Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun
32 people found this review helpful
Great casting for Lee Joongi
Personally, the drama really exceeded my expectations. I know some people dislike the styling as compared to Season 1, but honestly the Season 2 styling being more logical during that age. As much as I think SJK suit Saya more in terms of visual but Lee Joongi did better job as matured characters. In fact, at some point I think Lee Joongi's acting is more what I expected Eunseom/Saya to be after 8years. And Lee Joongi never disappoint when it comes to action scenes.The only cons of the drama so far, the filter they're using and casting SSK as Tanya. She's pretty, won't even doubt that but her acting really hard to watch. She did great in Run On but I guess as an actress, her acting capabilities are limited to only certain role.
P/s: Can I get Lee Joongi and Kim Okvin in action drama next? I would love to see it..
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How did this happen?
How have I watched 12 episodes and almost nothing with the main couple has happened? This series isn't winning me over and I feel stuck now that I'm 12 episodes in. I watched 11 & 12 on 2X just trying to see it through until the end but nope there are 16 episodes. Not to mention I'm not really sure why this is a NC rating because there nothing NC about it. No violence, no bad language, no drugs not even a heavy petting scenes. Any of those things would at least make this series a little more interesting. I'm also way more invested in ALL the side couples then I am in the main couple. I'm basically watching to see if chain and pun end up together and the simple fact that Tan & Fang are freaking adorable, seriously they are carrying this show.Was this review helpful to you?
Great cast, horrible story
Watched it at TIFF 50 last night!Interesting concept, but horrible execution. Cinematography was pretty, opening scene was promising.
Aside from that, everything else, mainly story was lacklustre. It moved scene to scene with no clear character motivation. A character was introduced half way through the movie and somehow played a major role in the characters motivations when there was not set up. Characters were 2 dimensional and cartoonish in their writing. Lot of aura farming without much aura. Character writing overall didn’t make sense and you couldn’t really understand why each character was doing what they were doing.
Music was okay, did its job but at times was too in your face. The sad moments felt forced because immediately there would be sad piano playing, didn’t have room to breath.
Overall, I wish the writing was better, the two actress’ in the leads were promising, but I wish it was a better movie.
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I love Lee Seung Gi's smile, and it is in this drama that I have heard of him for the first time. I loved the music they played in the drama and all the different themes for the main characters.
No Min Woo looked amazingly HOT as always! I felt really bad for his character. I think that both of the male leads had done really well, and I could tell how much No Min Woo's character wanted the Gumiho to go with him. The Gumiho played by Shin Min Ah, done a fantastic job. Applause for her.
Everyone in the drama were either really cute, really HOT, or really really funny. I cried while watching some bits. I will not tell you the summary because I don't want to ruin it for you, but I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. You just HAVE to watch this, LOL :P
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This review may contain spoilers
beautiful
this drama was everythingalthough it was abit slow but it really explain everything
i love the chemistry between the two main characters
and all the sad moments i cry along with
i felt this show was abit underrated but it definitely deserves to be on the top
although the story was something i can never relate too but the fact that the story flowed so well had me surprised
i know there were alot of breaks but it was still perfect it didn’t crash so much to make horrible
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The romance was so heartfelt, it made me wonder if such a beautiful romance with such a deep connection between two people in love could actually exist in real life, I hope it does.
I can't not mention how I loved the osts, they were simply beautiful and fitted the situations well.
Although I loved the romance part of the story, I could have liked this drama more if the plot had been more interesting.
Also the episodes were all too long and there were a lot of boring scenes.
The last two episodes disappointed me because of the use of one of the typical unnecessary situations kdrama writers like to add in the finale episodes to cause drama.
But I did like the ending, it was simple and good and although I didn't rate this drama that high I still recommend it just because of the romance. If you are a hopeless romantic like me you will love the pairing in this.
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Passionate, slow-burn romance for the win!!
There’s something about the Chinese Republican era that’s so captivating, it has the ability to draw you in, and the settings and costumes also make it very spectacular to watch. This is the type of drama while you’re watching you’ll want to bang your head against the wall if you’re single, and will be definitely yearning for a man like Jiashang to pop up in your life, at least that’s how it made me feel. Although the main protagonist is an arrogant 20 yo in the beginning, as the storyline progresses he’s getting his character development by being more mature and responsible which I liked very much, not to mention he’s manly and extremely handsome. Shizhen is the epitome of elegance and beauty, impeccably well-mannered, sophisticated, and confident in any situation, the actress’s delicate features make her perfect for this role, and this era suits her so well.The main leads' chemistry is no joke.. literally out of this world, whoever made this pairing and cast them together in this type of drama, I can’t thank you enough! They don’t have that much skinship, but their every scene was on fire, the crazy sexual tension, the ml’s yearning for fl, those deep long stares, lustful glances and passionate kisses, I wish I could erase all of it from my memory so I can watch it again for the first time *sigh*. I replayed their scenes again and again. Kudos to the actors, their acting is top-notch, I could feel their every emotion. Sometimes I wonder how can they not fall in love with each other while shooting these intimate scenes, it’s a forever mystery to me.
The music matches well with the scenes, making the viewing experience even better, and creating the atmosphere it should.
Now I do think that this drama is more for a mature audience rather than the younger ones as the story gets heavier and complicated after around episode 27. The story is complex and I got so immersed in it, that I wanted to pay full attention to the details as well in every episode not to miss out on anything. I won’t go into details because those would be major spoilers, and I want my review to remain spoiler-free, but the drama portrays some serious issues. The first half is more focused on the blooming romance of the main leads, while the other half is about revenge and revelations, packed with more action.
I wouldn’t mind getting more episodes just to watch more of their extraordinary chemistry, it wasn’t enough at all. The drama may be slow-paced but I never once got bored, instead I got addicted to it. Despite that it had some flaws, I couldn’t care less, it was a fun ride for me. To my delight, I just found out that the novel is even better and hotter so I’m on my way to read it.
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For me Doctor Stranger was a drama which began strong but, then suddenly got messed as episodes went by. I don't blame the director. I don't blame the actors. I blame the writer.
There is only one way to explain why I'm thinking the way I do today.
My episode guide on how I felt through each episode:
EP1: Excited! I was even reminded a little bit of City Hunter. 10/10
EP2: This is fast-past! So much happening all at once. Loving this so far!! 10/10
EP3: So much fun! Every character...especially Park Hoon is so enjoyable to watch! 10/10
EP4: This keeps engrossing me the entire time...every second. 10/10
EP5: "I don't get it! What does she/insert character name here want?" 9.5/10
EP6: I still don't understand. 0_0 9/10
EP7: This episode was very mellow....no climax. 8.5/10
Pause for a second reader. Do you notice something? Ok well let's continue on.
EP8: "What are you doing Park Hoon!?" "What are you doing!" 8.5/10
EP9: First half of episode: Intense. Second half of episode: Boring. These characters are confusing me but I don't want to drop it because of the first four episodes. 7/10
EP10: "Is this even the same show anymore?" "I'm really disappointed..." 5/10
This was the part were I put the show on-hold and waited.
Yep. It took a long time and a lot of convincing to make me come back but I did.
By this point I was two weeks behind in watching Doctor Stranger. So I skip-watched and I am not afraid to say it.
EP11: Ok. It was ok but that's it. 6/10
EP12: "Yea!!! Jae Joon!" I had found one character that I actually respected and liked. 7/10
EP13: The show is trying to get back on it's feet. Good. 7/10
EP14: Thank god for the medical excitement...or I would never have been able to make it through this episode. 6/10
EP15: This love triangle is annoying. I want more action. 6/10
I'm going to skip some of the episodes because really they aren't worth explaining.
EP19: 5/10
EP20: Honestly by episode 20 it didn't matter what the ending would be. I wasn't going to like it. Why you may ask? It's because I knew the story was already ruined and the only way the writer could fix the mess he made was having a ending which wouldn't make sense. I know it's a he because I looked up who wrote this rubbish. Just for everyone to know. His name is: PARK JIN-WOO. Remember the name because he is the one to blame. 1/10.
Just a heads up. You may want a coffee break or something because this is a long review. You may also want to watch other dramas or maybe get some lunch. ^^
So here is the big question of the day. Do you want to watch it? Do you? I mean your probably thinking LJS was so great in "I Hear your Voice" so this should definitely be worth it or Kang So Ra was the best in "Ugly Alert" and she probably will be awesome here too. DO NOT LOOK AT THE CAST. IT'S A GREAT CAST BUT THE WRITER CAN NOT BE TRUSTED. This drama will ruin how you feel about the cast.
The lower your expectations are the more you will enjoy it and that's a fact.
That might be a good reason why the reviews are so different.
Ok enough about that. On to what everyone wants to know. How is the music?! Doesn't everyone like a good OST? Well your in luck! Here is one of my favorite OST's from it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QusjP1V7qo
This was basically all I listened to for about two weeks. "Saraghae. Saranghae.....I'm just a stranger without you, my love....Ohhhhhhmmmmm."
Ok. Finally.
Should you watch it?
If you want to. I'm not going to say don't watch it because that's pointless. I mean you really want my opinion? No. Don't.
To those who may disagree with me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6QA3m58DQw
Sorry!
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Will You ‘ Cha Cha Cha’ into watching this drama?
Aside from its questionable title ‘ Hometown Cha Cha Cha’ is a remake of the rom-com’ Mr. Hong’ (2004) updated and directed by Yoo Je-won, the same director behind dramas such as ‘Oh My Ghostess’ and ‘Tomorrow With You’. The storyline isn’t labyrinthine . Cha-Cha-Cha is a straightforward rom-com ( taken from the original movie) of “ city girl moves back to the sticks and falls in love”. However this boils down to the ultimate question for newcomers thinking of picking the series up; “is ‘ Hometown Cha Cha Cha’ actually worth watching? “
Arguably the drama does a really good job at subverting certain cliches and stereotypes beyond the expectations of viewers . Whilst the villagers are sometimes used for stock comedy , they are often more than just filler characters also. Many of them have their own problems which are revealed as the series progresses. For example Oh Cheon-jae (Jo Han-chul) is a cafe owner and a washed-up one hit wonder who despite often ending up as the butt end of the joke, has a more sensitive side by desperately yearning to return back to his brief glory days. There was something oddly heartfelt about each episode taking a moment away in order to focus upon side characters such as the village grandmas who main heroine Hye Jin (Shin Min Ah ) encounters in this small seaside town.
On the other hand this brings us onto one of the biggest elephants in the room surrounding our main female lead Hye Jin. Actress Shin Min Ah is decent enough here. On the other hand her onscreen persona Hye Jin is trickier to address. Hye-Jin is the epitome of the “ carte blanche female lead”; a character who has some necessary plot-driven angst, sweetness and backstory, but rarely has more definitive depth, emotions and realistic flaws.
Adding to the issue of Hye-Jin’s character arc is that whilst she does have “flaws” they’re never really pointed out by director Je-Won more directly . This is because Je-Won tries too hard to present Hye-Jin as a “ loveable and perfect” female heroine without considering that perfection can often be flawed . Of course our MC does have her sob story and angst-ridden moments later on in the series but these scenes rarely enforced more powerful emotions onto viewers as there was little to make Hye-Jin grow or learn from her past mistakes . This was case and point when others such as male lead and main love interest Du Sik( Kim Seon Ho) pointed out Hye-Jin’s mistakes at times as arrogant or rude, the drama rarely gave her the chance to grow or explain herself without either turning the blame on Du Sik for interfering, making Hye-Jin burst into tears or failing to accept her own mistakes sincerely . The problem with Hye Jin is that her character arc runs on pure plot device steam than actual character writing- we never find out what really drives Hye Jin either through her current flaws addressed, her career and future goals ( rather than mere romance) or for the sake of plot.
This moves us onto main lead Du Sik. Similar to costar Shin Min Ah, Kim Seon Ho was delightful as dexterous “all-round-ace” Du Sik- adding his own sweet charm to a character with a surprising amount of profoundness . He’s an extrovert, incredibly talented at everything and good-natured but also shares his own personal troubles as well. On the other hand whilst later episode scenes relished in tackling Du Sik’s past, this did feel slightly rushed than well-paced. We do see Du Sik’s problems build-up in early scenes and it was surprisingly refreshing to see vulnerability against a seemingly “ strong” character such as Du Sik.
Consequently it felt as though the drama could’ve done more to have built-up dramatic tension around Du Sik’s past and character arc. Whilst it is used to present drama and a spanner in the works with his relationship with Hye Jin, it was evidently used to add some tension and dramatic dilemmas rather than feeling gradually built up or allowing to present the profound connection between our leads more sincerely.
This of course leads us to discussing about the romantic setup between our leads which is (unsurprisingly)a rocky road. On a positive note it was heartwarming to see their feelings blossom . Even from the first episode the route of potential romance between our main characters was obvious. Bland chemistry in early episodes was ignited by more cutesy interactions as episodes progressed as well as fire added to the flames with dramatic tension keeping the ball game going between the two characters.
Similar to his previous works, Yoo Je-Won adds his own personal touch of oozy sweetness to the overall production. Pohang City in the province of North Gyeongsang in South Korea sets the perfect location for the fictional Gongjin village. The blue horizons of clear skies and crystal waters, provided an idealistic escape throughout the series.Vivid cinematography accentuates scenes alongside bright lighting, whilst more slapstick comedy from the original movie is replaced by a few farce scenes in order to focus upon more meaningful scenes between its main characters. The ending offers a more bittersweet note for viewers with an ending that was sweet but admittedly expected.
‘ Hometown Cha Cha Cha’ is the epitome of a rudimentary sweet sugary ice cream treat- cutesy fluff and with its own bittersweet edge at times, but it could easily melt under the pressure of its own plot build-up and dramatic tension. Overall it is really dependent on what you’re looking for in a drama- a quick, easy and back-burner romance setup ( which you’ve probably seen a million times already) in order to pass the time? Then definitely.
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The thriller aspect with kidnapper storyline just becomes tiresome halfway through, with the usual moronic police investigation/constant mistakes in capturing the uninspired villain.
I found the comedy scenes totally unfunny and embarrassing.
The romance was ruined for me by the coy and overly cutesy acting by Park Bo Young. I am not a fan of ayego.
My biggest problem with this drama was the main female lead Do Bong Soon. I disliked her thoroughly and cannot understand how others found her likable and described her as an admirable strong woman. For me she is nothing but a two-faced, passive aggressive bully. She casually assaults people and then acts all sweet and innocent as if butter wouldn't melt. I found her hypocrisy a total turn off. She is smug and rude to her superiors at work. She bullied and assaulted people everywhere she went, if it had been a man doing these things everyone would have been up in arms . By the end of the drama I started to dislike the actress as well - as it is her portrayal not just the writing that i found so unpleasant.
Other things I did not like:-
- the contrived love triangle which went nowhere and made me question why it was introduced it in the first place.
- the way DBS mother treated her husband was totally unacceptable. If I were him I would have divorced that useless harridan in an instant.
- the main male lead's besotted act went rapidly from cute to cringe.
- the cliched depiction of the gay character.
All in all an utter disappointment I had looked forward to this drama as the 3 main leads were all on my like list but after this debacle I will have to rethink my stance.
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This review may contain spoilers
Lackluster and Ultimately Disappointing Series With Cowardly Characters!
By the time you reach the last few episodes, the series becomes like a plate of mushy carrots. You choke them down just to get through them, so you can move on to something better.I’m going to start this review by saying that Shin Hye Sun is one of my favorite actresses, and I started watching this series because I saw that she was in it. However, I will say that this is the worst series that I’ve seen with her. It’s not her fault, however. As always, she gives an illustrious performance, given the lackluster and convoluted story and a very unappealing character in Cho Sam Dal.
The series is pretty solid through about the first eight episodes or so, but then it’s all downhill from there. No, it’s actually more like dropping off a cliff because the lack of story, quality, and direction, are suddenly nowhere to be found.
Cho Samdal is a prominent photographer, rising to near the top of stardom as one of the most sought-after photographers in the business. She photographs model and celebrities. Her protégé torpedoes Samdal’s career, forcing her to retreat to Jeju Island, where she is from. She hates the island, viewing it as a primitive locale where no one can possibly succeed in anything. What we end up having is a character who whines, drinks, and cries—often in that order too! At heart, she’s a true coward and unable to deal with her thoughts, feelings, or desires as well as her inability to stand up for herself. There is very little that is actually appealing about Cho Samdal.
Cho Young-Pil is a weather man based on Jeju Island and Samdal’s former boyfriend. Young-Pil is a man dealing with the tragic death of his mother—a haenyeo diver (women who dive for mollusks and other sea life) eight years prior. At the start, all we know is that Young-Pil and Samdal broke up, leaving the viewer to question why the breakup occurred as well as who instigated it. We find that one of the most cowardly characters of the entire series is Sang Tae, Young-Pil’s father.
A drowning man will always try to pull someone down, and Sang Tae is the spitting image of a man so lost within his own grief, that he sabotages Young-Pil and Samdal’s relationship. He holds Samdal’s mother responsible for the death of his wife, despite the two women being the best of friends. What is sad is that Young-Pil never really confronts his father about his irrational and self-destructive behavior. Even when Sang-Tae is verbally abusing Samdal, Young-Pil simply stands there without offering any defense or attempt to pacify. Sang Tae is a man who can’t see anything beyond his own pain, which literally mars and threatens to destroy the true memory and love of his wife. However, nobody bothers to even bring up this point with him. He spends his time drinking and sulking. The ultimate coward is the one who won’t let go.
In the midst of this, Go Mi-ja (Samdal’s mother) is suffering from a heart condition, which we might well connect with her own grief and guilt. I found her character the most appealing, and I wished the story had focused more on her and the friendship she shared with Young-Pil’s mother.
One side-story that was also far more appealing than the main one, involved Hae Dal Cho, the youngest sister and widow of Samdal. Her interactions with Ji Chan—a dolphin expert—were sweet and far sweeter than anything between Samdal and Young-Pil. I would have preferred a story surrounding her than Samdal.
By the end of the series, we have a cast of characters who are largely cowards at heart. Samdal is unable to deal with her past or even truly fight for her future. Doormats are only appealing because you can wipe your feet on them, and yet Samdal allows her protégé to use her as one three times throughout the course of the story. Samdal only wags her finger at her protégé, which does absolutely nothing. And I’m not entirely sure why Samdal would allow her ex-boyfriend to work with her after he betrayed her. So many things in this series made absolutely no sense at all.
It's sad how everyone believes that a “better life” must be in Seoul rather than in Jeju. I would have preferred seeing everyone make a success in Jeju, rather than treating it as the hindquarters of Korea where success goes to die. Who said you have to go to a big city in order to be successful? Not only is this deluded thinking, it’s also untrue. Samdal only succeeds in revealing her level of immaturity by how much disdain she has for her hometown.
Also, are you seriously going to tell me that someone with her wealth and notoriety doesn't have an attorney on retainer?! That was about the most ridiculous thing of this series as if the writer had no clue!
The writer and director clearly had no idea where to take the story, and we have everything magically being resolved within the last few episodes without any viable explanation. Samdal doesn’t bail herself out. Everyone else does it for her, leaving the viewer to realize that she’s still never grown up or known how to take care of herself. True strength isn’t as much about helping someone out of trouble as it is about helping them figure out how to get themselves out of trouble! The story would have been far better served had they chosen that road.
Despite having some truly hilarious moments—especially the seaweed fight—Samdal is just a very annoying and largely unlikable character. She acts like a 14-year-old child most of the time. She gets angry with Young-Pil over the smallest things. She peeks at him through her bedroom window, and then gets angry when he confesses his feelings for her. She then runs off like a scared child and barricades herself in a shed because she can’t deal with any challenges or forms of confrontation. She’s about as big of a coward as you will ever find! I also lost count of how many times she hits Young-Pil. It was supposed to be humorous, but by the tenth or eleventh blow, it just becomes silly and tiresome.
Given the great cast and acting performances that this series had, it’s a real shame that it was all wasted on this unappealing story, which lacked both charm and sophistication.
I went back and watched “Our Beloved Summer” again just to get the bad taste of this series out of my mouth. I wanted to revisit a series that was well written with smart, likeable characters, because this series just doesn’t have either one. “Welcome to Samdal Ri”? More like, stay away!
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the OTP's chemistry is totally off the charts! their acting, spot-on! i can feel their pain, their frustrations, their happiness, their emotions.
the only reason i put an 8 for rewatch value instead of a 9 or 10 is because i rarely rewatch dramas that i've seen. but i wouldn't be surprised if i catch myself taking another peek at an episode or a scene from this drama in the foreseeable future.
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This review may contain spoilers
It's a masterpiece!
------------ Spoiler-free part --------------First of all, let's all agree that the title of this series is terrible. There are many series to watch, and I skipped this one simply because of the feeling of "another way too cheesy drama" the title gave me. I was wrong.
The plot twists and turns until the very end, the acting is excellent, and the production is superb!
Most importantly, we've finally got a series that talks about many LGBTQ+ issues openly and explicitly. No more this "I don't like men, I just like him" BS! I couldn't bear to watch another series where being gay is something to be ashamed of and, therefore, protagonists are wiggling out of confirming their sexuality. Contrary to that, this series probably has the highest number of times the word "gay" is pronounced in the history of the Thai BL industry. And it definitely has the highest number of moments where "gay" is used as a self-description.
------------ MAJOR SPOILERS! ---------------
Here are some thoughts and my opinion about the ending. A lot of people didn't like it, and I get that. But what other options were there? Let's say Tarn gets out of the coma, and Nut remains human. Now what? Tarn, whose love literally gave life to Tofu and saved Nut and his dysfunctional family, remains alone, watching Nut and Tofu living happily ever after from a sideline??? Is that fair? And how would Tofu live knowing that about Tarn and not being able to talk about it to Nut ever? Do you think Tofu could possibly be happy??? I don't think so. Therefore, IMHO, the ending IS the best possible outcome.
Now, here's a message to those heterosexual ladies who love watching BL and are very disappointed in this one. I understand that this entire industry was created for you, but gays are not inflatable dolls that exist solely for your entertainment. Thailand is a pretty homophobic country, if you haven't noticed. And when you are "sinking" such a series, sending a message to the Thai BL industry to say that you are only interested in fluffy fairy tales, you are stealing voice from people who are suffering. This series was supposed to be an unrealistic fairy tale but somehow ended up portraying an actual real-life gay and his life in the most realistic way. If you don't like how the series ends, make sure that the described abuse and violence don't happen in your family and society.
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Drama's title is very self explanatory
The acting, chemistry and kisses was way better in this one! The premise was the most interesting also, Perfect Scandal it's full of scandalous situation indeed jus like the series with the title telling everything: Kiss & Kiss and Kiss! (It's a shame how difficult it's to watch it...)The kisses we had: 1- In classroom with college's boyfriend, 2- personal trainer and actor couple make the rehearsal became reality, 3- married politician with his secretary, 4- BL - officers senpai and kouhai tasting the sweet lips (w-o-w), 5- very cute the producer with the voice actor, 6- old couple of idol and his secret newly exposed girlfriend, 7- traditional calligraphy teacher after class with his married student, 8- journalist comforting his director, 9- BL - secretly 2 idols in the same boy-group, JEEZ!, 10- university colleagues on a secret relationship the country girl and her idol, 11- the outside prince with the convenience store girl is like this that people scammed, 12- college student that can message her past self make a second fisrt kiss with clerk.
That's a variety of very curious settings, I like the opening design and the ending music it's really a very good vibe! Another word to this arc would be: Forbidden.
P.S.: I came for the BL couples and I was just damn right.
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