Reviews

Okay so Pretty Boy was really intersting at first. I can give that to the show, despite the ridiculously shalLow obsession of Bo Tong ( IU's character ) over Ma Te ( Geun Suk's character). It started of with a really interesting concept of the Pretty Man conquering 10 succesful women while learning something with them. But while the story developed itself the hole concept was completly lost and it got to a point where it seemed the writers were only throwing some random women to complete the total number of people they needed. Needles to say, this show had no logic, with really obvious dramatic plot twists. Overall Bel Ami was quite a disapointment and a waste of great actors, that, even with such a poor script, could make the hole chemestry thing between the main leads amazing.

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Takuya, masato and manachan in a drama, what could go wrong? Absolutely nothing.
With perfect acting, most beautiful scenery and one of the best piano OSTs this drama is one the best I've seen through the years. While I was messing around on drama streaming sites searching through tags, I choose (animals) tag and this had a good rating so I watching first episode, then onto the second and I finished 10 in less that 16 hours. Next thing you know I'm a crying shampoo full of tears.
The story about a man who tries to give Japan after the Second World War some hope, by going to Antarctica, the government and everyone laughed at him, but he managed to assemble the crew and go to Antarctica , kimura always dreamed of going there just like his father did, the first episode was 2 hours while the starting was slow for me because I didn't know anything about this movie but once the boys gathered and found the cute huskies to follow them I was all excited. It was inspirational what the crew went through, but due to bad weather they had to abandon the dogs in Antarctica leaving them for what can be sure death ( cried a lot ).
This drama is not only about the HUMAN crew but the loyalty first coming from dogs and then the boys returned their love back and it had a lot of comrade sense.
The drama covered beautifully how Japan was not all about war but there are good people who wanted to give people some hope, achieve the impossible back then.
Keep an eye on takuya and masato, hands down of the best performances I've seen.
10/10 for epic journey adventure and love (shampoo approve)
Favorite ost
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5koZHzvWbtk
Semi-good quality stream
http://www.gooddrama.to/japanese-drama/nankyoku-tairiku

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It's difficult determining how to go about reviewing this but from my score, it easily goes down as the best comedy I've watched in a very long time. Heck, I can't even think of a comedy that has not only been consistent but made me laugh so hard from the first episode. However, amidst the outrageous comedy is actually a very well written script. How the writers manage to play with both serious and light hearted topics, mystified me through this whole journey. I kept marvelling at how well crafted it was. For one, the law is far better done than some of the higher rated and serious dramas. *Cough* Won't VOICE out any names *cough* It creatively tackles topics with two very different characters as they both utilize their own philosophy to explore issues.

Legal High focuses on Komikado Keisuke who is a genius of a lawyer who has yet to lose a case. He picks cases driven solely boy one thing,money. He is over the top, hilarious and an absolutely captivating character. He's a blend of immaturity, charisma and at times raw and powerful emotions. His partner is the naive and innocent Mayuzumi Machiko who is surprisingly not irritating. Normally, this is the type of character that I absolutely despise. The self-righteous preachy type who wants the world to be butterflies and rainbows- however, she is very charming in her own way. She for one sticks to her philosophy but also acknowledges its flaws. This partnership makes for some of the most "laugh out loud" moments I have ever had in a drama.

Overall, this is a hilarious yet very well done script. The writers did a phenomenal job not only developing the characters but giving them distinct and memorable personalities. The humor does not get in the way of plot progression or even distract from the issue. It serves as a good compliment to the overall plot and by the end of this season, I was more than thrilled to hear there was a second which I have also finished. I rarely ever seek out second seasons in dramas. Heck, it's an incredibly difficult challenge for me to ever finish a drama much less get passed the fourth episode. I jot this down as an over the top yet highly recommended comedy. Do not pass this up.

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Smiling over a meal

Our lovely ladies returned in this second season to grace our screens with the sweet development of their relationship, their own personal challenges and moments of growth, the meeting of new supportive and heart-warming friends, and even more delicious meals.

I know last season I begged for a second season but, now, I'm begging for a third. Pleeeeeeeeease!

If you're not watching this, what are you doing?! Do you not like JOY?!

. . .

Did I mention there's rare Ace rep?

Just go watch it, you fool! I will be over here, crying over my coffee, blessing Furritsubs for allowing me to watch this with subs.

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Overrated work of art?

I guess it was my high expectations because of the praise that this show has got so far but when I watched it I couldn't really connect with it the way I wished to...
First of all the editing was weird in some cases, I was just left confused on the overall pacing of the story and the decisions made on continuation of it. Even if it was intentional it just didn't help what felt like a very lackluster story.
By the end I expected to learn more specially about Jae Won to really know his back story and the way he acted, and while I did understand his actions it felt overall lacking and like they could've explored more but decided to leave it vague, which just by the end made me not connect with him as I would've liked to.
A great portion of the characters (specially the ones in the club) were unlikeable, and were mostly forgiven or left without consequence in the end, which just made it harder to keep watching.
The music was alright and story could've been better, just the execution felt weird and even if experimental or different to what's out there in terms of BL it felt too cliche and weirdly paced in a lot of the cases, like if it wanted to focus more on the psyche of the characters why not show more of the therapy sessions of Jae Won for example instead of only snippets in some episodes for example.
I've been enjoying the last K-BL releases but this one just isn't up there for me, which makes me disappointed and makes it feel overrated in the end.

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Best Thai Drama

For me hands down this is the best version of hana yori dango(Boys over flowers) !
The casting is so on point really impressed with all the cast their acting is commendable and to know for ren and gorya it was their first project…they really did a good job
Bright as Thyme is perfection he delivered what was required as a F4 leader and also a little kid madly in love
Win as kavin is just adorable he acting completely different from his last project shows his versatility
In conclusion to miss out on this drama would be a very big loss for all drama lovers !

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I hated this drama so much I had to leave a review to warn innocent people who start to watch this drama in hopes it will be good. It started off great until Young Shin fell for Kyung Soo there is no justification or explanation it is sick even if they are not related he raised her since she was like 8 and all of a sudden she's like 24 and he is in love with her. Also what was the point of the whole Jung Hoon complication why did they spend like a quarter of the show building the relationship and showing us their struggles if she was going to ultimately end up with someone else. I would like to just advice other people going to watch this show don't get attached you would be greatly disappointed . This has to be one of my least favourite daily dramas and I have watched a lot of insane ones.

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Let's face it, we know what we expected, another melodrama with unrealistic scenes, bad dialogues and horrible end. However, this drama was slightly different.

To be honest, I was planning to drop this drama after the first episode because I really wasn't in the mood for a tragical drama. Then, I gave it another chance and I am glad that I did it. With each episode, the drama got better and better and I was almost biting my fingers when I had to wait for the next episode. This drama is addictive for sure. I usually can predict almost every situation in drama and I really appreciate when the drama is unpredictable and it is still surprising and shocking for me to watch and this drama obeyed my needs.

So why didn't I rate this drama as "outstanding"? That is easy. I didn't like the last 3 or 4 episodes. Those episodes were, well, not really good, in my opinion. But I sort of like the ending, even though it wasn't really a dreamed ending.

Another requirement for a good drama is the music and here, the music was outstanding! If you love OSTs as much as I do, you will love the music, both - the instrumental and vocal.

The cast was great as well. Frankly, I started to watch this drama just because of Ji Sung and he didn't disappoint me and I found few actors, who were new faces for me and I am planning to watch something with them afterwards.

So to sum up, if you are looking for a real DRAMA, this series is just the right one for you! Great music, great acting and addictive plot.

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slice of life highschool BL (need a Tanaka/Katori spin off)

Overall: this is a slice of life series that floats on vibes rather than plot. Aired on Gagaoolala/Viki (depends on your country)

Content Warnings: manhandling

What I Liked
- Amagi being honest during the gardening
- the perspective shift in episode 1
- their conversation in episode 3 was wonderful*
- supportive friend, specifically Katori (I need him to be a lead in a BL, nerdy guy with player guy - sign me up)
- that they held hands a few times, cute moments
- the OST
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the multiple time skips back and forth in the first episode made it feel choppy, also in episode 4 and 5
- each episode feels more like a contained story rather than there being an overarching plot
- finally explained in episode 4 why Takara liked Amagi, wish this had been shown sooner
- there were times they were somewhere and suddenly the next scene is elsewhere
- not a fan of the dynamic of a low affect/unusual affect guy and the happy go lucky guy with low self esteem
- *unhappy with the very ending as Amagi gave a clear signal of not wanting to do that
- their haircuts and blurry face/lips (but I didn't take off points for this)

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Say "no" to slowburn romances - there is only an obsessive love from the very beginning!

Some of you, who watched at least 5 minutes of this drama, might be surprised for such a high rating - 8.5/10. Well, the story isn't good. It's very cringy and from the beginning it was a hard ride to watch. I was having a hard resisting to drop it after only a couple of minutes. I was constantly telling myself "This is so bad! Why did they even make this drama? Why?" BUT! There is a way to enjoy watching this drama and even want to rewatch it!

First of all, the story is awful, really. A college student girl falls in love at first sigh with a yakuza boss and he falls for her very fast without any reason - there is only a lust. They don't know their story, their personalities, their likes and dislikes - just two unknown people meeting each other by accident and felt in love in 5 minutes. Awful, right? It was hard to believe that there was some deeper feeling... BUT! Given that the drama is only 9 episodes with duration of around 23 minutes per episode, okay, I understand. Still, they could start the story with already sort of established relationship between the leads and give us some flashbacks to let us know that the feeling didn't come this fast. There is only lust, smut and skinship holding this relationship. I can feel an obsession vibe very strongly. There is also another reason the director gives us - the two leads are very afraid of having no tomorrow - there is always a possibility that Toshiomo won't be coming back. Each day might be his last. So both leads act like there is no tomorrow and just rush the things. And that's one of the reasons that the drama is different from others - no slowburn romance. Only obsessive love from the very beginning.

The actors playing the main leads, in my opinion, did a good job. I especially liked the subtle little gestures that Furukawa Yuuta made acting as Oa Toshiomo - where he was angry, happy, annoyed, obsessed - each time there was a lot small gestures on his face. It was fascinating to watch. I also felt that all the actors believed in their characters - they did them justice. The acting was one of the thing that made me want to stay watching the drama.

The production quality - guys, I've seen some j-dramas and the poor quality, is the reason I stopped. The production quality is very important to me and it's one of the most important reason I usually skip lot of scenes, fastforward etc. And here the quality was on a very high level, in comparison to other j-dramas. Especially the light effect - omg, it gave me so much laughs, whenever the light was too strong to even let us see the character's face, but all in all, there was a storytelling behind the light choices. A bit of an artistic touch, some fun with good music choices - all these made me feel attracted and fascinated. Whenever there was something on the character's mind they made an interesting choice to picture it - the mind and the inner talk of each chacter - picturing their minds like some other, exotic places. Especially during the smut moments - I didn't understand it at first - how did the main couple ended up in sakura garden? Like WHAT's going on?! Why?! Later I realized - it portraits the blessful feeling they experience, right? And each time after the smutty they ends up in kimono and full make up - is this how they see each other? There are many (not so little) things I can interpret in an artistic way and it's interesting.

This drama was so different from many others. It gave me feels, laughs, confusion. It made me want to watch it thinking: "What the heck is going on? Wait, why? Oh, of course, this is sooo cliche." - all over and all over again. But still a great watch! Truly! I was so sceptical after the first episode, but actually a bit sad after the 9th - is there going to be a 2nd season? Because after some time, that we all need to adjust to the thing that we are watching, I ended up feel addicted to this obsession of the main leads. The chemistry was WOW!

I feel like rewatching it some time in the future, because the drama isn't very long, it's very fast-paced and intense. It gives the vibe... Interesting, sort of.

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1) The reason I watched this:

This film has been in one of my collections for over a year and I really have no idea why it was there. Anyway, I just decided to watch it having no idea what's its theme or main actors. At first, I thought it was a Korean film but when it started I realized that it was a Chinese film. I had second thoughts but I watched it anyway.

2) Storyline/Plot:

It's a multiple stories film; the sort of production that usually sound appealing to me because you would feel diversity and lack of blank moments.

Positive points:

*Three sisters, three love stories and three different places.
*The way all the three stories were combined together was pretty well done.
*Watching the three stories at the same time was fun since you would watching one while anticipating what will happen in the other one, that was sort of cool.
*Even though the three female leads belongs to the same family but there were great differences which was one of the positive points that counts for the storyline.

Negative points:

*It may feel rushed sometimes.
*One of the stories didn't feel as deep as the other ones: there was a little disorder there.
*I still don't agree with the title "love in space" because only one story happened in space while the rest was located on earth: it felt a little unfair.
*This is not a unique storyline so don't expect a lot of depth, just enjoy another typical rom-com.

Story: 6.5/10

3) Acting/Cast:

*Generally speaking the cast was pretty good considering the fact that I am only familiar with two actors here.
The chemistry was enjoyable and captivating.
The second sister was annoying as a character but the general acting was actually cool.

Cast: 7/10
Acting: 8/10

4) The ending:

Two stories were combined at the end; that was kind of cool .
The ending was nice, not intense, a little light.
It was a typical rom-com ending that anyone would love to see on screen.

The ending: 8/10

5) My impression (How did affect me):

*Considering the fact that I am not a fan of Chinese romantic comedies, this was pretty cool.
*It's not one of the best romantic comedies that I've seen but it was a decent way to pass time with since it was exempt from boring moments.

My impression: 7/10

6) Overall:

*If you're rom-com lover then you would like this.
*Don't expect much from the film's title.

Overall 7.5/10.

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Melancholic, contemplative and sublime

RATING: 9.25/10

Lost You Forever was not one of my most highly anticipated shows this year. After all, four men after one woman didn’t sound like a convincing enough reason to watch a show. But thankfully, the trailer of this show really drew me in and I’m glad I went on this ride.

I have to admit - this is one of the best shows released so far this year. The first episode had me in tears, and logically there’s no reason to cry during the first episode of any show - because you don’t know characters well enough to care for them so much. But it was touching and mournful and it immediately felt like a special show.

What makes LYF really stand out is its contemplative approach. It is extremely slow, but never draggy. It builds a convincing world with interesting characters, all with their own stories and traumas. Our four leads have rich histories and have lived for hundreds of years. I like how this aspect is not brushed aside, but is actually fleshed out. For one, they feel mature and world-wise. In the case of Xiaoyao, the abandonment she experienced multiple times in life makes her hesitant to hope for things. Cang Xuan losing his parents tragically at such an early age forces him to grow up fast and pushes him to want to protect those he loves. Tushan Jing is the embodiment of forgiveness and kindness that in spite of suffering so much, he never seeks revenge. Xiang Liu is bound to his benefactor and has his own tragic backstory, but always cares for Xiaoyao secretly and from afar, without seeking rewards. Although it may seem like LYF is a romance show, it is not. Every character exists for things other than love, but love definitely connects everyone. This show has all forms of love present in it, which at many times transcend romantic and physical love.

These are some of the things I love on this show:

CASTING: I have to say that all actors are exceptionally talented and perfect for their roles. This was my first time watching Yang Zi in a full production (I’d only seen her for a short while on another show), but also my first time watching Zhang Wan Yi. I’ve seen both Deng Wei and Tan Jianci before (albeit in minor roles). Everyone has done a stellar job, including supporting actors. There’s no fault I can pick here and I look forward to watching all these actors in their future projects. It is because of their amazing performances here that it has been so easy to cry. I also need to mention the child actors who played Cang Xuan and Xiaoyao in the first episode - they were so amazing!

MUSIC: I have to give a special mention to the music in the series. The songs are beautiful and inserted at the right moments. I also did not expect Tan Jianci to sing so well, so that was a pleasant surprise. Other than that, the instrumental score is phenomenal and elevates the show and the emotional core of the show. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack on loop and it immediately transports me back to the show.

THE WORLD BUILDING: Because the show takes a very slow approach to storytelling, the world feels very well-fleshed out. It feels like an alternate universe with its own unique rules. At the same time, it feels lived-in and realistic. This is hard to achieve for many shows and I commend LYF for doing this so well. Can I also mention the cute fictional animals like feifei (poor thing), as well as Chubby and TSJ’s white fox - they’re all so adorable.

EMOTIONAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL DEPTH: I have lost count of how many tears I have shed watching this show. I think there are some very small, seemingly insignificant moments that are given so much emotional depth. Also, because characters are so well developed, it is easy to see the bonds between them and be emotionally invested. One of the aspects I appreciate most about the show is how the seemingly unimportant interactions between characters reveal so much about the characters themselves. It is quite difficult to achieve such a balance, but LYF nails this wonderfully. Furthermore, the show asks a lot of philosophical questions about life and the nature of existence. I really appreciate that approach.

All in all, I don’t have anything bad to say as such. I think seeing Xiaoliu/Xiaoyao being tortured many times during the first several episodes made the show very difficult to watch. Not my favourite bits. Similarly, Jing being trapped with Yiying because of a long-winded plan hatched by his grandmother, Yiying and Hou is not my favourite story arc. Jing’s grandmother, Yiying and Hou truly suck.

Now I’m waiting impatiently for Season 2 like everyone else.

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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Pandora : Beneath the Paradise '' is a sci fi melodrama.

The drama is messy, using too many genres, but failing to deliver in any of the fronts it opens. From a boring melodrama, to an eye-rolling spy thriller, the drama didn't handle its twists well, and so the story ended up being hard to keep up and hard to believe, even for a makjang. It seemed like the drama wanted to explain things that got out of hand by using unbelievable technological achievements without explaining anything further. Also, there were a lot of plotlines that were left half baked or unfinished.

Finally, the performances were good enough, even though the script didn't aid them.

So, overall, three out of ten.

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WARNING: this film is for adults it has a lot of swearing & violence.

OK now to the film itself it came on TV & I decided to record & watch later. I don't think I would have have heard of this movie on MDL etc. & got round to watching it thanks to FilmFour.

The story is about Sang Hoon, a debt collector & thug. On the face of it he is a vicious low life & a thoroughly unlikeable character....that is, until we get to know his back story and see glimpses of his vulnerability behind the tough guy façade. He meets a schoolgirl by a chance violent encounter and they form an unlikely friendship. She too is living a wretched and solitary existence and these two kindred spirits find solace with each other.

This film is an unrelenting, brutal and visceral tour de force. I would not recommend it to the faint hearted. The main actor, Yang Ik June, was simply outstanding in his role. I had seen him in a supporting role in Innocent Man, but in this he was so impressive, no hammy over acting like a lesser actor might have done. He played the role with a calm desperation, its like he became Sang Hoon.

There is very little music/OST in this film and I think that just adds to the gritty realism of this film.

My re-watch score is (as always) low this is not a reflection of the film but the fact that I rarely ever re-watch.

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