Completed
Something, Crunchy Crunchy
13 people found this review helpful
Sep 26, 2021
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

Quirky short musical with cute guys

Overall: This is one of the few artsy/quirky short films that I actually really enjoyed.

Content Warnings: very mild violence (and you may never eat candy the same way again :P )

What I Liked
- the music, round of applause to whoever wrote the songs and the singing was good
- unique plot, definitely haven't seen this before
- the outfits matched their candy counterparts well
- apparently I really like tattoos, even when it's the word "digestive" lol
- I liked that even in the darker scenes there was light on the actors' faces, too frequently I can't see anything

Room For Improvement
- I didn't at first like the first song the guy wearing black sang, but I think it was a style thing
- the animation when showing people looked a bit amateurish
- a small continuity error with the white band being ripped, but then not being ripped in a wide shot

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
My Strange Hero
13 people found this review helpful
Feb 5, 2019
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
My Strange Hero was a drama that I decided to watch first and foremost for the actors. Before I started it I didn’t have much faith in the story itself, or how the revenge plot would mix in with the rom-com storyline. It managed to prove me wrong. I enjoyed it from the start.

The drama was rather successful in blending these sweeter rom-com elements with a more serious and dramatic plot. There was a fine balance between these two storylines and neither one seemed to take too much time from each other, but rather work together quite well. Some dramas are upper sweet and cute in the beginning, but then it hits you with all the drama and it sucks the life out of the romance. But this show made the drama and the rom-com elements work.

The most memorable and the best thing about the drama was the main couple - as it is supposed to be in such rom-coms - not the revenge plot, even if I did start to really enjoy it towards the end. But I watched this mostly for the characters and the sweet moments and other cute bits. The characters, from the main couple to the side characters were really cute.

The revenge or the more serious plot was a bit too dramatic at times, but at the same time I felt as if it needed a bit more momentum at times to really work. The drama didn’t dive deep enough sometimes I felt, but it didn’t matter much to me, because that wasn’t what I was watching the drama for. But I felt like, in the end, the drama had said all that it wanted or needed to say. So it felt satisfying.

The drama had loads of great characters, but what stood out for me the most was actually the female character, Son Soo Jung, who was completely the hero of this drama and goes the most character journey of them all. It is usually the female character who has the role of making the male hero a better person but doesn’t always change that much as a character, but it seemed to be the opposite of this drama, which was something I really liked.

Soo Jung starts the drama of being kinda guarded against everything and everyone, she does not do well in life and she makes some wrong decisions at the beginning, which she has to pay for later on, but in her relationship with Kang Bok Soo she learns or wants to do better and she opens up more. She got the storyline that the male leads usually get. The drama spends a lot of time on her as a character and her developmental as a person, making her one of the stronger characters in the drama. It’s not all dramas manage that, or do it as well as My Strange Hero did, which was something I really enjoyed.

Out of all the main characters in this drama, Bok Soo, goes through the smallest character journey, but he as a characters does not change as much through the drama. He becomes less focused on revenge and opens up more, but I feel like the main goal of that character was to help some of the other character grow as human beings.

My Strange Hero was a drama I didn’t expect much from but ended up waiting eagerly for the next episode every week. It was so light and fun and overall a rather solid rom-com. At least for me. I haven’t found a drama with Yoo Seung Ho that I enjoyed this much in a long, which I really enjoyed, since I am a big fan of his.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Jang Ok Jung
13 people found this review helpful
Jan 18, 2014
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
I don't really know where to begin with this drama review, but here goes. I am not a big fan of historical drama, yet I can't seem to complain about this one. The story begins in the most appropriate manner, with not to many odd junctions, or confusing climax. The very personality of Ok Jung is fill with hope and the King is seen to truly love her only. However this drama may not depict what was written in history it did a great job of filling in the "what if" questions. Plus the actors did a fantastic job at portraying the deep and agonizing emotions each character could have felt at every decision. The music help in veering from one emotional scene to the other; without losing the pace for the drama. In the end every one of the main characters had me in a like and dislike roller coaster ride based on how they dealt with any conflicting issue. Overall I gave this drama so high a score because it really tried to showcase a different point of view to a historical story, without over stretching the facts. So i recommend this drama to anyone interested in the tragic, yet sweet love story of Jang Hee Bin in a different light.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Heesu in Class 2
13 people found this review helpful
Apr 27, 2025
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

Why did they try to make second lead main lead? This is not Netflix Start-up.

WOW!!! what an amazing journey. I got to know a lot more about the main leads characters.

Chan Young exerts main lead energy being ignorant to his friend struggle and just think for himself first. His love line with Ji Yu is cute because I got to know how much shallow dating your fav singer is so convenient as studying in the same school and same extra curriculum. Her songs are truly powerful indeed as to convert a misunderstood common interest into definitely love.

Love is such a simple thing that Ji Yu falls in love with a handsome guy who acknowledge her talent and compliment her achievement and most importantly, an act of kindness returning the book she forgot on her desk in front of her which happens to be her song title which is probably why it was allowed to be left on the desk during extra-curriculum class.

I was so annoyed because why did they give Heesu so much screen time when he is a typical support character who helps setting people up. He didn't even help the main leads get together. Why did they show him trying to sabotage the main leads when his gig is being a shy best friend? If he was supposed to be the antagonist then they made his character so weak with weak motive as falling in love with childhood best friend.

Furthermore, why does a support character get a support character? Seung Won literally is non-relevant to the main storyline when he just sit by the side on everything. What was his point even? to be Ji Yu bestie? what did they do together to relate so much? To introduce a jealousy storyline with Chan Young in Ji Yu relationship? they did try and succeed but it concluded so early. He was only introduced as a way to stop Heesu rampage in a non violent way.

Through out the 10 episodes Heesu and Seung Won relationship progress is literally as obstacles for Chan Young and Ji Yu. I get that they wanna be family friendly so maybe they could conclude it with a second lead love line but with a BL twist.

Overall, I am a little disappointed by the direction of the series in progressing the main relationship but I am glad to say that it is another kdrama that I have successfully sat through.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Lost
13 people found this review helpful
by Shiro
Jan 11, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.5

Left me lost and wanting more

This is one of those dramas that lives up to it´s name delivering the feeling of loss to the fullest, showing a beautiful completion of loss without overcomplicating or overthinking things. A true feel lost, feel sad, feel real... Without hope and unnecessary positiveness.

The drama started of a bit weak, but wheeled me in and actually did manage to touch every part of your soul with it´s imperfections, portrayals of depression, loss and relationships.

It also had me wanting to strangle the mother in law over, and over again letting me feel the aggravation as a contrast to the rest of the characters who where mostly lovable, complex, interesting , no one was perfect, no one was pure good, all made mistakes. though I may not always agree with the characters dissuasions I could clearly understand what lead them to make the choices they made. I honestly fell in love with the way this drama portrayed all these different perspectives with stories that need to be told. Ironically enough this drama feels honest in a way though it portrays a whole web of lies and secrets that have been kept for a very long time.

I can not stress enough the slightly subtle but realistic and important portrayals of domestic abuse, depression, power abuse, power relations, poverty, and all round issues that effect women, elderly and the less wealthy in modern society.

Though the mother in law brought out my violent side the way she talked about her daughter in law was extremely spot on, full of prejudice and blaming her for her situation.

The way the father portrays hid deteriorating health, while trying to stay strong is just heart wrenching. I loved the conversations he had with his daughter as well as seeing him interact with the people around him.

The husbands first love almost double life, was also really well done, sometimes I hated her some times I loved her but most importantly I could relate to her and really appreciated the way she showed the perspective of a loved one slowly watching someone disappear, saying something like: To others it may seem like he is just lying there, but there are days when he smiles more,he gets sad when something bad happens in the ward... '

I also got a full blown crush on Ryu Joon Yeols character, the way he handled the situations around him, I loved all the bits where we got to hear his voice telling us his inner thoughts and then seeing what is shown to the outside. This guy was very subtle and good at reading the room and though he was not the typical male lead. He does have a charm it was hard not to fall for him, and that beautiful smile.

There is also something special about the way this drama portrays intimacy, with extreme attention to detail.Somehow even simple situations could get really intense and had my heart race...

So to sum it up this is may not be a feel good drama, but it is beautiful, intense and is sure to make you feel things...

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Blacklist
13 people found this review helpful
May 31, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers
I went into this show after watching The Gifted, which is basically everything this show tried to be. There are a couple of the same characters and a pretty similar concept, minus the supernatural aspect. I thought "this can't possibly be that bad" since it seemed so similar. Oh, I was wrong.

My first and BIGGEST gripe is the fact that they had to give EVERY character a love interest. Not only was this pointless and made the characters dull, but it confused the fuck out of me. I couldn't remember a single name because we have like twelve students being introduced back to back to back. I ended up calling them all by names me and my boyfriend made up! The romance was super forced and mostly involved the man saving the "helpless" girl. It seemed like they had to be in a relationship to be interesting, which is not true at all! I think this seriously took away from the story. I'll admit, there were a few couples that were necessary to advance the plot, such as the main Teacher and the female teacher (see, can't remember their names and I just finished it ten minutes ago). I also think the relationship with the principals niece and the nerd was also good for the plot! Otherwise, the girls were really pretty useless. I don't even remember how the guys met half of them! That's how ridiculously fast they introduced them all.

The story was interesting in the beginning, then got way too convoluted. There were about five different villains in a thirteen episode show. The plot twists were super predictable, my boyfriend said "Oh, the female teacher is evil??" In an early episode and guess what, that was the big plot twist! The aspect that drew me in was their "special abilities" but you better believe you hardly get to see them ever. What's the point??

The ending was rushed and unsatisfying. We get the image of all the couples living happily ever after and then the teacher making the same mistake he'd already made and sending the students out AGAIN to do secret missions. LIKE WHERE ARE THE POLICE? WHERE IS THE FBI? HELLO? I also want to let you know that the woman who pushed a student off of the roof of the building, had sex with a student, held another hostage in her house and then tried to poison her when she escaped then sent someone to kill her in the hospital. Yeah! THEY COMFORT HER. SHE ONLY MADE ONE MISTAKE THEY SAID. JESUS.

What a disappointment. So god awful in every way. It had potential to be a great show, but they tried far too hard and ended up ruining it.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Coffee Ikaga Deshou
13 people found this review helpful
Oct 24, 2021
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

A Tale Which Tries To Warm Your Soul…


‘ Coffee Ikaga Deshou’ ( alternatively translated as ‘ How About A Coffee?’) is one of those dramas which will likely remain under the radar for most drama watchers. Based upon the manga of the same name and Adapted to the small screen by screenwriter and director Ogigami Naoko alongside co-director Mori Yoshitaka, ‘ Coffee Ikaga Deshou’ ‘s plot isn’t complex.

Admittedly ‘ Coffee Ikaga Denshou’ isn’t an overly original concept. Main lead and arcane barista and coffee van owner Hajime Aoyama ( played brilliantly by Tomoya Nakamura) comes across in a similar suave and mysterious manner as the “ mysterious flaneur figure” Izakaya owner from ‘ Midnight Diner’.

However on a virtuous note Coffee Ikaga Denshou’ ‘s plot was fairly driven by its prominent messages during most of the series. From dealing with issues such as struggling to fit in the status quo, disillusionment, popularity and grief, most episodes had something fairly
poignant to address about Japanese society and everyday life.

Yet unlike the reoccurring characters of ‘ Midnight Diner’ who were left only to piece together parts of the owner’s past, Aoyama’s link to his backstory as well as his reasons for becoming a coffee connoisseur, played a more “ pivotal role” within the events of the series. The main driving force behind the " tension" of the plot evidently occurred within the interwoven backdrop of each episode focusing upon surrounding the reoccurring onscreen appearance of the mysterious gangster ( Isomura Hayato) who was hunting down Aoyama for unknown reasons .

There’s a lot to discuss about how the series dealt with Aoyama’s character arc. On a positive note playing upon the storyline of Aoyama’s " secrecy being hidden in plain sight" made him an enticing character to learn more about and when his past was revealed it did present a lot of surprising revelations about our main lead. However Aoyama’s transition between his past persona and his current-self rarely felt more subtle or blurred, whilst his journey and struggles to kick past habits ( unless it was necessary for " dramatic tension") often felt disengaged from the storyline.

Due to the change and swap-up of characters during episodes it’s hard to pick out a multitude of characters to analyse in more depth. However due to their reoccurring appearances it is important to discuss ( without spoilers) about how the series dealt with the mysterious gangster Pei and his character arc alongside Shima Kakine ( Kaho)-the first customer to be shown to be served by Aoyama onscreen- and our " final major antagonist”.

Speaking about the latter character Pei’s initial raison d’être is acting as an antagonistic force within the drama by hunting down Aoyama for unspecified goals. However whilst it was undeniably sweet to see Pei have his moment of redemption through his later actions and decisions, the build-up of Pei’s actual character redemption arc often felt sporadic. Of course whilst the drama did drop hints towards Pei’s own personal connections, this rarely felt more built up or more widely interwoven with with Aoyama’s own character arc also.

Then of course there’s Kakine. Kakine is an odd character to discuss as
after her initial appearance in the first episode, her character doesn’t appear again until the last few episodes when the final storyline kicks in. Whilst Kakine is undeniably kindhearted by acting as the stereotypical " moral cheerleader" figure during the later storyline, she’s a character who felt the most paradoxical due to how the series approached her character. To explain this further it is important to point out that Pei initially commented during one of his first interactions with Kakine that she was annoying as she was " boring and dull". However during the first episode one of her major problems throughout the storyline of this episode was her inability to truly fit in at work. It seems an evidently nuanced point and whilst it is correct to assume perhaps from Pei’s perspective, Kakine is boring as she isn’t cut from the same cloth, it seemed an odd point not to expand upon Kakine’s own feelings and thoughts after this initial interaction. Whilst it is evident that perhaps the series didn’t have enough time to focus upon Kakine’s expanded feelings during this episode, it felt a wasted opportunity not to have used more the to have explored Kakine’s feelings, her previous struggled as well as her desire to make a good cup of coffee after her initial meeting with Aoyama.

Last but not least is evidently our " major antagonist" of the series. Now without giving too much away about the plot, our antagonist has their own personal reasons for standing in Aoyama’s way as well as their own screen time to explore their moments of humanity also. On the other hand their character introduction and build-up felt rushed and lacklustre . Whilst it is understandable that the series wanted to keep us in the dark for as long as possible about their identity, it felt slightly odd that the series didn’t try to foreshadow their character introduction or at least their presence in the series as opposed to a quick " climatic turn of events". As a consequence whilst the first half of the series thrived with strong plot messages and mystery, the second- half( whilst presenting more revelations) did seem to struggle with conveying the same ambience of charisma and strong screenwriting .

So is ‘ Coffee Ikaga Denshou’ actually worth watching? Whilst the acting front is fairly decent ( sans from a few awkward line deliverances) and the drama offers an interesting array of characters, main lead Aoyama undeniably has his own peculiar charm over audiences to keep them watching. Each episode offers the formulaic tale of a new issue or message during the first-half of the series and a melodramatic plot climax and revelation during the final part. The end result of eight episodes stringing out a lacklustre climatic buildup will undeniably leave viewers with mixed feelings.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Fortune Tellers' Love
13 people found this review helpful
Jul 25, 2024
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

I-Yul is an angel!

After watching all the episodes with patience and seeing each character for themselves, I can positively say that I-Yul- ssi is my favorite and I am so in love with him. It's as if I can feel his warm heart and care for others through the screen, I am so glad I decided to watch this show just for the sake of knowing that there is such a person in this world. I hope that if I ever fall in love in the future, it will be with such a kind and warm-hearted person.
Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
My Lethal Man
13 people found this review helpful
Jan 29, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

A Good, Trashy Romance

If you're looking for a good, trashy romance, this is for you. Things don't make sense, there are plot holes everywhere, and overacting is a thing, but the chemistry between the leads is sizzling and that pretty much carries the entire drama.

I've watched Fan Zhi Xin in some of his support roles before, but he never really stood out to me. I was pleasantly surprised by him in this drama and will be looking forward to some of his future projects, hopefully, he will be able to land more lead roles after this drama. The ML is everything you want in a 'domineering boss' romance. He's introduced as cold, ruthless, and 'lethal'. They obviously took some inspiration from Vincenzo, he speaks Italian and improvises with his weapon of choice (instead of dangling villains off a building with a measuring tape, he uses his own tie).

The FL is slightly more vague. I can't say I connected with her the first few episodes, but as she grew in her confidence, she became more likable. I would have liked her character to be better defined, I felt like she was a side character to the ML.

But there is no denying the chemistry between the ML and FL. It sizzles. Those kiss scenes are fire. I could care less about all the plot holes and how many times I had to overlook things (like the fact that she's the doppelganger of his stepsister? Very weird) I really just wanted to see them be hot and sizzling on the screen together.

The drama is super tropey, and has some uncomfortable plot points but the main couple made this a thoroughly entertaining watch. If you're looking for a story where the plot makes sense, I recommend you to stay away from this web series, But if you're looking for an entertaining romance with all the typical tropes, I found this drama to be the perfect antidote for my current drama slump.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
All about My Romance
12 people found this review helpful
May 30, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
"All About My Romance" is the perfect example of a rom-com done right. It was insanely funny, cute enough to plaster a smile on your face and criminally underrated. While I'm not necessarily sad that it's over, I do feel like I'll miss the hijinks this drama bought with it.
Story: Can two politicians from completely different parties find love? If you were to ask me this question a few months ago, I probably would have said something along the lines of "It sounds boring. I don't really care.". I barely pay attention to politics in real life, why should I watch a drama about it? However, after the first few minutes of the drama, I was sold hook, line and sinker. I loved how this drama can go from serious to laugh-out-loud funny in under a second. The politics weren't really the main focus of the drama, but they did play a key role in the conflicts. I'm glad that there wasn't too much emphasis put on the politics in this, but rather the cute and conflicting relationships all throughout. Just as the title shows, "All About My Romance" is seriously *all* about romance. I'm not joking. There is no other plot there, *but* romance (Well, there was a shot at makjang somewhere along the line, but I was willing to ignore it for the sake of both my sanity and my love for the main couple). Anyway, there were about four (?) different pairs of people involved (not necessarily four couples, there's waaaayyyy more pairings than that), but I can only think of two couples that are actually focused on for the whole show.
Acting: Lee Min Jung first dropped onto my radar back when I watched "Boys Over Flowers". She had a bubbly and bright screen presence, and I honestly see her becoming the next A-List actress sometime soon (?). One of my biggest issues with the drama's viewers is that many people dropped it simply because Shin Ha Kyun wasn't "attractive enough". While I do understand the whole eye-candy thing, isn't that a bit shallow? At least stick around a while if your whole issue is purely a visual thing. If those viewers had some issue with the plot, I could understand why they dropped it, but looks? Really? *sighs*
I'll admit, Shin Ha Kyun is not as attractive as he was back when he debuted, but his character's personality sort of made you immune to that, and over time you found him to be kind-of-sort-of attractive.
Y'know. In that ajusshi way. Sort of like one of those older models in those business magazines?
Moving on. Shin Ha Kyun acted really well in AAMR, and without his skills the whole thing would have probably collapsed. No offense to Lee Min Jung, but she just wasn't passionate enough for the drama to rest on her shoulders, and the second lead and minor actors weren't given enough screen time to help her out.
Music: Cute and adorable. The OST will forever bring a stupid grin to my face. I especially loved Akdong Musician's contribution to it.
Rewatch Value: For the funnier scenes, definitely.
Overall: Cute and light. AAMR tries to teach you something about love and tries to be more serious in the process, but it kind of flops in that department. I'm glad that this drama knew where its strengths were and stuck to them for the most part, though. 8/10

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Night in Paradise
13 people found this review helpful
by sonder
Apr 20, 2021
Completed 1
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

intense

There is no way to review this movie without discussing the major plot points so if anyone is reading, be warned.
I went in not expecting much. It was a rainy day and I was bored. This movie happened to be on my recommended. I remember watching the trailer and not being too interested but then I realized the same female lead in Vincenzo was acting and I thought why not?

The plot itself is moderately good. Above average. The thing is, I've watched a lot of action movies, thrillers and I could predict a lot of the major scenes. The element of surprise didn't work for me, unfortunately. Why then did I like it so much? it was less about the story but more about how it was told. The narration, the subtle hints, were a treat to me. A little predictive but that didn't lessen my curiosity.
The movie did not stray from what it promised. I could feel the tension and the anger, the sadness, the whole absurdity of the system. There was no right or wrong. I think it's a close representation of how mobs and gangs work. There is always a score to settle. The gang isn't one big family. There are backstabbers and power is the only thing that matters. No sugarcoated representation. No romanticizing being a bad guy. Even though (by the power vested in me by my addiction to movies) I was able to literally predict everything I think I still would watch it. The silence, the sounds, the scenery, the coloring; perfect for a rainy day.
Some have said they didn't see the point of the whole romance aspect. I personally loved it. it was more than just love. I think it added the depth the movie needed. I don't think they loved each other, no. I think they needed each other. I think they gave each other a reason. One who did not have a reason to live and one who did not have enough time to live. The end was reasonable and left me feeling satisfied.

The acting is spectacular. The whole cast was perfect. The male and female lead was something else. Just enough chemistry. Enough to make me intrigued but not too much that it overpowered the main story. Their portrayal of their characters' emotions, the action scenes; even though I knew what was coming I couldn't help but hope. The ML raspy voice was something I won't be forgetting for a long time.

The music was perfect. As I've mentioned, the perfect balance of silence and sound.

if anyone reads this far (which I doubt lol) go watch it! it's not a movie you would want to miss.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Bright Eyes
13 people found this review helpful
Jun 13, 2025
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 6.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 5.5

This One Won’t Blow Your Mind, But You Might Finish It Anyway

Plot Review
The plot isn’t bad… but let’s not pretend it’s groundbreaking either. It’s your classic mini drama storyline—predictable enough that I could mentally fill in the blanks while folding laundry. I gave it a shot anyway because I’m weak for anything that screams revenge, and to be fair, it wasn’t as bad as I feared.

At first, I panicked thinking the FL was going to end up with the 3rd prince (don’t act like you weren’t thinking the same!). I seriously thought Huai Jin was the one who slaughtered her family. Turns out—plot twist! Wait no, never mind. There was a twist, technically… involving a bodyguard… near the end… and that’s it. Don’t blink or you’ll miss the one exciting reveal.

Cast & Characters
The main leads? Strong. Capable. Not annoying. That alone deserves a medal in dramaland. But somehow, even with all their power poses and meaningful stares, none of them really grabbed my attention. It’s like ordering spicy noodles and getting... mildly seasoned rice. Fine, but not what I showed up for.

Supporting characters? Background wallpaper. No one really stood out, and I couldn’t even be bothered to remember their names. They were just there—like side dishes you didn’t ask for but eat anyway because… why not.

Villains? I’m so desensitized from years of cdrama watching that these villains felt like diet evil™. Not threatening, not hateable—just... meh. I think I was more irritated by a fly buzzing near me than anything they did.

Acting & Dubbing
No hate to the cast. They're clearly trying. But there were moments—especially when the FL kept smirking during emotionally intense scenes—where I genuinely wondered if her lips had a side quest of their own. Like, girl… someone just died. Why are we out here giving Mona Lisa with attitude?

And oh, the dubbing. Technically synced with their lips, yes. Emotionally synced with the actual scene? Not even close. It was like hearing someone read a recipe while acting out a breakup.

CGI & Final Thoughts
The CGI was decent! A little over-slid in places but nothing offensive. Honestly, it added some flair to a pretty standard story.

Would I recommend this? Yeah, weirdly… yes. If you're into light revenge, strong leads, and don’t mind plotlines you’ve probably seen in three other dramas last month, it’s a solid watch. Don’t go in expecting your next obsession, but it’s definitely not a waste of time either.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
The Sound of Magic
13 people found this review helpful
May 7, 2022
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.5

Magical at times, disillusioning at times….

Initial thoughts; I came across this drama through an exchanged list with a few friends. Have always loved Ji Chang Wook but I must admit that I wasn’t entirely engaged as some of his recent works have been a bit meh. Though I was willing to give it a go after seeing a promotional video.

Tone of the show; ‘Sound Of Magic’ is very much what I’d say is a “ non offensive” show. It was sweet in parts, lightly melodramatic and angsty in others with a few cheery ( and sad) musical songs out of nowhere. Honestly I’m not saying that it didn’t go into issues and I thought that it was pretty brave of the narrative to go into some hard issues like inequality and hinting at exploitation. But it was very rarely pushed to the boundaries. Not saying that this a bad thing at all as the show was what it was. Lighthearted and occasionally dipping into some darker themes but never to the point of making viewers squirm or delivering shock. For those expecting a dark fantasy series like Hotel del Luna then you might be a bit disappointed especially as themes were rarely driven forwards.

Characters/ Acting ; I think as a lot of people in reviews have pointed out, Chang Wook’s character, the magician, was a bit disappointing. Honestly pleasantly surprised to see CW delivering an outstanding performance but his character sort of felt as though he had missing parts. I can’t say that I’m basing my judgement on the webcomic as I’ve never read it but even as a newcomer to the world of The Sound Of Magic, I have to say that the magician felt a bit lacking in charm and mystery. His character twist felt a bit sudden if I’m honest. Surprising but could’ve been built up or hinted at more.

The female lead was decent enough. The actress Choi Sung Eun wasn’t familiar for me apart from her performance in Beyond Evil but she was good. Her character felt a bit cliche if I’m honest. We’ve seen the poor girl trope so many times being branded and branded again that it can feel a bit lost amongst others. I did like the main female lead’s uncertainty and her genuine sincerity but I felt as though the narrative missed out on a lot of opportunities to explore her process of growing up too fast and coming to terms with reality as well as her mother not coming back.

The supporting lead was played by Hwang In Yeop. I’ve liked In Yeop like many since his performance in 18 Again and adored him in True Beauty. It was definitely weird seeing him play a “ good student” role aside from “bad boy” or “ delinquent bully”. Nevertheless his performance was fairly good and I definitely thought his onscreen pairing with Sung Eun was well done. His character felt a bit repressed at times. I liked the fact that the show presented the potential lover genuinely caring about the female lead and falling for her but there was a lot not talked about the supporting male lead nor understanding the female lead’s pain or struggles, or at least him coming to understand her circumstances more. His backstory was existent and even from a brief glimpse I feel as though we could understand a lot about him but could’ve been better.

There’s also the female lead’s bully who was necessary but definitely a cliche and superficial character. The ending felt a bit rushed more than anything and incomplete but the pacing was okay in my opinion just a little slow at times.

I liked the filming techniques and it did add a certain magic but there definitely could’ve been more in later episodes. The musical songs felt a bit bland. There were a few ones which were good but definitely not enough to get stuck in your head.

Overall; Decent series and fun but felt as though it could’ve been a bit more concise at times. Overall I liked it but I can say the trailer certainly made this one seem a bit edgier and provocative than it actually was in reality.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Antique Bakery
12 people found this review helpful
Jul 3, 2011
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0
Kim Jae Wook as an unimaginable hot gay guy? Count me in! This movie is not your average 'cake shop' drama & I think that's why I fell so in love with it. It's super comedic but it's also got a serious plot line but it doesn't pull too far away from our original funny story. If you up for quirky, fun humor with an excellent pace & a super good looking cast, Antique Bakery is definitely worth checking out!
Was this review helpful to you?
Ongoing 1/1
We Are Gamily
13 people found this review helpful
Oct 15, 2018
Ongoing 0
Overall 8.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This is a cute, fun, sweet romcom about a contract marriage gone awry when mom moves in. The story is hilarious at times and heartfelt at others. There are laughs and tears and some social commentary that is done well and doesn't wind up feeling like an afterschool special. I got exactly what I expected and quite a bit more. Very well done. Often when the 4 leads were arguing about which path to follow, it was impossible to side with one over another because all viewpoints were valid. A great story about love and family and where those fit in society.
Was this review helpful to you?