend who provided me the proper subs and the special episodes I could get a proper experience 💖
I can't explain it, but I like this over-the-top humor more than the comedy of most thai shows. They also did a good job to give the characters quiet moments with serious talk without any comedy at all. So this show grew on me, it was fun and while not perfect, it was very entertaining.
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Oh Wong Kar Wai, you truly know our hearts and how to play with them and tear them apart into indistinguishable threads.
Happy Together, unfortunately overshadowed by Wong's other beautiful and worthy works like In the Mood for Love and Chungking Express, is a raw depiction of a volatile, chaotic, but passionate relationship of two men from Hong Kong. The film, outlined in a tone of melancholy and loneliness, follows the deteriorating relationship of Lai and Ho, two conflicting personalities that can't seem to find peace. Its not a comfortable watch, nor it is a romcom as its title may suggest.
As with any film by Wong Kar Wai, the cinematography is beautiful and worth re-watching for that alone. Also, Chang Chen is adorable and deserves more love, please watch it for him, please.
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a painful watch
Came here after seeing some recommendations about this on Chinese Youtube. And where to begin... I have so many thoughts and it's just so difficult to put them into proper words...All in all, an amazing drama with an amazing story that brings out such raw emotions. Each of our main characters have incredibly fleshed out lives, and almost complete character arcs (I say this because I'm looking forward to a second season with recurring characters). They're relatable and human like the rest of us are, and I really appreciate how much show has brought to light some issues that are not always talked about. Social commentary done in this drama was also very well interwoven into our character's lives, and I especially loved how show never failed to steal a jab at widespread corruption issues here and there. I also loved how each scene was a build-up to the big issue. A mere 10 episodes, but each felt so compact and so complete.
My favourite aspect about this drama would be how each character is written. From our main characters to our supporting characters, almost each and every one showed character growth. It really is nice to see change for the better in some characters that I initially disliked. It might seem slightly idealistic, but I'm willing to believe in good.
This isn't one I'd be willing to rewatch often, simply because of how emotionally draining and grounded to reality it is, but it's definitely one I'd recommend. It's a really well-made story with great acting across the board (regardless of how small their role is), and I can't wait for Season 2!
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This review may contain spoilers
Reading the other reviews I was really looking forward to this one, but it does not seem to live up to the hype. Someone said that it's as good of a sitcom as Friends, but this is definitively not the case. The show is certainly funny & cute, albeit it has a lot of boring moments, especially in the early episodes. There were a few baby gags, but having seen the american Tv show "Raising Hope" I was not overly impressed. There was a lot of for the lack of a better word "anime" humor, you know the kind of humor where some event repeats 3-5 times during an episode with minor changes, when repetition is used as a tool for extra comedic effect, I'm on the fence whether it was good or not. I liked all the characters, the furry girl was especially awesome. There were some unnecessary kdrama cliches that shouldn't have been required in this genre, such as Sol's father appearing in the last episode, or Yuna having a second love interest for that "sweet" triangle......Despite all this I had a pleasant time, but I will probably not watch it again, nor am I interested in season 2, because as usual over half of the cast is changed ..
People learning Korean should watch this show, because the pronunciation of this group of actors seems to be unusually easy to understand.
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Psychopath Diary; Where A Loser Can Mistake Himself For A Psychopath...
It’s fair to say that Psychopath Diary is perhaps one of the few Korean dramas out there which actually dares to tackle a genre not often seen in South-Korea called “ Dark Comedy”. Naturally this isn’t a theme which interests everyone out there, however, Psychopath Diary is outrageously funny and equally morbid within its tackling of our Male lead Yook Dong-Sik ( Yoon Shi Yoon ) believing he is a psychopath over the course of the drama.
When viewers are first introduced to Dong- Sik, he is an unlikely male lead. Although respectfully Shi Yoon has taken on some quite suave roles as the “leading”man in dramas such as Hit The Top and My Cute Guys, his drab outfits and curly perm help him to blend into the role as the “ everyday” and “ meek” office worker by appearing in his role as Yook Dong-Sik.
To put it into simple words, Dong- Sik is the embodiment of a “ scapegoat” and a “ loser” ( at least in the beginning of the series); a “ nuisance” to his colleagues and family ( particularly his austere father), depressed and someone who certainly wouldn’t even say boo to a ghost. Ironically his fate changes when a failed suicide attempt leads to him developing retrograde amnesia in the same sight when a serial killer ( Park Sung hoon) left behind his own diary after a murder around the same time . By being given the diary which is mistakingly believed to “ belong” to Dong- Sik, he is ironically led into believing he is a ruthless psychopath.
As you can imagine, this leads to a series of many misunderstandings and dark humour within scenes from Dong- Sik trying to “ remember” his talents by watching a bunch of serial killer movies ( such as American Psycho) to miserably failing at remembering how to lie out some coverings to cover up blood when he attempts to carry out one of his plans. However, as the series progresses, there’s also an added level of surprising progression around some of our characters in particular with our female lead and Police Officer Shim Bo- Kung ( Jung In- Sun) not as a romantic interest, but an intelligent cop in her own right with quite a heartbreaking revelation about her family life , as well of course , Dong- Sik revealing his intelligence when he begins to pursue a cat and mouse game with our charming killer Seo In- Woo ( Park Sung-Hoo).
Yet there’s no denying that whilst Psychopath Diary was a morbidly enjoyable watch, it isn’t a flawless show. The pacing of episodes in addition to the progression of storyline sometimes felt disjointed and a little dragging in addition to the comedic element ( sometimes pushed a little too far in scenes ). In addition to this the cinematography could have been more progressive and intriguing ( specifically lighting) as well as perhaps some more depth into our brushed antagonist Seo In- Woo and what made him actually tick as well.
On the other hand, Psychopath Diary was an undeniably satirical, witty and a social commentary upon many elements of Korean society ( e.g. work , drama cliches and lifestyle). Although not flawless, it is certainly enjoyable for those who are looking for something with edgy comedy, an intriguing plot and of course characters as well.
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JUST STOP!!!!!!!
If your looking for a BL workplace series PLEASE PLEASE go watch Bed Friends or A Boss & A Baby. The story is slow the character development is worse. The side characters are way more interesting. The 2 main characters had no chemistry. Who ever decided to make this show should rethink the people incharge of casting & scripts. I loved the 3 side couples &honestly think they would have developed their stories more because they all had a lovely chemistry.Nothing really happens until episode 8. I have never dropped a show in my life but i found myself fast forwarding through the last 2 episodes & they should have ended it at episode 11 because 12 is just a hodgepodge of randomness.Was this review helpful to you?
So charming and yet so simple
I really liked this story. It was a little simple but so sufficiently well done as to prompt me to watch the entire series in one sitting. I think that speaks volumes in itself. The young actors are nuanced even when the plot is straightforward - adding a dimension beyond the script. I was concerned about the female support role (Winting?) ... and I kept thinking "what is her problem?" and why is she entitled to intrude into another family so rudely. That said, perhaps there is a cultural divide between China and Australia that makes it hard for me to fathom her motivation. It did not ruin the show but it did annoy me a bit.The boys do carry the show and I like the elements of competition and collaboration that are very reminiscent of how brothers do actually behave. Bravo to the team.
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Story: the story is wonderful, romantic, and dramatic. It's touching, so real. We can find love, true love, this kind of love that stay with you for life. For life, and after.
Acting/Cast: oh, God, Vic is amazing! He's perfect in this role, he's perfect for this kind of roles! He makes me cry so many times.. Eun Hye is really good, too. She plays the role of this little sweet and strong girl, and she can play it perfectly without say a word. Her eyes talk for her.. The rest of the cast is perfect, they're good actors, from Megan Lai, to the stubborn Andy Hui, to the funny Lin Mei Xiu. Thanx to all for their performances!
Music: touching, every song is perfect for the moment and for the emotions our lovers are living.. Beautiful the scene where Eun Hye/Shen Shen sings using sign language.
Rewatch Value: absolutely, I want to rewatch it!
Overall: this is a 9! A different final maybe could turn it into a 10.. But, I know, in the deep of my heart, that this final is a perfect final for this perfect story. This love story is absolutely THE love story.
"For the martians"... I know, we are a lot in this world. I hope we can find soon..
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If you try to put as much manga scenes as possible in a two-hour movie, it would definitely be cramped. I liked that this movie focused on one arc then combined it with the last arc (they left out a lot of scenes/arc from the manga but it's one of the reasons i liked this movie). It will make more sense to those who havent read the manga yet. It's like a stand alone movie, with or without the manga, you will still like it!
If you want to see and read more ItoXShimada scenes, then read the manga! hehe.
btw, Ikuta Toma and Hirose Suzu has a 14-year age gap and that struck me hard! Awesome! Sugoi! XD
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HOWEVER the romance was weak, at least most of it. The story was okay, but they didn't explain what happened to the other characters from the first season. Especially how Joon Ki ended up with the guest house or what happened to his girlfriend. Plus, the side stories were a bit so so and sometimes, boring. Finally, the story at the end was rushed.
So, six out of ten.
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The acting is superb, especially the main characters. They did a terrific job, and it makes me wonder if they had to use eye drops or if their tears were for real.
The music went along with the story, and the main song "Only Human" by K I liked a lot after watching a few episodes. It really fits.
My rewatch value is low, because, like some other reveiwers have stated, this show is very emotional and heartbreaking.
Overall, I think this show is a must watch. Why? It's inspired by a true story, and it's very moving and inspirational, making you wonder about your own place in life. You might not cry 1 Litre of Tears while watching this drama, I didn't, but I still cried a lot, especially in the later episodes. I would say you'd have to be a stone-cold person to not even feel a thing after watching this show.
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