This review may contain spoilers
A LOVE-STORY, ROM-COM DONE RIGHT!
Yes, the story does show a rivalry between parents passed down to their children. However, this just seems so basic, right? But oh, you are in for a ride.In this series, there's no unnecessary drama. No stupid fights. No mis-understandings. Hella great communication between the main leads. No sacrificing their relationship for the sake of others. No breakups for the sake of others.
Their relationship shown is just based on Pure Love. Pat and Pran's story is really portrayed in the most realistic way possible. And not to feed the fetishes of the "audiences". Their intimate moments and kisses seemed so natural and for their own moment.
One of the many things that I liked in this series is there is literally no homophobia in the whole show. Also, no "I don't like men, but I like you" cliché. No "wife-husband" thing. No non-consensual kisses or anything. No jealous ex-gf trope or no making the girls in the series evil. Nothing of this sort.
Once the leads get together, they made sure that they stay together, fight together, overcome every hurdle TOGETHER. A healthy relationship is finally shown.
On to the main leads. Ohm and Nanon's chemistry is so damn good. So natural. Like literally no awkward moments. There was not one single time that I felt cringe or anything. And oh my god. Their acting skills! Hella fricking good. It's the only way to describe it. Even in the moments where there were no dialogues, I FELT THEIR EMOTIONS. And to think that this is Nanon's 1st ever BL. They both really gave us outstanding performances.
Also, the director. P'Aof. Hat's off. This man just keeps getting better and better. In 2021 alone he gave 2 back to back amazing series. First being ATOTS and now BBS. At this point GMMTV should just let P'Aof direct their BL shows.
Not to exaggerate but, Bad Buddy Series should not just be the standard of BL's but also the standard of a Healthy Relationship. This series really hits home because, it is just a simple love story between 2 people, but yet, so damn special.
Cast 100% ; Storyline 100% ; Direction 100% ; Production 100% ; Acting 100% ; OST 100% ; Rewatch 100% (I already rewatched it once. More to come, lol)
Watch it. You won't regret it.
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The plot veered off tracks slightly past the halfway point. There's a decided shift in direction so noticeable that I'd thought the writers had changed hands. In truth, apparently internal politics at SETTV coupled with need to meet public demand caused this; either way it seems the writers clearly bit off a little more than they could chew. Character motivations became muddy; one promoted character totally vanished. Plot lines disappeared partway, then reappeared only to be wrapped up unsatisfactorily. Those that were necessary were often shuffled along in favor of trying to fix the problem of choosing the OTP, but even this was somewhat rushed.
What makes this unfortunate is that the main cast is so lovable. Nikki Hsieh has fine chemistry with everyone else in the drama, believably interacting with any character according to their intended relationship. She also does a great job in her dual role, because there are even speech differences between Da Hua and Liang Yan. James Wen is a personal favorite, but he was calling in all of his talent to keep his character from imploding. His Lin Guan Jun was handled poorly by the writers and his actions often made little sense in the final episodes. Wen has a natural charm about him though, so the eye is always drawn to him regardless.
Chris Wu is the favorite for most viewers, because he's such a talent; Terry could have reasonably been as interesting as cardboard. Instead, he's gorgeous, magnetic, compelling, and sympathetic; it's easy to see why he won the hearts of viewers so easily...and he's likely the primary reason many kept tuning in. I can't blame them.
My personal favorite part of Substitute Princess is the music. This is one of the OSTs I will be importing once it's available. Both the intro and outro suit the show unbelievably well, from the tone to lyrics. Each insert song is memorable and used effectively also. A special mention has to go to James Wen, who sang Guan Jun's love theme "Why Bother." Once when it played it got me teary-eyed due to its effective usage; it's such a beautiful song and his voice is quite pleasant.
Sadly, I can't think of any reason to re-watch this drama once you've completed it--unless you want to relive the experience that is Terry. I probably won't be coming back to it any time soon.
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This review may contain spoilers
Short, beautiful and well made
The story is simple but deliver some great message and reflection to real world which we ended up thinking about after finishing watching such a short story.I have nothing much to say about the plot except I want everyone to watch it and I really really wish they made this into a series instead of just one hour special because I already loved both Mizuki and Ryosuke.
Here I want to point out what I noticed about the writing choice of making Mizuki a lemon farmer and Ryosuke an elementary teacher. For it, when I first heard the plot it was almost too random and hilarious. Why so oddly specific?
However, after watching it I think I noticed something and how those are important to shape the characters and their story here.
First of all, Ryosuke as a teacher who works with kids, he wanted to make everyone happy even though It’s out of his reach. He didn’t tell his childhood sweetheart He’s gay afraid that it would hurt her feelings and it ended up making her wait endlessly for him. He didn’t tell his fiancé that his family didn’t approve of gay marriage bc his fiancé told him he wants a wedding in front of everyone. He fell into a deep dilemma because he was desperate to make everyone happy. The whole mess started because he was too ambitious to please everyone and it made him selfish and hurt the one he loves instead. For Mizuki being lemon farmer led to the comparison of his relationship to the bitter sour taste of it and yellow color is very aesthetic. Speaking of aesthetic, I hope you also notice how they purposely made Mizuki and ryosuke wear clothes that complement each other color both their casual and wedding suits lol IMO made the movie very pretty and pleasing.
Overall, it’s well thought and I’m glad I watched it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Good premise marred by cliche storytelling
Firstly, this show blows the bechdel test out of the waters. There really is nothing more attractive than powerful women, ambitious women, women being straight out "badasses". This was something Samuel L Jackson said often about The Long Kiss Goodnight, that the industry needed to produce more of these "women being badasses" shows because they just rock. Despite this, I could not give this series a high rating.To begin with, I found Do Hee's redemption arc implausible, to say the least. The plot pivots around her "awakening" from having seen an employee "commit suicide" after Do Hee had been hard with her. Really? She's never caused someone's death before in all the years she's worked under psychopathic chaebol matriarch Young Shim? Really?!? Mine eyebrow is duly raised. Secondly, how did Kyung Sook manage to camp herself on conglomerate property for her protest for so many days? That's clearly trespassing. How did she manage to evade security?
Also, the whole series relies on Do Hee's capability in the performance of her duties however, when the employee says that those messages were not txted by her, that should've alerted Do Hee to the need to verify. Something as simple as ringing the phone number on the txt msg, which she does later on, should've been the first point of order, but no. She just brushes the employee's comments aside. She believes the guy's word for it completely without doing any investigation into the veracity of his claims which doesn't come across as competence but extremely incompetent. One doesn't investigate because one distrusts a party's claim but to know the full scope of what to expect, what needs to be protected, and what reprisals would be forthcoming from the victimised party. Queenmaker? Hmmm...
The rest of it are stereotypical "gotcha" games where a male powerbroker's weakness is always connected to his groin (mistress, indiscretion etc) and so he is easily blackmailed that way. As someone who's familiar with legal procedures the rest of the series really devolves into WTFs. While finding out the truth of corruption on the enemy side, it's all easily subverted by them with tearful pretentious displays and mercurial social media moods. However, when the enemy side makes up a "truth" about Kyung Sook and her campaign, we are led to believe that her past allies will just forget about their past friendships and loyalty and public won't ask for an investigation into whether the evidence stacks up or not. For the enemy, there needs to be solid evidence which is easily subverted; for Kyung Sook's team, the enemy side just needs to fart a BS and the whole house of cards crumble to the ground. It is just too implausible. Are the Korean public idiots? The part where her son was charged with a criminal offense was just... what am I seeing here...?!?! I don't know how the Sth Korean justice system works but it's not a given that the minor will go to jail just because the antagonists say so. There are systems in place to ensure a fair trial. I'd like to believe that the prosecution isn't so incompetent as just to be easily bought out. Plus, there are evidentiary requirements too. And I'm making this conclusion from legal kdramas I've seen which shows that Sth Korea's criminal justice system doesn't deviate so much from where I'm at.
Plus the male counterpart strategist was just another WTF buildup to a nothing. Dragging an old senile man and leaving him in an unfamiliar place where he eventually got run over was not strategy. It was criminal. For all the talk about Carl being THE kingmaker, the character was nothing but an amateur and a thug who brought a chainsaw to a surgery that required a delicate scalpel.
There were several, several, nails on the coffin—when Do Hee doesn't even clean up her loose ends well enough to ensure that her father is out of danger, when she doesn't even ensure her own safety, but the crowning one: when there were moles in Kyung Sook's team. It's always the same sh#t—they need money so they're willing to betray their principles. Seriously? Why even bother doing anything if money is the common denominator. It's too cheap and too easy of a plot device to use and, as a psychological motivational tool, too illogical. Kyung Sook has spent time with the protestors. She's put in effort and heart into their fight. She represents their suffering and the overcoming of it. To have us believe that a single parent would go against her own survival, and that of her children's, by doing something so short-term as getting monetary gratification now... these people were screwed over by the very conglomerates offering them bribes now, are we to honestly believe they'd side with them again to stab Kyung Sook in the back? The writers need to research into the various electoral results in the democratic countries that Sth Korea shares governmental constitution with, as well as union members' community spirits. Corruption has not been met well regardless of how much a politician has tried to show a "caring parent" side to them nor do union members forget whom their allies were in their times of fight.
Despite all this, I do look forward to season 2 as it looks like they're pushing for one. It would be interesting to see if the writing would get less cliche and much more in line with the premise of this project.
Would I recommend this? Honestly... I would. If only because I know series like this are rare as a hen's tooth so the first few attempts would be shite to begin with but, as per economies of scale principles, it should improve as more of these types of shows are made. Plus... there is one memorable part in the series where I ended up applauding at the screen. There was a scene where young Dong Joo slams himself against a moving vehicle to stop them. I had never seen such a ridiculous move before—using a flesh and blood body against a hard, metal and iron object. It was memorable for the extremely creative application of physics.
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Acting/Cast: I loved the cast in this drama. From the two main Cyndi and Ken, to the secondary main Pink and XJK, to the parents.. and all the rest of the cast. Cyndi was so pretty, sweet and pure and Ken was just hilarious. I've been really impressed with Ken's acting and am glad he seems to be getting a lot of roles lately. They were perfectly adorable together! I really loved the parents too, they are the best played parent couple I've seen in TW dramas hands down. They were wonderfully perfect. The whole interaction with the whole cast was just amazing.
Music: I've always been a fan of Cyndi's singing. I think she has one of the sweetest voice ever, so it's not a surprise that I loved the opening song.
Rewatch Value: If it wasn't for the length, I would totally watch this again.
Overall: I really loved this drama. I'm not sure why I gave it a 9 only back when I watched it - I would happily give it a 10 now. This is one of the best family dramas that I've seen and having 70 episodes was not a problem at all. I enjoyed every minute of this and if length is not a problem, I would highly recommend this to everyone who loves a simple, cute, romantic, and hilarious drama.
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The movie was a perfectly imperfect mixture of light romance, comedy and heist. Of course, it was not the perfectly detailed thrilling con games like others in serious genre, but it was exciting enough to keep you laughing and anticipating for the next scenes. The actors were the perfect cast, no one else can pull of Tower but Nadech and no one else can own Ina like Baifern did. Bank, Phuak and Kathleeya each shined with their characters, so did Ter who had a special participation. Overall, the plot was simple. It was about a woman who was conned by her ex bf, now seeks revenge with the help of another conman. The main
conflicts lie between trusting another with the probability of getting deceived again at high stakes, overcoming your own sorrows and meeting people who might share the same.
The Con-Heartist was entertaining and fun. Its comedy may vary with people's taste on jokes, but fun nonetheless.
The light romance leaves us wanting for more, but Nadech and Baifern's chemistry was definitely a win. It radiates in all their key scenes. The heist was fit for its romcom genre, still exciting to watch. And lastly, it is heartfelt because of all the life lessons that lies underneath its adventures.
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the best dramas that exceeds its expectations with well deserved popularity/ratings!
*️⃣ Ranked at the top for 4 days in a row, stayed on the list of popular high ranking dramas for 47 days and 56 days across all networks, received the top 1 spot as the best military drama on Tencent, and was the most viewed drama on the CCTV-8 channel ranking #1 for 15 consecutive days (basically throughout its entire broadcasting period) and for another 10 consecutive days upon rebroadcast on CCTV-1!!! *️⃣➡️ Check out the photos section for the data statistics
➡️ This link contains more data information on the ratings from various sources: https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/465493242
First off, this was a very well executed drama from the beginning to the end with a refreshing theme to watch. Each episode was filled with the right amount of emotions and momentum to keep you engaged/watching without ever feeling bored and it is not one of those very cliched storylines where the leads are just with the looks. Usually military genres do not spark much of an interest but I have to say that this was an exception - even the short trailers alone were enough to be intriguing. There have been so many dramas that are popular these days just because the leads are (for which the story itself is not exceptionally outstanding) and I can’t stress this enough because most people tend to choose what dramas to watch based on their biases rather than the actual plot, BUT it should not just be that way! This undermines other good dramas with good actors that also deserve recognition but fall short in popularity which is unfair. I noticed however that of those popular dramas, the overarching image for a handful of them appears to be that certain actors/actresses are typecasted where they play similar roles over various dramas following the same romcom storyline in different variations, and that essentially impedes acting improvement and establishes a digression of interest in a drama overtime as it lacks something new/fresh.
A truly successful drama is one that incorporates good acting along with a good storyline (with popularity being a minor boost) and a good actor/actress are those who are versatile and can deliver definitive emotions within their characters. This drama touched on all those points and although our leads, Gao Wei Guang and Hu Bing Qing are not among the more popular actors, their acting skills are noteworthy in this drama with their roles serving as a breakthrough image. They have displayed their diversified acting skills throughout their different drama roles and this is probably the best one. Gao Wei Guang as Qin Guan really exhibited the characteristics of what a captain should be. He is strict as needed but caring and funny on the inside which we see throughout his interactions with everyone on the team. It is as if the role was designed for him since you can hardly picture any other actor who could take on that role in the same way. On the other hand, Hu Bing Qing as Ning Meng also did really well in exemplifying the characteristics of a strong, smart, cheerful, and lovable female soldier who was unknowingly facing PTSD at the same time. She would always help others whether they were close or not because they were a team and proves herself worthy from time to time. I have to say that Hu Bing Qing is able to convey emotions in her character really well. In the beginning, her PTSD was made evident with various hints but it was pushed aside and was never actually addressed until she was hit with it in a similar scenario during a mission. You can see and feel her pain and desperation throughout those episodes that were solely focusing on her mental state 😢.
Analysis of the PTSD scenario
The sudden explosion was the main trigger to NM’s memories of the bus incident, leading her to recall visions of her brother. As she tried to come back to her senses to kill the lady that was trying to escape, she couldn’t control her emotions and her brother’s vision came back which was why it became in place of the terrorist, causing her to be caught up in an emotional whelm and unable to shoot, thus almost costing her and the captain’s life. That moment led her to start associating a terrorist with her brother. Therefore, every time she faces a terrorist (both disguised and real), she has those hallucinations and is afraid to shoot.
The PTSD issue had to be addressed at some point in the drama and they decided to make NM face it directly. Even though forcing her to face it head on was not the proper thing to do, it can be understood why the captain kept pushing her during the stimulated training setup as he was in desperation to help her overcome that barrier. The way they resolved her PTSD does not fully serve as a breakthrough from it entirely but the general idea was that she is able to get past it during a critical moment and it was brave enough for them to expand on this topic. This goes to show that no matter how capable you are, mental health always comes first, otherwise you end up losing to yourself. Her psychological problems should have been addressed early on for the best outcome but they wanted to focus on her persistence in becoming a part of the blue lightning team for her character development, or else it would have interfered with her eligibility.
Central Ideas/Themes
I liked how they placed the emphasis mainly centered on females because it is a unique sight given that it’s a military genre where in many cases would occasionally be male centered (as seen in a prior military drama: Ace Troops as well as in the upcoming Glory of Special Forces). Those plots normally focus on the male's growth as a soldier and although there are some female characters, their roles do not contribute much/directly on the battlefield but this was the first to challenge that with female soldiers. We got to see both male and female soldiers together on the front line and grow together in the process. This is primarily why the drama stood out and makes the better plot. It was introduced right from the start about the needs for recruiting female soldiers into an elite team and even though the reason they gave for the recruitment was not the best, the point was made clear that female soldiers are just as important as male soldiers and it breaks the stereotypical view that women are weak and establishes equality. Through their persistence together we see them grow stronger both physically and mentally overtime. There were many instances that effectively showed how females were just as capable as the males or even smarter. During the male/female barehand battle training, the females were able to win through using tactical skills despite the fact that they were not as strong as the males in terms of strength and the same results during the devil’s week team battle when the special forces team thought they could easily defeat the female soldiers. The main terrorists throughout the drama were also females (the one that got away in the very beginning and the main boss behind everything) and it all essentially shows that thinking wisely is the key to winning and strength is not all.
Training/Action
There were many training scenes particularly in the first half and that is because the main purpose of the drama was to give more insight about the life of soldiers and honor them for their hard work. For the most part, soldiers just train regularly to improve their strength/skills to fight in war and the drama does a very good job with its realistic portrayal by providing various rigorous training scenes throughout. Although training took up most of the episodes, it was interesting to watch with the different tasks they had to go through (devils week) that tested different aspects of their abilities.
Each of the major terrorist battles involved different situations and techniques carried out under different settings for their mission which was very interesting to see. The desert scenario in particular was the most impressive where the team had to take into consideration the dry/dangerous climate conditions and also move through the dark to stop the terrorist team in action.
All the actors/actresses received some training under real soldiers prior to adapting their roles in regards to learning about the proper etiquettes of a soldier and all the action scenes (fighting, training courses, explosions) were done on the scene by themselves without the use of any substitutes - you can see the hard work they all put in during the behind the scene footages where they were injured a few times and were pulling through in the cold weather/water. Those action scenes were all done nicely and my heart was beating fast for the team during the terrorist battles near the end as things were getting much more intense. That one final battle where everyone were all ready to risk their lives for the safety of the people was very heart-wrenching and brave as we see them mentally prepare for the worse and go through the bloodshed, reminding us that soldiers are very honorable for what they do. We don't ever actually see/know what is happening during a war in exchange for peace/safety and this was effectively represented as the foreign president arrived at his destination. He was never aware that a forceful fight was happening behind the scenes upon his "safe" trip and the phrase "Let the living live a better life" primarily defines this disparity.
*️⃣ Based on one of the director's interview, certain scenes/scenarios in the drama were adapted based on real events that had happened previously.
Teamwork
The display of teamwork/team spirit was phenomenal. From purely competitors trying to join the team to becoming very close brothers and sisters that cannot bear to separate in the end. It was really nice to see that everyone was needed in order to make the team complete. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and they were all able to use them to the team’s advantage by helping at certain moments. When they were met with difficulties, they were always there for each other/together and encouraged each other which is what a team should be: going through ups and downs together. During devil’s week their companionship was very touching, giving up their only supply of food for others or for something else they felt was more important. It was the first time they genuinely became a true team and no longer just thinks with “I” but in terms of “we”. All of their backstories were just as important and very emotional.
I loved how Ning Meng was able to befriend everyone slowly and change their views of each other, especially Yang Shu, since she was hard to get close with mainly due to that fact that she was always so full of herself and looks down on others.
Qu Bo’s addition to the team later on was honestly a pretty nice touch to the storyline too. We got to see a different side of his character through a reflection of his true inner thoughts on the relationship with Lin Yi as it made him view things differently. He came to see/understand that working hard is the key that goes hand in hand with the responsibilities of a soldier’s duty and the spirit that makes up a truly good team. Thus, he sees blue lightning team in a different perspective and wants to join/help them succeed with their mission.
*️⃣ Interesting notice: The upside down curl up competition with Zheng Zhong from the special forces team, mirrors the pull up competition between Ning Meng and Yang Shu previously which shows that they like to outright compete to prove themselves in order to solve their problems. This was also seen in the beginning where Ning Meng competed with Xu Dong Dong and Tong Meng Yao in the training obstacle course to get them to apologize to Li Si Si if she won and during another private competition between Ning Meng and Yang Shu for the best candidate selection as the team assault leader.
The team slogan “The harder it is, move forward” should be properly translated as “to keep moving forward especially when faced with something more challenging” was a very powerful statement that kept the team’s persistence and motivation going under any circumstances they were in. It constantly reminded them that they can surpass anything with a positive mindset.
Romance
Qin Guan and Ning Meng pretending to be a couple on the final mission definitely made up for the romance we all wanted to see from them. It blended into the storyline perfectly as the focus is primarily mission oriented and was actually the only other way to make them be together that made sense, as opposed to forcing a happy ending that doesn’t quite fit. The part where they received blessings from the foreign president to have a child soon and everyone started making fun of them as they heard it in the hearing device got me good 🤣. It was too funny and shows just how compatible they are together (even in disguise and in the perspective of an outsider)! They are so cute together!
Their formal attires were a plus and looks so good on them. It’s probably because we always see them in their military uniforms so that was an appealing appearance haha.
It was also evident that they like each other through their interactions near the end (last battle and hospital scene) and everyone sensed/knew that 🥰.
Also, not to mention all the little things that the captain did for Ning Meng after giving her a lecture was very funny and sweet:
➡️ Asking Hao Zhe to give her the book she wanted to read while being locked in as punishment in the beginning and beating around the bush to the detachment leader with an excuse to end her punishment
➡️ Getting everyone to find a place to order a cake late at night to arrange a birthday surprise
➡️ Putting in good words to the chief of staff about giving her the chance to join the exchange meeting on the discussion of tactic skills after her constant pestering
➡️ Going back to the training place to find a new flower to give Ning Meng after seeing that the one confiscated was withered badly but denied doing so (it was obvious he went to find a new one since he didn’t take back the flower and also the new jar which Ning Meng caught on fast haha 😂)
~ And of course there was a new meaning to the flower now. It became a memory with the captain (a gift from him) which to her is a stronger motivation than when she found the flower standing alone in the rain to not give up
➡️ Going to the movies with her and accepting her gift after rejecting the first time (he cannot bear to see her heartbroken 🤭)
Love doesn’t have to be shown with physical affection for viewers to know/feel that it is there between the leads and this was done wonderfully in the drama with just words, thoughts, and actions. It was the proper way to incorporate a subtle romance element that fits into the military theme and successfully avoids any unnecessary cringiness that happens in many romance integrated dramas when it’s overdone.
There were also many implied side couples besides Xu Dong Dong & Lin Yi being the most obvious ones:
1. Tong Meng Yao & Guo Xiao Wei with the constant arguing/bickering against each other whenever they meet
2. Li Si Si & Tie Quan when TQ mentions how he wants to lessen the difficulty for LSS when he saw how the girls were training really hard while wearing the heavy sandbags
3. Yang Shu & Qu Bo when they rooted for each other (QB rooted for YS to win the pull up competition against NM while YS rooted for QB to win when he represented the blue lightning team to prove himself capable of carrying on Lin Yi’s position) and also with their interactions in the final mission
4. Zhuang Qian & Jing Ke where it was slightly implied when JK said wanted to go up against ZQ in the male and female barehand competition
*️⃣ The members were paired up most of the time through their lineup (evident during the brick/board training & devil’s week) which I thought was pretty funny.
OST
All the songs fit into the story really well. They are catchy after listening to them throughout the entire drama.
I was particularly surprised about Hu Bing Qing’s voice when I found out that she was the one who sang the ending theme song ("You and Me"). She can really sing and would have no problem becoming a singer as well! The song has a very soothing melody that can fit into any circumstances, happy or sad, which we see it play throughout various scenes in the drama. I am glad all the songs are available on Spotify which is very helpful.
Shortcomings:
1. Certain scenes may be exaggerated but it still brought the intended tension up to point.
2. It can be seen that some scenes were cut in between with the abrupt transitions at some point but the overall flow was fine.
3. The villains were not smarter than they should have been in order to increase the tension that Blue Lightning had to face with them to make the battle more intense. Blue Lightning team basically took down each and every subordinates as they encountered them rather easily until facing the main mastermind behind all of the evil plan.
Final Points:
Don’t hesitate to give this drama a try just because it is a military genre. It starts and wraps up nicely and is very promising. You won’t regret! Eagerly awaiting for a season 2! The casts were all amazing and worked really hard for the production of the drama! ❤️❤️❤️
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The purest Love Story of them all
I have been watching kdrama, twdrama, kdrama & cdrama since 2008 & this is the sweetest, loveliest & squee worthiest drama, I've seen in a really long time. It made my heart feel so warm & fuzzy. The male lead is extremely charming & charismatic, the female lead is as cute as newborn puppy but turns into a wild cat when it comes to protecting her loved one.The acting was really great & there was nothing toxic, dramatic or overly exciting BUT I still enjoyed every minute of it, because the potrayal of this young love made me just giddy & happy.
Just do yourself a favor, watch it now.
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"I have never been more free than the 20 days I was kidnapped"
Just finished watching this one and have enjoyed every moment of it.Twelve episodes, neatly packed up and a story that wraps up perfectly, nothing unnecessary, and no long dwelling.
The cast were amazing, you were annoyed by the bad characters and cheered on the good characters, but most of all you just want to relish and enjoy the amazing chemistry between the Kidnapper and the girl. What an incredible story supported by some incredible acting.
I'm not going to say much more, to be honest you just need to go and watch it. The music is good but you'll be right with the characters most of the way. Binge this one, it's good for your heart.
Even though I rate this drama very highly - it's not the most important thing in the room to talk about here, Yuna. Wow she is probably one of the most talented actors i've seen in a kdrama in a long time and I don't just mean among the younger ages, she's absolutely brilliant. Different approaches to different aspects of her performance throughout from the start when she's trying to come to terms with this "father" she has no memory of to when she realises who she is and is easily, easily the smartest person in any room, to little playful moments with the back scratching stick where a giggle sneaks out and to that absolutely heart breaking moment at the end when she reads what's on the scratching stick and goes from smiley face to inconsolably in tears with a transition that is completely believable. How has someone so young got the ability to recreate these things so well? I have no idea, but without doubt Yuna is someone to watch for, she's going to light up our screens (if we're very very lucky) for years to come.
Special shout out to Yoon Kye Sang who played the kidnapper and was the perfect counterbalance to Yuna's stunning talent, superb chemistry and interplay between them.
100% recommend.
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The story of the drama is being told from Shinsengumi's perspective, and I felt like it was pretty fair. The only bad comment could be the pace and character developments,which were a little slow. There are no breath taking action scenes or tear jerker twist and turns, because the story more likely focuses on the caracters as well as the incidents. The acting is fairly executed since all the actors are pretty well experienced and well known. The music on the other hand was simply no good. I think especially the intro music is a complete failure. I do understand that they wanted to do something militar and heroic but to me it was simply annoying. Lastly,I recommend this drama not to those who want to watch a japanese version of "sageuk" but to those who want to know more about Japan's history lead by good actors and a little fiction to be more fastmoving. If you are interested, the rewatch value is higher and if not,than probably lower. Overall it was a good executed Taiga, which was a little slow and in my opinion a little sugar coated,but not boring and very educative.
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Every now and then,, you just need a great chick flick!
This review has germinated for several months. Why? For me, the real test of a film that just makes your heart happy is tied to sustaining that viewing after viewing. "Hidden Love" as a script far exceeded the original story by adding character depth, a first love romance that most women remember, with ML/FL actors that fill the screen with emotion and...let's be honest, amazing visuals....but it was more than that. The entire cast ensemble created a story synergy filling in all the spaces in a series of interwoven plotlines with a director's sequence expertise that is missing in most dramas.The relationships of siblings, parents, friends, and those college roommates we all had that have remained in our lives since our first dormitory room long ago. Scriptwriters who bring humor, sadness, conflict, and growing pains into each episode are rare in modern dramas but fortunately for the producers of Hidden Love, they took you on a concurrent journey through the storyline and our memories of similar moments in our coming of age from high school through our college years.
I could spend time exploring the chemistry among Zhoa Lusi, Victor Ma, and Chen Zheyuan, but each episode pretty much speaks for itself as we travel through the years watching the dynamics of these three grow individually as people and together in romance, friendship, and as siblings. An older brother protecting you growing up creates a very special bond that transcends time. The heartbreak of thinking our first love "couldn't wait for us to grow up" before finding someone was a sequence of emotional events that was handled so realistically you could feel her despair right along with her. The only aspect of this drama I would have to say I found disappointing was when it ended without a clear possibility for a follow-up season.
The story of this drama would be incomplete without congratulating the marking team who created a BTS series of videos that kept viewers engaged between episodes and added depth to the drama in getting to know the detailed work that went into the final product. Watching actors having fun while focused on their craft and supporting one another is rare. Those captured moments made each actor shine as people versus only seeing them in the roles they are portraying. I have watched this drama several times and purchased it for special friends who I know will be drawn into many of the college antics pulling from the collective memory of my college roommates and classmates. Happy Viewing--Hope
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" it has different mood, different storytelling, it's like a whole different colour " - billkin
This was deep and realistic. Personally i really liked part 2 cause it clearly showed the fact " the only thing constant in life is change " . Now points everyone should keep in mind before watching this1. Don't compare it with ITSAY
2. " it has different, tone,storytelling... It's like two whole different colour " - billkin
3. It's not for kids and desperate ppl who are here for some cheesy/fantasy romance
* VERY VERY MINUTE SPOILER AHEAD*
THINGS I LOVED : 1. MUSIC : it is as amazing as ever starting from the osts to bg score i loved it.
2. END
3. OLD CASTS
4. story as a whole
5. PRODUCTION AND ACTING
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKED :
ep 3 end , yes that's it i don't like only this except that i love the rest.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Little Bit of Everything on a Robust Menu
This drama didn't look like much from the get go; in fact they wrapped filming this year so was very surprised when it popped out. I was only watching because BJT is one of the people I follow and wanted to see how he fared in a costume drama. He definitely delivered the goods and so did the rest of the cast. This drama had literally a little bit of everything on a robust menu.Pros: First time I saw BJT was in YAMH last year so I knew he could play fierce and comical characters; I wasn't sure if he could handle a costume drama where some mild fighting was needed. He very pleasantly surprised me though and his character YZ was my favorite. The facial expressions, in between lips talking, loyalty, drunk kissing etc made his character really stand out amongst the plethora of princes.
This is the second costume drama I've seen this year that very heavily focused on sisterhood and made even the most annoying female evolve into someone likable. The outstanding bonds that were grown between all of the women thanks primarily to the FL's ingenuity and grace, was quite beautiful to see. There was very little pettiness and infighting which is so common when there are multiple women involved in these dramas, that it made it very much like a breath of fresh air as there were a lot of women in this one. Same went with the men; though they divided themselves into two factions of good vs evil, the brotherhood of good was full of kind and talented men.
The comedy was the best part of the series. You were constantly laughing at the antics of literally everyone. The 3 antagonists were all handled appropriately and when the time came though at the beginning it did feel like the 2nd Prince got away with murder while YZ was either ignored or punished. What I liked was that every single character except him evolved during the duration of this series. Even the Emperor understood when he was wrong (though it took a bit of time) and grew to make his kingdom the most modern. Not a single character was without flaws and that made them even more realistic. But there were almost no cliches or tropes and misunderstandings were cleared up very quickly and in a smart manner where each character grew from their mistakes even the 2 last antagonists where it didn't feel like a redemption arc but actual evolution. The romance was subtle until the end and it made the right kind of sense for the leads.
The costumes, scenery, sets, OSTs were all stunning and fit what was needed. It was very obvious that this production team was in the upper tiers and knew what they were doing.
Cons: You'd think with so much positivity how could this drama not get a perfect score but it did have a few cons though they were minor. What I wish they didn't do was focus on the side couples so much, for starters. There were episodes in the beginning and middle that barely had the leads have onscreen time or together. One of the strangest was Song Wu, who I legit fast forwarded in the beginning because she was a spoiled annoying brat, but the way she got with her husband was way too fast. Here you had an entire show filled with princes and their wives slowly getting to know each other and deciding whether to stay together or not and she meets him in the street one day because they share a name and she's magically in love and so is he and after just two more episodes of them barely seeing each other, they're ready to get hitched. It just didn't fit the speed of the rest of the drama. Her evolution was the fastest out of the entire cast and also could have been slowed accordingly. It was like they spent so much time on the other side couples, they had no time left for her.
With all the talk and addition of food, this show needed a new title at first. In the beginning it was very annoying that the FL spent most of her time talking, working on, doing things with food. Like it didn't seem that there was more to her but thankfully as more palace intrigue took over, all of that was tapered and moderated. For many episodes, she was the human talking menu and it got old quick. Was very glad the character of Yuan Ying was brought in when she was because she was the perfect addition to the household and leveling that portion out. That's it. No more cons.
Would I recommend it? Do you even have to ask lol! 100% would. It's a feel good drama bringing comedy and modern thinking into ancient times. So if you want to laugh a lot, love great sisterhoods, brotherhoods, and strong family bonds (be they immediate or cultivated), this is the show for you!
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This drama is cute and wholesome.
Most of the dramas I watched have a tendency to have some toxic/red flag behaviors from some of its characters and I find that annoying. So watching Hidden Love where there are no red flags/ toxic characters is just a breath of fresh air for me.This drama really moved me, made me laugh and cry and gave me a lot of fun while I was watching. The acting was on point. The actors are great. What I like about this drama is that it doesn't have so much conflict that's why you will just enjoy watching it, giggling overtime, laughing, and feeling all the cuteness in every scene. In short for me this drama is an escape from my reality. It reminds me of what young first love feels like. The male lead was not only goodlooking but he also played his character well. Whenever he looked at the FL, it gave me butterflies. And the Female lead played her character so well, too. It was such a refreshing series.Would I recommend it? Definitely. From all the ones I'm watching it was the only one that made me laugh and love little moments that I would rewind just to get a little bit more. I'm very glad I watched this drama and you should give it a chance too.
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This is what you called a TOP TIER SERIES
This is the classic romance series yet the execution was just so fkcing good! Everything was perfect.Lusi and Zheyuan put their blood,sweat and tears for this drama likeee?? They're chemistry is servingg.
Now for the plot, i think people would easily misunderstood it if they don't watch the show especially with the ml meeting fl when she was a kid, however it was done perfectly and i feel like people who misunderstood it either watch the show with eyes close or just saw people hating on it and decided to join them. (Also there was even a scene in the show where they explained that if he ml likes the fl since she was a kid then he have a fcking problem).
The music was soooo fkng good likee, it was the first time i ever put a song from a series in my spotify list.
I'on even wanna talk about the acting cause one look at that series and you would knoww that they are doing it great. Also i love the micro details.
The rewatch value is definitely high for me because why not?? Everything is perfect, the way both the main lead and support lead act, the chemistry, the little details, the execution and pacing of the story, and last but not the least the music.
SO IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A SERIES WITH MINIMAL ANGST OR NOT EVEN EXISTING THEN THIS SERIES IS PERFECT FOR YOU. HOWEVER IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A ROMANCE WITH ANGST OR ACTION THEN THIS SERIES TARGET AUDIENCE ISNT YOU.
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