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This review may contain spoilers
I THINK I LOVE YOU
Sometimes you watch something that leaves you feeling so much and yet not enough, this drama was one of such works. Plot wise, after the many high school bls, this story was exactly the something different I was looking for. Though, was it really something different? Cuz this is literally the current world situation, only difference is, it comes with a side of rainbow and it has its own background soundtrack.Listen, before I start this review, I need to get this off my chest. No one but the people responsible are at fault for Victor's death. From how I saw it, nothing could have saved Victor that day, no matter what, he would have died. I saw a lot of people angry at Tanwa for not telling Trin until it was too late. People, did we watch the same thing? Did you not see the kind of character Victor was? That boy did not take no for an answer. How many times did Trin reject him and how many times did he keep insisting? And since Trin became their teacher, did he not constantly advice them against the protests, and did Victor and his friends listened to him? No, so did you think Victor would have listened to him this time? Victor was about to leave, and felt he owed it to his friends to stand with them one last time, there was nothing anyone would have said that he'd have listened. Even his mother said after his death, 'he died fighting for what he believed in,' so she knew it herself, Victor would have been at that rally no matter what.
Trin & Tanwa
So yes, I was angry when Trin took some of his anger on Tanwa for Victor's death. It hurt that after seeing the way Tanwa's father treated him, Trin hit him and then left him. Trin got Tanwa to stop running away and faced his emotions, to open his heart and love, and then, he left him, and ran back to France. And the moment he said he was leaving I dead ass went, 'Yes, ran away, of course running away is your speciality, you did it when your girlfriend died too.' So yes, I was in my feelings andwas like, yeah if those two don't end up together I'd be fine with it, let them heal and move on, Tanwa don't need to be around whatever quilt Trin is feeling. But.
But, but, I also understood Trin. It's in human nature to think we could have done something to make a difference when things like this happens. Would Trin had been able to talk Victor out of going this time, when he hadn't been able to talk him out of anything so far? Would he have reacted the way he did if he'd known Tanwa actually warned Victor, but Victor made him promised not to tell him? We'd never know. Cuz at that moment, giving the information he knew and the hurt he felt, he reacted accordingly, so I understood Trin, but it still hurt that at the end of the day, Tanwa was the one who was left behind again, cuz in trying to please two people at once, he ended up breaking a promise and losing the man he loved.
But Tanwa grew, and it was beautiful to see. We met him as this carefree hippie who didn't care about anything, just here to enjoy life and make paper cranes. But with Trin he changed and it was nice, but then everything fell apart for him again. First he broke, completely, but slowly, he put the pieces together and I was so happy for him. Thanks to his that one friend with the hair who never gave up on him. That father, all he did was be a father like he was supposed too, so he gets no thanks from me.
As for Trin he actually left France and came back home to make a difference, and he didn't sit on his arse, and actually worked on making change, though when the side he choose got hard he left again. Sure he said he could continue doing the work he was doing out of the country, and perhaps he could, a pebble thrown at one end of the ocean could make a tsunami at the other end of the world, so yes he could, but for half of the finale, I felt like he was running away, probably, he was doing both. And I don't blame him, this was the second time his pain was being written with the same ink and ending.
Personally, I think they'd both would have survived on their own if they hadn't ended up together again. But, I'm glad Tanwa learned to respect himself, choose himself, and grow before he decided to speak out and then go and try to make things right with Trin. They both needed that time to sort out their feelings and heal, and they were stronger for it when they got back together.
Krailert & Naran
I am surprised one of these two didn't die. I am not gonna lie, I watched this whole drama thinking Krailert was a coward and he was gonna die a useless death. Yes, I was cheering on him, happy when he was all in love and hating on clothes and playing piano, but my opinion of him was not much.
Cuz really, he was in a marriage he didn't want. He did what his superiors told him with little to no opposition, and most of the time his best effect was to wish the soldiers under him would listen to him, and make sure his nephew wasn't anywhere near whatever disaster was coming. Even the day that Victor died, yes he tried to save the students, even tried to send Trin out on some errand to save him, but in the end because he didn't really hold any respect or power in the army from his soldiers, after all this years, his men disobeyed him, and he ended up losing the one trusted man he had.
And it wasn't that he didn't try to do the right thing or speak up, it was just that he held so little power, that his voice and effects meant little to nothing in the long scheme of things. Yes, he did what he could, but it wasn't enough, which got me thinking with how much power his father in law held, how the eff did he end up with none but that dude with the cigar ended up with so much? Was it because he was too kind, too nice for a profession in politics when he'd rather be playing the piano naked? Either way with a family like his wife's backing him, him basically ending up a 'yes, sir' dude at work was unfortunate. Though his ending was an unhappy trophy husband, so really, short end of the straw.
So, I was so so so happy when in the finale he grew a pair and finally spoke out, though, what good it did him, he was immediately arrested and was about to die or imprisoned for life, until his wife came in to save him. But even so, I was so happy that he decided to speak up and to tell the truth, even knowing what consequence he would face. Both Naran and I were very proud of him.
Naran, spoke a big game of wanting change, of wanting to tell the public the truth, and for a while he was passionate about it and did it, but when he kept being silenced, he allowed himself to be silenced. Sure there wasn't much he could do with a boss like that, but thinking about it, he'd write, tried to push, be silenced and he'd let it go. He knew how horrible those politicians were, yet, he didn't really talked those student out of anything, just stood in the crowd with them with his camera, taking shoots and videos that never saw the light of day. Even Victor's father's book, in the end it was actually Krailert who called in that favour for him to get it published.
Yes, he had no power when against such powerful people, but the pen is mightier as they say, so... Anyway, I was glad he quit. And also, he could have had his own publication had he lied and stayed with his girlfriend, but it was good he didn't want to add to the pain by staying with her. I was happy he came clean and let her go, otherwise he'd have ended up in an unhappy, suffocating marriage like Lert did. Though, was a one way ticket to wherever he went any better? Probably.
Was their ending sad, yes, but again, I am still shocked not one of them died and they both made it alive. Though, are they even alive? He was forced to leave the country alone without even seeing the man he loved one last time, and Lert was threatened to remained in an unhappy, unwanted marriage as a live-in sperm donor. So, I say alive with huge question mark.
Secondary characters:
Dhevi :
I was not surprised one bit that Krailert's wife was pulling strings. Literally, her hair was never out of place no matter the time of the day, of course she was silently a force to be reckoned with. Woman to woman though, does forcing a man you know does not love you, plus in this case, wasn't even intimately interested in you, ever make this people happy? What did she get out of this? A husband who is dead inside? A baby? Bishes be crazy. Naran's girlfriend hit him with a shoe and moved on, what Krailert's wife did was just cruel. Girl why? And all that to save force cuz of social norms? What was the point?
Victor:
I liked that loser. He was so adorable when he was in love, and I'd admit, I was lowkey looking for drama and going, 'you know what, just one, one tiny kiss.' I know it would never happened cuz Trin saw Tanwa one time and was a goner rearranging his bookshelf in the middle of night, but still, I was delulu and wanted something, I'd have taken a very firm handshake even, In the end, he died for what he believed in, gone too soon, yes, but he left a mark on the friends he left behind and that counts for something.
Veera:
His death hit so hard, cuz at one point I was like, hmmm he loves the wife too much, you think he'd snitch? Shame on me for thinking bad of him, cuz he didn't. In the end whether for Dhevi or Krailert, he was loyal, and died protecting them. Poor boy didn't even get to attend his fake wedding. I still feel how sad and hard I cried during that episode where both him and Victor died, and with Mile singing Dawn in the background while everyone broke down in tears did not help. Damn that episode broke me.
Which brings us to why everyone on this cast needs to win an award, especially the four main leads. Everyone did so amazing with their characters and actually looked like they enjoyed coming to work and producing this amazing series for us. And it was an amazing series. I loved every moment of it. The plot was wonderfully executed, and everything from the cinematography, direction, editing, costumes, casting, script and the music made me like it more. Speaking of the music, the original soundtrack was amazing, I saved almost all the songs on the show to my playlist. Loved them!
I highly recommend this to all bl/drama lovers out there, cuz this is so much more than just a bl drama. The genre and topic might not be for everyone, but if you are looking for a drama with good plot, direction, acting and overall amazing production, give this one a chance, it's one of the best bls/dramas that I've seen that's come out of the Thailand. I am looking forward to more from the cast. BeOnCloud, thank you!
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It's always easy to kill off one of the main characters the viewer likes and affect his emotions in such a way. On the other hand, making a beautiful love story with a happy ending, THAT I consider art.
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1I love all the shows done by the director and the writer of Reply 1988: from Reply 1997, Reply 1994, Prison Playbook and Hospital Playlist but Reply 1988 is not only my favorite work of the combo Shin Won Ho/Lee Woo Jung (director-writer) but also my favorite Kdrama of all time.
After watching this for 3 times, the show still has the same impact every time i watch it. You will laugh and cry, laugh some more, and cry some more. This is not just a mystery love story, but it's more about family & friendship. The story sounds simple but you will be amazed how the show was perfectly directed and written. You will finish this series and you will feel that you are part of their story.. that they are your friends and you are their family as if you know all of them. I tell you this show has many characters but you will know each and every character in the series. That's how brilliant the writer is.
You might not be hooked right away just by watching 1 episode. When i recommend this show to my friends, i always tell them to at least watch 5 episodes before deciding to stop or continue. I know a lot of us has this tendency to just watch the pilot episode and decide if we will continue to watch or not. Reply 1988 is a slow paced drama. It is slow but a lot of things are happening in all of the characters. You will not be bored in every episode. There are so much funny and heartwarming scenes. And the more you finish each episode, the more you will get hooked and won't realize that you already finish the entire 20 episodes (some of the episodes even last for 2 hours).
If you want a feel good drama, i strongly recommend this. It is very nostalgic, realistic, heartwarming, funny and romantic. The show does not need major twist and unrealistic villains. It is as real as it gets. It is definitely a CLASSIC and truly a MASTERPIECE.
"A time so warm and pure, that it was painful. Can you hear me? If you can hear me, answer me, my 1988, the days of my youth." – Sung Deok Sun
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Rom Com that Rom Coms
The plot gets a 9.5 from me because it said “rom com” and it delivered romance and comedy. If you’re looking for angst, drama, suspense, historical accuracy, etc this show is not it. It stays light and stress-free; conflicts resolve relatively quickly. A feel-good show if you need a pick me up.I loved the chemistry between the leads. They have a playful chemistry and the battle of wits was entertaining. & Personally for me I loved the FL. She was confident, intelligent, independent, and sassy. And I’m a sucker for MLs who fall in love with their FL’s confidence and strength. I thought they did a great job building on their romance—lots of late night conversations and voiceovers that show you the WHY of them falling in love. Their romance never gets sidelined for secondary characters either.
It’s not a show to make you think hard but it still does a good job with character developments. There’s a running theme of freedom that focuses on the FL and the women in the show; and through the men in her life, you see why she falls for the ML as he’s the one who loves her for who she is and respects her autonomy.
Other pros:
- fun secondary characters
- a solid ending that stayed true to the genre
Cons
- some choppy editing/plots but I’m assuming they had to cut down to 26 eps from the rumored 30. I always give cdramas a pass towards the end lol.
( Edit: Will add that some of the plot at the end may feel out of place but it’s clearly written to reflect the “freedom” theme and how certain people’s perception of love can be confining. The plot towards the end exists to flesh out how much the leads mean to each other even if they’re not always vocal about it. )
Anyway, recommend people giving this one a shot. I think it’s highly underrated and anyone who’s a rom com fan, will likely enjoy it. :)
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I wasn't originally planning on watching this, but I don't regret choosing to. This is the kind of drama that I could repeatedly rewatch multiple times because the story is so sweet and lighthearted.
Although the plots rather simple, I still loved every second of it. It's so visually beautiful, the bright and happy feeling you get when watching this ahh I'm so soft. The relationship between Hong Jo and Kim Sol Ah is so cute and my heart always flutters when they are together! The cast was really good too, I liked all the characters. I also found myself laughing a lot while watching this, the humour is light, it won't make you crack up and wheeze but I still loved it.
The drama overall was so heartwarming and I will definitely rewatch it in the future!
By the way, the cat isn't that creepy. Some people think it is, but it's not that bad. It's kind of cute
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I have watched so many dramas which had a really strong beginning but all went to disappointment. Not this one! It won't dissapoint you until the very end :)
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Love Is Not About Forcing The Pieces To Fit, It’s About Falling Into Something That Fits Naturally
I rarely watch mature, melodramas as they seem pretty boring to me, but believe me, this is one of the best chinese melodramas out there.Here are some of the reasons why;1.Well-written plot
Most of the modern dramas I watch are light hearted and comedy ones.But Find yourself's plot has both dramatic and comedy scenes.The plot is a little draggy but tightly written and the characters are beautifully portrayed as well.Though 42 episodes is too much for a modern drama, it is still worth watching.
2.Casts and Crews
I noticed that Victoria's acting improved a lot, since Ice and Fantasy (her acting was not quite good there).She portrayed the character pretty well.He Fan Xing was mature when needed to be mature,childish when needed, and Victoria was really impressive to portray such a character.
Song Wei Long,though young, is an amazing actor as well.He perfectly fits the role of Yuan Song (Young, handsome and loyal)
Wang Yao Qing (Ye Lu Ming) is the most outstanding one.You may feel annoyed by his character as a scheming second lead but it is relatable and I feel for him.
Other casts are impressive as well.
3.Multiple couples
I am quite happy to watch multiple couples having their own happy endings.Other than the main couple,there are He Can Yang and Cai MinMin, Cong Xiao and Chan Huan .
4.Family and Friends
I am touched by sister-brother relationship between He Fan Xing and He Can Yang, they supported and love each other.
Their parents are so sweet as well,supporting their children and I really enjoy watching parents-children and sister-brother relationships.
Scenes like friends solving the problems together made the drama more amazing.
5.Ost
Songs are not bad.
Don't binge-watch it as you may feel frustrated and become quite bored.Take your time, enjoy the moments and you'd definitely love it.
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A bad series, riddled with writer and director errors.
It was one of the worst series I've watched recently. It was completely fake. Nothing was complete; it was wrong, incomplete, flawed, completely unrealistic, and completely fake. I was hopeful at first because it featured Liue Xie Yi. I thought it couldn't possibly be a bad series. I wish I hadn't. It's a shame for this actress. Meng Zi Yi and her chemistry are zero. Meng Zi Yi is simply unsuitable for this series, this character. Her wide-eyed performance, her wide-eyed, angry, murderous gaze in every scene, whether positive or negative, her inability to adjust her gaze, and her coldness are the hallmarks of the series. There's supposedly love between the two; they're in love, to death. But I never saw it. Such a fake. I never felt it throughout the series. Aside from a couple of hugs, we never saw any closeness. They crammed some of that into the final episodes. Those were miles away from reality. It just didn't happen.Princes aren't princes, Princesses aren't princesses, the queen isn't queen. She's the worst. While she's the prince's maid, I think she seduces the king of another country. She becomes his concubine and then kills the queen. Because these details aren't fully presented. They're fragmented. She's ruined a country like this. Not a single intelligent person is saying anything. How can a queen be so casually wandering around, having a secret affair with a prince, and worrying about petty things?
This queen and one of the princes are burning in a fire. Yet, the door is open. If she had left, she would have gone somewhere else. That's what we're shown. She escapes with only a slight burn on her cheek. The prince burns to death. Yet, there are people waiting outside. No one sees this woman leave. They watch. She returns to her country in this state. She continues her evil ways. It's completely lame.
The fight scenes are also lame. There are very obvious flaws. They're visible. They're filmed without seriousness. The series is full of fakery, soullessness, triviality, and carelessness. Everything but the actors is bad. The script, direction, costumes, and makeup are terrible. I gave it a 6,5, but I gave it to the actors. I gave it to the effort. It's a 5.5.
How do we understand mistakes? Let's say the princess is 10 years old and her teacher is 25. She trains them as children. The princess arrives at 25, the teacher arrives at 40, but she looks younger than the princess. Not a shred of makeup, no aging, not even a mustache. It shows a time 10 years later. Negligence, indifference.
The prince and princess relationship. They haven't seen each other since childhood. Let's say at least 10 years. There's no trace of longing. There's no warmth of reunion. It's distant, cold, and completely unprepared.
The state teacher receives a decree from the king. He's going to give it to the princess. He puts her to the test. If he accepts the decree during the test, the arrow moves, and a doctor shoots the woman. If he doesn't accept the decree, the woman is saved. The decree burns. The princess doesn't accept the decree. She saves the woman. You wonder who the woman is. The doctor who knows the princess's poison turns out to be. In that state, he starts making an antidote. Why does the teacher choose a doctor and a poison doctor instead of someone unqualified? Does anyone understand? I don't. Then this doctor cleans up their poison. In other words, he saves the princess and the chancellor. Especially in the final scene, they capture the empress. They would hold her, tie her up, make her talk, and punish her in some way. They could learn the antidote. But they don't. The empress is telling them a story. They listen. Then the plant from which the antidote is produced appears. The empress strikes the candlestick, and the plants instantly burn. It turns to ash. They can't save her. That's the kind of scene. The aftermath is even worse. The empress imprisons them. She leaves them in the middle of the fire. Good God, you know. You wonder who's saving them. The teacher does. So, the wounded, unsure, shabby, barely standing queen was about to kill the princess and the chancellor. They were saved by the half-dead teacher. A complete disgrace. An impossible scene. How can you make a series this bad? If someone sabotages it, this is all it will get. So, I congratulate these guys. I didn't like them. I congratulate the actors, except for Meng Zi. I didn't like her either. Meng Zi was the second or third lead. He's transitioned to lead acting, but he can't quite show the success he has in second and third roles here. My opinion: He needs to adjust his gaze. He shouldn't brag about his big eyes. He should learn to use them. He's used to the evil gaze. He constantly looks like that. He's wrong. He should play the villain opposite the lead actor. He'll go from success to success. It suits him. I'm sorry I criticized him so much. He should watch the series. He'll see for himself that it's not. Liu Xue Yi is quite good. I like her. Her face is an actor's. She plays it. She was very good. Liu Ling Zi played the villain, but in my opinion, she was better than Ming Zi. At least she looks good. Her posture and approach are much better. She's a more suitable candidate for the lead actor. Fang Jin Fan is an actress with potential. She has a pretty face. She's childish. Once she gets over that, she'll be a good actress too. Xu Jing Ya surprised me. It was her first drama, but I thought it was good. It'll happen. He needs a little more experience. I found Gao Han very successful. He was especially excellent in his scenes with Maggie Huang. He showed off his extreme obsession with her very well. Well done. By the way, I also found Maggie Huang successful. Bian Chang, Wang Jia Xuan, and Zhang Zeng Yang were standout actors.
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'Road Home' really shot up to be one of my fave dramas this year.
Let me just say I really enjoy everything about this show especially at the start, the angst and tension I really enjoyed it. This drama is focused on the main leads' romance. It is a mature and intense kind of romance. I felt that the drama did not drag even once they got together.
Hopefully the new watchers give this a try.
Things I love about the drama:
- Enjoyed how this drama didn't focus much on any other characters, but on the relationship of our main leads. There were no love triangle, maybe there were some annoying characters but it didn't put me off since the main leads actually brush them off, and the misunderstandings that happens in the drama get cleared out really quickly. I really love how they didn't drag anything, especially any problems that arises.
- It may be melodramatic, but it's not too heavy to take and once they got back together it became a feel good drama.
- It is a healthy and mature romance. After the main leads got back together, I love how understanding the ML and FL were with one another. And when apart, they were very independent.
- FL did shown some character development. As she became very understanding, especially with the ML's job, it was noticeable when they got back in a relationship.
- I really love the cinematography in this series, especially the views and scenery of 'Qining'. It just makes you want to travel there.
- The chemistry, I absolutely love the chemistry between these two main leads.
- Jing Boran did a wonderful job in portraying Lu Yanchen (ML). His character is complex, from a strict captain of the SWAT team, he also is a man of few words, and mostly he shows affection through actions, and I seriously love the micro expressions he does for his character. His eyes is very expressive: from a longing look, to hurt and tearful, and etc. I really felt butterflies, when it comes to him pulling the FL into a hug, cuddling her, just looking at her, and his kisses (Thank God, JBR is such a great kisser on screen) I absolutely love the final episode, where it shows the POV of his character and it really answered so many questions that came up while watching the series.
-Tan Songyun, really did a great job as Gui Xiao. It is my first time to watch her act, and I love how she brings her character to life. Her character is just so charming and at times childish (especially when she gets spoiled by the ML) Also like Jing Boran, she had the most expressive eyes. I seriously love the tension in the first few episodes with the ML, you know they were really longing for one another and wanted to pick up their relationship again.
Though when it comes to the main leads in a high school, it did felt kind of awkward especially with Jing Boran in a uniform; but that may be just me. But to be honest it didn't really bother me much afterwards.
Overall:
Definitely is in one of my top fave dramas, so hopefully everyone can give this a try. For re-watch value, absolutely going to re-watch this and to be honest while this was ongoing, I was already re-watching several episodes over again and especially the scenes I really like.
At the moment I'm still going through withdrawals with this drama, and may update this review again afterwards if something comes into mind.
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This drama was like an explosion
The time an explosion happens, what you see from afar is impressive, you are shocked, surprised and curious at the same time. You wonder and you come closer, what you finally see is ruins.That was the feeling Shadow Beauty gave me. At first, I was really impressed and shocked about how good, thrilling and well executed the story was. But as the episodes were passing through, this first impression slowly faded away.
Shadow Beauty is a web-drama of 13 episodes. The pace of the drama is pretty fast and the small duration of the episodes make the drama very easy to binge-watch.
Although it’s a psychological thriller, it’s a light-watch drama that can be watched by everyone who likes this genre. The drama is somehow thrilling and it keeps its tension till the end but also, the level of frustration is also growing up little by little as the episodes are passing. Romance is also one of the main genres of the story, but the drama isn’t Romance-centered as the romantical relationships aren’t fully explored.
As far as the technical part of the drama is concerned, both the production team and the majority of actors did a pretty good job. What I especially like about the production was the drama’s direction and montage, combined with on-point music which wasn’t unfortunately something memorable but it works well in the building of the drama's tension.
It has to be mentioned that this was the time Shin Dai Gi played the main lead in a drama and she was stunning, I hope we will see her in more main roles from now on. Shadow Beauty was also the first drama as a main lead for Choi Bo Min and the first time I saw him in general and he left me a good first impression.
~~~The webtoon~~~
Shadow Beauty is based on a webtoon by the same name written by Ahum. The webtoon is completed and it consists of 100 main episodes and 25 special episodes. The English translation is still ongoing and until now (December 29th 2021) 78 episodes have been released. The story is about Koo Ae Jin, a girl who has built a fake social media persona called “Genie” and she is basically living a double life.
As I said before, I was very excited and pleased with the first episodes of the drama. Then a certain thing happened that bothered me so I decided to read the original story. Guess what happened, the thing that disturb me wasn’t part of the original story.
I kept reading as well as watching the drama and now that I have finished both (I’ve read until the last published chapter of English translation), let me say the negative (for me) parts of the drama while doing a comparison with the webtoon at the same time (which is spoiler free so don’t worry).
The coherence
The episodes were very few compared to the episodes of the webtoon. To fill the whole story in only 13 episodes a lot of parts were cut and the story was limited. The original story is about Koo Ae Jin’s life in general and not only her school years which the drama contains.
As the drama only focuses on Koo Ae Jin’s school years, it is only logical for the drama writers to change some things and create their own ending of the story. This for me was a disadvantage because by limiting and editing the story, the storytelling ends up becoming incoherent and rough at some parts.
Also, by changing the story, what the author has in mind and the purpose behind the situations fails to be delivered. The story’s main purpose is the Koo Ae Jin’s secret identity and how she will keep it secret when in the webtoon this isn’t the case.
The characters and their relationships
One of the biggest mistakes was the alteration of the characters but also the alteration of the relations between them. My main problem here was the relationship between Koo Ae Jin and Yang Ha Neul which can be described with one phrase as “a hot mess”. Something quite curious that happened between them isn’t part of the original story so it was just something the drama writers came up with to create more drama in the story. This certain thing though makes Yang Ha Neul twisted to the point that her character’s writing seems weak.
Unlike the webtoon, the drama builds villain/s which Koo Ae Jin conflicts with and that makes the drama another ordinary drama despite the story’s attempts to break the norm. In the webtoon, the characters are mostly gray with their own wounds and mistakes that determine them. During the webtoon’s episodes, you see the characters mature, learn from their mistakes or shrink because of them. The drama didn’t completely fail to show this side of the characters but it didn’t succeed either.
In the webtoon, the main reason why Koo Ae Jin and her backstory are revealed in the early episodes, in the drama this is done at the end of it. This was bad because in the drama, the background of all the other main characters was explored before hers and made somehow the story unfocused on her.
~~~Overall~~~
Generally speaking, Shadow Beauty wasn’t a bad web drama, it was a regular school story with some thrill elements and some quite interesting parts. The finale of the drama is decent and the message that drama wants to get cross is very well delivered. I wish I could have rated this drama higher, but knowing the original story and how it failed to deliver its uniqueness I couldn’t do it.
Shadow Beauty is a story about people who are fighting everyday and conflict with themselves so they can mature, overcome their insecurities and accept themselves. Each character's monologue was a delightful and unique journey. It’s a pity this beautiful side of the story remained in the shadows.
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The Cool Part:
The games themselves are a logician’s masterwork. No twist is foreseeable, and no puzzle unsolvable to the brilliantly minded Akiyama-san. If you like sitting for half an hour – or two - in complete suspense wondering how on earth they will ever manage to win each round through sheer guile, biting your fingernails in anticipation of victory – well that might explain why it’s so highly marathonable. Matsuda Shota plays his part to perfection as the ultimate silent type: an analyst of humans, ever noting the depths of lies and secrets, and calculating every possible move ages before it happens. You’ll find yourself sitting in absolutely stillness waiting for his manipulations to become clear and work their magic.
The Boring Part:
You get the feeling after a while that Akiyama-san will always be there to save the day. And then, the suspense becomes merely repetitive. Having watched half the drama, the pattern for each match firmly memorized, and my brain starting to unravel to keep up with each game’s rules and intricacies, I found myself spacing out. Fortunately, the drama anticipates just such an outcome. Get lost trying to understand the all the players’ plots and maneuverings? No sweat! Before the game ends, there’ll be at least a 20 minute step by step account of how everything happened, and why.
The Real Crux of the Matter:
Games and plotting aside, there’s something very unique about Liar Game’s premise. The story isn’t merely about forcing poor innocent, indebted people to play a game, practically to the death, financial death. Liar Game instead strives to uncover the heart of human nature itself. As the game’s masterful creator intones: “Humans are willing to betray each other in order to survive. Therefore, what’s wrong with deceiving others from the start or living faithfully for your own desires? That’s being human.”
The world he paints in one of black and white, where the black-hearted will always win, and the weak and pitiful will always lose. It’s the cunning versus the trusting, and the pack against the loner, not necessarily evil versus good. To reach the top, humans should or will be capable of stepping on anyone and anything; survival of the smartest, when the risk is losing everything. You lie or you lose.
In Kanzaki Nao, we not only have the most gullible and trusting character ever written; she is an allegory of trust and honesty, absolutely incapable of lying. To the exasperation of the Liar Game Tournament office (or perhaps to their increasing interest), Nao refuses to adhere to their rules. She tries again and again to prove that with teamwork, everyone can win and advance to the next round, maybe not with a profit, but at least debt free. The catch is, if Nao wins, it will disprove everything our Liar Game creator believes in. But for how long Nao can keep the players working together is the only true unknown. It’s a question not even solved by the end of season 1.
Conclusion
It’s hard to fault Liar Game for any real plot holes, especially when it’s obvious that the entire story has purpose beyond plain entertainment, fun, games or romance. Are all the concepts expertly done? Not always. Is it a little cheesy and overly moralistic at times? Absolutely. Will this be my favorite drama of all times, or will I ever rewatch it? No, and most likely not.
But the characters are generally good, and well acted for their roles. Matsuda Shota is fantastic to watch, especially when he gets his game face on. I’d like to say that Erika Toda didn’t overly impress me with her acting, but when her character is an allegory, and mostly unrealistic – that’s something I just can’t make a case out of disliking. Did it detract a little bit from my enjoyment overall? Sure, but then it was a fun ride and eventually I will continue the story, and finish the game another day.
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This review may contain spoilers
I can't believe this drama only has 1 review. I have been a big fan of thai dramas and when i found out that Sunny, Davikah, Sky and Thanaerng were in it, i just had to watch it! I did enjoy the drama and binge-watched it all in 2 days. It made me laugh and cry along with the characters. The OST was on point and I do like the core of the plot, which is even with magic, a relationship requires both parties to work hard on it in order to keep it going.**Spoilers ahead**
Cast - The cast was visually pleasing and I was in constant awe of Davikah's beauty. As for acting, Sunny and Davikah were on point. The scene where Peng had a complete meltdown in the ambulance, begging for his power to return just so he can save Thantawan. My gosh, that really broke me. Bank was an interesting choice for a villain. I'll admit I could not get over his baby face but he did do a fantastic job. Sky on the other hand, though I loved him in Hormones, he needed to brush up with his acting skills. I know he is stiff and it kind of worked for Chalan, but at times when he really needed to deliver, he just fell flat.
Characters - I loved that all the characters had their share of flaws. It made them more relatable. Peng was always putting work first and came across as cold to the person he loves, Chalan being very naive but also very positive about things, and Bamee being very fiesty and hot tempered but extremely straightforward. I do however wish Tantawan had more of a personal growth. Her life , for me, was kind of sad, as it was always centred around the person she loves.
OST - Pretty good tbh. Found myself feeling most of the songs, especially "you are my everything".
Ending - I'm teamPENG so the ending was a disappointment. I do get why she picked Chalan though. He was attentive towards her and she could truly be herself around him. She could cry and share her emotions with him. Peng on the other hand, was cold towards her and kept taking her for granted. Despite her voicing her unhappiness, he often brushed it aside. Come on, the things that he said to her whenever she cried was just downright hurtful. It was only when he found out her feelings were starting to fade, that was when he started working on it. By then, it was too late. All it took was a small interaction between Chalan and Tantawan to change everything.
I do like how Tantawan recapped her feeling for Peng at the end. I know some found it confusing and that they did not like it. But i do get it. Tantawan will always love Peng . But she knew that with him, 1 of them had to morph into someone else for the other to be happy. She didn't want to do that to him as she knew first-hand what it was like when she had to do so in their 15 year relationship. To compromise is one thing, to completely change oneself is another. With Peng, their connection will always be there regardless, hence he will always be "her ambulance".
Overall, i am very very happy with this drama and will gladly rewatch it again.
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