1As I dont read mangas I dont know the origional story. I set my mind to "NO EXPECTATIONS" and just watched. I really enjoyed this drama. I thought it was funny and a little bit cute/sweet. They could made it a little bit cuter/sweeter.
The cast and OST are great but character wise I didn't like Bi Ryum, (Moo Ra and even more so the CEO) but I found Bi Ryum hilarious. I also enjoyed the bromance between Habaek and Nam Soo Ri and the conflicts between Habaek and Bi Ryum. I will say that Nam Joo Hyuk might have not been the best actor for the role as I couldn't take him seriously for someone whose supposed to play a God but never mind. At times I honestly couldn't see the chemistry especially during the early kisses but I think it gets better as the drama goes on. Also, Shin Se Kyung's lack of expression sometimes put a downer on some scene but I think the other actors made up for it.
I'm kinda disappointed with how the story ended as it could've been way better.
Rewatch? I believe I've already seen it over 10 times since it aired so it's safe to say that I will most definitely be watching this drama AGAIN.
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1The mind's eye.
Under the Skin is a police procedural that is built around the use of forensic art to solve cases. This fresh pitch within a well established genre is what makes this an interesting and fairly enjoyable watch.The drama opens with a classroom analysis of Jean-Louis David's "The Death of Marat", one of the most political and epochal masterpieces of the French Revolution. This beautiful lie of a painting that rearranges the crime scene and depicts the unsightly and radical Marat as a matyr makes the point that appearances can be deceiving. The assassin, feminist activist Charlotte Corday who in her own words, "killed one man to save a hundred thousand" is regarded as a heroine by many. It is clear inspiration for the drama's social commentary that highlights women's issues and the often empathetic portrayal of the perpetrators of the crimes. It is truly wonderful how carefully these recurring themes are woven into the cases and how deftly art is used to portray the distinction between first impressions, perception and different realities for different people.
This is all embodied in the mind's eye of genius artist Shen Yi, who is able to marry deductive observations from the scene and the nature of the crime with intuition to uncannily recreate images of the culprit, at times the victim and how it all went down. Tan Jianci is an actor I have kept an eye on for quite some time and I am excited to see him land lead roles. While he delivers a charming and nuanced articulation of this very reserved "still waters run deep" kind of character, it is not a role that best showcases the range and depth of his abilities as an actor. The real issue lies with the character blueprint itself, which is sad to say rather two dimensional. Shen Yi is simply too good to be true; beyond his artistic genius, he is also a master interrogator, chess player, indeed he is a jack of all skills required to solve the case. I am not quite sure what this elite Beijing Interpol team did without him. He is a loner with no real friends or family, has no vices or other flaws other than nodding off in cars either because he himself or Du Cheng is a snooze fest. Even though justice is blind in so many of the cases, he remains too unquestioningly a truth seeker and enforcer of the law. This is at odds with the many cases that conclude with a sense that the perpetrators were the true victims and it bothered me that it didn't bother Shen Yi.
Where Shen Yi is clearly the brains, Du Cheng is the muscle archetype; the man of action that takes stray bullets and runs into windows as and when needed. Yet like Shen Yi, Du Cheng is a likeable but ultimately hollow character with limited definition and development that comes very late in the game. The relationship between the two protagonist is so tentatively explored and inhibited that they barely make eye contact until we are in the final innings of the story. This is a shame because Tan Jianci and Jin Shijia share a very comfortable chemistry that the production did not fully take advantage of. I am left with a dissatisfied feeling of having been told rather than shown how the unbreakable bond of friendship and trust builds between them. The main antagonist is another shallow and uninteresting character who becomes pretty obvious well before the reveal even though their motive is unfathomable to the point of making no sense. It is fair to say that the characters in this drama are very much like Shen Yi's sketches; they are just nice outlines that lack dimension, colour, weight and substance.
It can be argued that two dimensional characters are par for the course in good, meaty plot driven dramas but unfortunately the plot is where this drama disappoints the most. Even though I appreciate the empathetic spotlight on current social issues, the cases or sub-plots are hit or miss and they don't deepen the main plot. There are only two solid, tightly wrapped up cases that I found very enjoyable. The other cases are rather predictable, had logic flaws and often don't wrap up the issues raised in a satisfactory manner. As for the main plot, the best part of it is how ingeniously the villain is trapped. The mastermind's involvement in the 7-year cold case that brings Shen Yi and Du Cheng together is frankly ridiculous. They were too successful very early on in a very lucrative field to need to engage in such a risky, difficult and time consuming business. There are at least two other potential masterminds, each of which would have made for much more convincing villains in terms of motive, means and opportunity. I feel the finale's message simply panders to the Chinese government's recent data privacy paranoia and crackdown on a big industry.
I can tell that a lot of research and meticulous attention to detail went into the procedural aspects of this drama and setting and artistic aesthetics are phenomenal. Even though the stage is set with amazing props and really nice camerawork, the overall impression is bland. There are no larger than life characters or relationships that will rock your world. There is no tension, no conflict, no suspense build up, the drama doesn't really peak it is just monotone throughout. That said it has some unique aspects and it is well made enough to be a good way to pass some time. I rate it a solid but ultimately forgettable 8/10.
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Don't Look Back: The Legend of Orpheus
27 people found this review helpful
I really enjoy watching every moment of Shark including the ending. The ending didn't surprise me. The ending left a lot of unanswered questions. It gave me hope that perhaps what I thought might have happen didn't happen because Yi Soo and Yoshimura pulled that same act before. (But that's wishful thinking. I guess it can only be answered with a Shark 2: Downfall of the Gaya Empire or Shark 2: The Real Jos are Here.)
I wish the writer would have spent more time developing and strengthening other characters rather than focusing on Yi Soo and Hae Woo. I understand they are the lead characters, but a few moments I felt the others were mere props in the drama, not supporting characters. My other wish was that they change the title to Legend of Orpheus. Legend of Orpheus is a better fitted title than Shark.
Before you spend twenty episodes watching this great drama, I recommend you read about the story of Orpheus. The Greek mythology is not a summary of Shark, but it gave me a good idea of why the writer choose to add the myth to the drama.
The similarities: Yi Soo and Orpheus
Orpheus was a poet, prophet, and musician who can make rocks and trees dance when he play his lyre. Yi Soo made people dance to his "tune of music" by manipulating them.
Orpheus and Yi Soo travelled through hell to get their loves back, but lost them when they look back. (Yi Soo lost his love because Hae Woo married another Joon Young.)
After their lost, Yi Soo and Orpheus did not seek the love and affection of no woman. One story said he seek the affection of younger boys. In the drama, Dong Soo implied twice that Yi Soo was gay. (Perhaps he was bisexual). Yi Soo had many opportunities to rekindle the flame, but quench it.
The official soundtrack was great. The song, Between Heaven and Hell by Boa, painted a picture about the love between Yi Soo and Hae Woo.
Shark, the Legend of Orpheus, is not for everyone. Some people would be disappointed at the ending. But I am one of those people who enjoyed watching this revenge drama. I will see it again.
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Worth the watch
Perfect Summer time drama! So sweet. ZLS finally found her match in an actor who can turn on the puppy charm. CZY really has the most expressive face and able to convey those tender emotions without looking effeminate. Director did perfect castin this time. All the supporting actors were great, especially the older brother as well as the rommies in college. It's such a pity that the detractors of the drama made a big stink about the age difference without watching the drama through. It's actually very well handled and even mentioned outright and it does show the FL growing more mature to meet the ML at his level. Kudos to ZLS for being able to convey both innocence and maturity all at the same time.Was this review helpful to you?
This is how good “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo” is.
In short, for those of you who are impatient, is a very sweet, yet very real drama, about friendship, family, love and coming of age.
But there’s so much grace in how it’s done, that it deserves a more detailed explanation.
The plot is very (very) simple, yet very well written. The story follows Bok Joo; a young girl in the campus of a sports university (?), that happens to practice weightlifting. That’s nearly all you will get to know about weightlifting (it could have been golf and there would’ve been no difference, so worry not about the topic. I’m mentioning this because I know the “weightlifting theme” could been a throwback to some).
Bok Joo has a group a friends; a romantic crush; a family; a passion (weightlifting of course), all the things and problems that any standard teenager experiences. The hole plot revolves around her and (again) the normal things that could happen to a normal teenager. The difference to other dramas, is that everything FEELS real. And that’s rare.
How many times did we found ourselves hating the protagonist or wanting to smash the TV because we couldn’t understand the decisions they made? Of course, deep down we now the writer makes them do that in order to fulfill the number of episodes that they need. But nothing like that happens here. The characters (and their dialogues) are delightfully written; each one consistent with each personality (which are very rich and most important, real life people), and they are incredible lovable. The writer skillfully makes you fall in love with each one of them (including the ones you initially “hate”) because you get understand them all.
Also, the character development is done very progressively (although that doesn’t mean that the show is “slow”); I’ll assure you, you will enjoy every second of Bok Joo & friends, as they discover who they are, and who they want to be in the world.
The acting not only is superb (everybody does their job so well and they’re SO believable); but the chemistry between Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo-hyuk is one of the best I’ve ever seen.
I was really surprised by Lee Sung Kyung! At first I was really skeptic but despite her character being adorably written, she also does a fantastic job in making you believe her. Her expressions and her body language is fantastic.
The music is very good also, and it respects the tone of the series, really sweet, but it's something that I rarely pay attention to, so there's not much I have to say about it.
Finally I wish to remark that despite all the good things I said, that alone it's not enough to be one of the best dramas I've ever seen (and the only one that has a 10 on my scores), it is because adding to all that there's the way it makes you feel. This drama is sweet, so sweet that every episode you'll watch it will feel as a warm ray of sunshine (and not cheese at all, that's only my poor metaphor choice). You'll find yourself smiling at the TV at all times. And that doesn't mean there aren't any sad moments, because there are, but it's not kdrama tragedy, it's real life problems/sadness. And the show has a very optimistic way to portrait it; instead of having you crying about how unfair life is, you'll be rooting for the characters as they (not without effort) overcome their problems and grow up in the process.
This drama accomplishes the (almost) impossible: It's sweet, joyful and innocent, (without feeling cheesy) and at the same time it's mature and realistic.
So, I'll definitely recommend this to anyone, despite what your preferences are, I'm sure you'll enjoy it and it will bring you joy.
Kim Bok Joo is SWAG! :)
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This review may contain spoilers
to be frank, i dived in this drama full force when i saw the feeds raving about im si wan. what a surprise it was for me to have my whole heart whipped not just for im si wan but for the whole cast and the characters they portray.you may wonder if this is just another cheesy romance with some love triangle thrown in. well.... it's not. you have much more in store as you are presented with characters working their way around in life.
you have a female lead that values her self more but not in a selfish sense. she is a character that went through tough times and knows her worth. she is not whiny or overboard but she stands up for herself. the male lead is a sight to see as you see him go against his horrible father, wholeheartedly helps his friend from getting bullied and supports him in his recovery and full on knows what's right and what's wrong. two individuals who have different way of living and when together, they are the best duo you can find. this couple is straightforward and doesn't go round in circles about how they feel. when shit hits the fan, they actually talk about it.
the second couple is just as refreshing. sure... seo dan ah may seem too much at first. with how messed up her family situation was and having the mentality that nice things don't last long, we see her debating on her relationship with yeong hwa. her longing for liking something is overshadowed by her strong personality. yeong hwa is perfect for her as he may seem outgoing and fun but when pushed to the limits, he can be stubborn.
what i particularly like in this drama is how chill this feels. you have seon gyeom's dad being a whole ass prick but then you see the main leads have pure love for each other so everything is right in the world again. the chemistry of every single character in this drama is hella amazing. heck, even dan oh and mi joo have amazing chemistry together. it's almost like watching a square relationship but it's peaceful and not overwhelming.
i appreciate the gay character of yeong hwa's friend. it's good that they're opening a conversation. seeing seo dan oh apologise and the bromance with yeong hwa not broken had me clapping all the way. i also appreciate the asexual character that is mi joo's friend. such representations says a lot and i'm happy they're done well.
what else did i like?
-the amazing ost
-badass female characters
-the movie bits
-the cinematography
-aesthetics
overall, this is a drama that i treasure with its refreshing characters and hilarious moments. the ending itself was nicely wrapped up (besides the trashy dad) and it goes to show that everyone involved in this put a lot of effort. i hope to see more kdramas done in such a way.
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Yes, the first episode that aired had a scene or 2 that wasn't very "nice" and respectful towards the culture that was being used as a setting, but you know the PD and studio were sorry when they put an apology infront of every episode that aired and they even removed said scene(s) from any streaming or ondemand services. This series is being drilled into the ground because of a mistake they made in 1! episode and in my review I'm going to look further and not let this one-time occurance get in the way of the true gem this drama is.
--The Characters--
Let me just say, the characters are amazing, they all have at least a decent backstory. No character is empty or just there to fill air. They all have some role, even abdallah who is just a right-hand and probably has the least backstory honestly for me was one of the most enjoyable characters. This actor is someone you should keep an eye out for, he's amazing.
--The Story--
If you take everything away, the story is nothing special. It's a normal plot but it's being made awesome by the cast. They truly went for it and it makes you feel good.
The humor is amazing too, choi min-soo as the rich long lost father is gold. He manages to put this silly humor into his scenes which turns all of them into magic.
--Overall--
Overall this drama is gold, the characters all add something which turns a simple plotline into so much more.
Please don't let all the hate talk on the internet turn you away from this drama, it's definetly a must watch and you won't regret it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Had too much expectations for this..
Watching the trailer gave me pretty high expectations for this film, but unfortunately, after watching the entire thing, it did not meet them- at least for me. I couldn't help but compare the film to Train to Busan so it was pretty lackluster in comparison. I was hoping it'd be the next Train to Busan, but nope, not even close.Story:
It started off with a pretty good introduction with our male lead waking up to a zombie apocalypse and does his utmost to survive in his apartment while surrounded by zombies. There was even good dramatic BGM for scenes where the zombies attacked, but there were only a handful of those exciting scenes scattered through the film. Besides those short moments, the film had too much filler scenes, creating too much silence and resulting with me getting bored and losing interest.
Also, there were a few points in the film that did not make sense, even in the fake reality of zombies. Why did the two leads jump out of their apartments instead of climbing up to the roof? Why did the man tie up his wife-turned-zombie and try to sacrifice Park Yoo Bin to her? Not only that, I still don't understand how Park Yoo Bin managed to survive being locked up in that room with the zombie wife without getting even a single scratch. It felt like all logic flew out the window at that point of the film.
Ultimately, the ending was pretty anti-climatic with a lousy rescue. The male lead kept posting his status on social media but the story line hardly ever followed up on that and just carelessly tied it back up at the end.
Cast:
Yoo Ah In and Park Shin Hye did a good job with their roles, but nothing that really stood out? Yoo Ah In's character was more funny, offering some comic relief during the dark moments, but other than that, I don't have any thing else to say.
Production:
The special effects and CGI were very well done though, so I do give the production team an applause for that. I was very disturbed and creeped out by the makeup of the zombies with all the blood. It was on the same level as the zombies in Train to Busan.
I would say to watch this film if you're fans of Yoo Ah In/Park Shin Hye and are curious of this new zombie film, but don't expect too much for the thrills.
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A Drama That Goes Nowhere
This show is the textbook definition of wasted potential. From start to finish, it’s a flat, lifeless experience with no real story to tell. The pacing is sluggish, the plot is practically nonexistent & not a single character leaves an impression. Most actors weren't particularly charming either (but it could be just to do with the screenplay & unintriguing story).Sehun character, as one of the male leads, is especially underwhelming. With the entire narrative supposedly built around his character, you’d expect some level of depth or charisma but sadly he brings zero presence & painfully disengaged throughout which makes you feel super annoyed as a viewer.
The rest of the cast doesn’t do much to elevate things either. Plenty of moments with unwarranted over the top acting. There’s not much chemistry anywhere, no standout performance, & definitely no reason to care about what’s happening on screen.
Releasing all episodes at once was the only mercy as you have the option to FF. Go for it, if you have time to kill but to me, not worth the time.
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Arthdal Chronicles Part 1: The Children of Prophecy
34 people found this review helpful
My rating here will be for this portion of the drama only. At this point, the drama started out pretty strong, got kinda muddled in the middle, but seems to be picking up again.
I wish it was better organized. I said this in the comments, but the writers, directors, editors - they all tried to do too much. A high fantasy drama is innovative enough in the Korean drama scene, but splitting it into multiple "seasons" did more harm than good. The pacing is all over the place, they established different story-lines faster than others so we had to wait while they caught up. And most importantly, there needed to be way better world building. This is a completely imagined setting with its own groups of people, religion, beliefs, society, hierarchy, government, etc. and the director or some editor or whoever thought occasionally adding captions to explain original vocabulary was enough. It's not. Some of our very important characters are missing important screen time and story development time because of the weird pacing, but it seems that this will be rectified soon in future episodes so I'm not to hung up on that point. This drama would have benefited so much from being longer; the world that they have created is fascinating and it should be fleshed out way more than it was.
The acting is phenomenal and the characters are really interesting. Like I said, I just wish it was better organized.
All in all, it's a good watch. It's not god-tier iconic, but I do recommend it - especially to people who are looking to watch something different.
EDIT AFTER FINISHING THE WHOLE THING: Don't do it. If you're reading this while contemplating watching the drama, it just got worse and worse. The story didn't get better. The story was shit. Save yourself.
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1This review may contain spoilers
the best female centered plot
watching The glory was my best decision this month,i started watching this drama as i like female centered revenge plots also i fell for fu yun xi,the chemistry between the leads were firee but they decided not to give us romance,but they gave it at the last episode,it was a good ending guyss,i truly enjoyed thiss,this has the same author as the double so it has similar vibess,i really liked itt,u should watch this asapWas this review helpful to you?
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A show where judges masquerade as police officers
I am not exactly sure what genre this drama is supposed to be. Legal? Police procedural? Thriller? And in all honesty, I don't think the showrunners know either. This drama tries to be all of the above yet succeeds at none. The "police procedural" parts of the show are horribly unrealistic and do nothing but to detract from the main theme of the drama. "Judges are not supposed to get involved in prosecution or investigation!!!!" are words that have been yelled by 2 senior presiding judges yet main character (Sim Eun Seok) still throws caution to the wind and go on with her own investigations. Despite this, the evidence she obtained through her illicit investigations are still admissible in court! Like what??? I'm not a lawyer, but I sure as hell don't think JUDGES would get their hands dirty or even have the TIME to conduct investigations themselves. And I mean if the judges are gonna do the investigations, why do we even need the damn police? This is too ridiculous. But wait, the icing on the cake is in the last episode. In the last episode, she waltzes right into a baddie's hideout which for some reason, isn't locked and doesn't even have a DOOR to prevent entry. Surprisingly (or not) she gets ambushed and only escapes by the skin of her teeth. Injured and seriously bleeding, she gets into a taxi and makes her way speedily to guess where? HER FKIN OFFICE. I literally laughed out loud. Like ok, the show has consistently portrayed her as an obsessive workaholic (more on her character later) but this is just too far beyond the realm of realism. Not to mention all the evidence in the baddie's hideout was also nicely displayed for the authorities to collect. Just absurd. Parts of the dialogue also sounded like they were right out of a PSA on the social system of Korea, with characters literally rambling on the differences between a social care home and a facility. I get that viewers need some context on Korea's social welfare system but what?! NOBODY speaks like that in real life, unless they are narrating for a documentary. "Show, not tell" is a really apt saying that this show should have heeded.Unrealistic parts aside, I also felt that this show had a lot of unrealized potential. There was commentary on social issues like income inequality, nepotism, lack of funding/resources for social welfare programmes etc but they were all skin deep and didn't do much to explore the issues further. For example, many cases centered on kids from disadvantaged backgrounds committing crimes. Judge Sim comes into court, makes a few holier than thou comments like how circumstances push the kids to commit crimes but at the end of the day, the kids make the decision to commit crimes themselves. The end. Next case. They could have done more with the material by portraying kids from bad backgrounds committing crimes VS kids from good backgrounds committing crimes (nature vs nurture) OR even gone deeper into Judge Cha's story of being a reformed teenaged delinquent but oh well.
This brings me to the next point of the characters. Judge Sim is extremely unlikeable to begin with, and even when her tragic backstory is revealed (they always have tragic backstories don't they?) she is still unsympathetic. She is extremely self-righteous, curt, cold and seemingly devoid of empathy whatsoever except towards the victims. Her stunning lack of empathy was on full display when she confronted her boss about his alleged corruption in the freaking HOSPITAL where his son was warded after an attempted suicide. Yes, as judges, one has to be upright and honest but dude?? Time and place man. Her self-righteousness also spills over to how she treats the defendants and even her colleague Judge Cha who is forced to capitulate to her every demand. Judge Cha is the typical "nice guy" who believes in treating kids with respect and believing in them, but Judge Sim constantly steamrolls his every opinion. In their conversations, Judge Sim goes on long tirades about how she detests juvenile delinquents and do not believe they would be rehabilitated, that they need to feel the full force of the law... leaving poor Judge Cha quaking and unable to resist as she is his senior. The show validates this strangely, going out of their way to portray the juvenile delinquents as unrepentant, lying scums of the earth who should be locked up for good since they'll just end up as adult criminals anyway. Makes me wonder if the writer had a grudge against juvenile delinquents or something.
Overall, this show is fairly entertaining but don't go in expecting to be educated on Korea's juvenile court system. The acting is decent, with the teenaged actors stealing the spotlight. Kim Hye Soo was decent as Judge Sim, though she wasn't able to show off her range as her character was mostly cold and reserved. Watch only if you can ignore the unrealistic parts and if you do not mind a show with an unlikeable main character.
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I feel all the actors did a good job portraying their role but i want to especially mention the 2 females leads. Zanila who play Bi Yao did an amazing job as always. She must be one of the most sort after actress in China at the moment. She seems to be every other drama and always does a splendid job. Yang Zi who protray Lu Xue Qi, I feel is really underrated. She has good chemistry with Li Yi Feng and the rest of the cast. She protays a believable character who seems to hide all her trouble and with a cold attitude but is in fact very caring. There is a very big cast and all the members seem to make themselves stand out one way or another.
The music was done very well. The use of music during emotional scenes was just right and not too over the top. The music didn't over shadow anyone's dialogue and added enough dramatic effect for it to work. Both the OST were good to listen to and enjoyable.
I generally dont judge a show on re-watch value as sometimes a good show doesn't necessary have much re-watch value. I can say the Legend of Chusen is one of those shows as there are not many surprises and you can guess how most of the story pans out anyway.
Overall I enjoyed this drama a lot. It exceeded my expectations and I would recommend people to watch it if you are into this genre. It is your typical 'chosen one' storyline with a Romeo and Juliet romance. I am looking forward to season 2 even if it is not as long and I hope it gives us a complete conclusion.
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After 2 Years and 4 months......It Was Well Worth the Wait!
Just as the title of this review says; this drama was very much worth the wait. Xiao Zhan is one of the people I follow and looking forward to him in this mature and modern role was spectacular. I have so many emotions carousing through my system right now; relief, elation, sadness, completion, pride. This is a very high caliber modern drama. Mentally, I've been thinking about this review for days, so now I'm going to try and put everything together here.Pros: This drama was filmed in 2019; so much has happened since then. I loved Xiao Zhan and Yang Zi's friendship in real life because it translated as very honest and believable chemistry on screen. Both Gu Wei and LXZ were honest and good though humanly flawed characters. If they made them all perfect and cute without problems, they wouldn't have seemed so real. The seeming harshness of the parents, displayed cultural differences in a way anyone on earth would understand because once the end was being rounded up, their feelings not just harsh words started to be more completely understood.
Xiao Zhan's acting ability made me forget that this was filmed before Ace Troops and ADLAD; the 8 hour, 15K line theater play. Each emotion, each mannerism, action, was on point with where the character had to be at the time of the series. I know he is a perfectionist himself and therefore already criticized his own performance from top to bottom; but as a viewer, a novelist/author, former scriptwriter, and very detail oriented human being, I truly didn't feel he could have done a better job. With the script he was working with, plus all the complicated medical terminology, heavy emotions, given flaws, he brought Gu Wei to life; into a three dimensional existence. He's a very versatile actor that I think can handle any genre, any role be it a protagonist or an antagonist; the latter of which I would love to see in like a Republican era crime drama.
YZ was a very believable 21 year old considering she was older. That's hard to do sometimes especially for more mature people. Her emotions especially in those last episodes were gut-wrenchingly felt. I felt she portrayed a cellist very convincingly (I played the violin in elementary school and therefore know how all strings hold their bows; she did everything properly). This was a good role for her; I do however hope she takes more out of the box roles as this seems to be a fairly common genre for her. She can definitely expand her horizons.
The OSTs were beautiful and magical. Usually I ffw them in the beginning or end especially for the credits but in this case, XZ's solo and their duet were just so heartfelt that I would listen to them each time. I always love it when actors sing their own OSTs, it just gives a drama extra soul.
The plot of the leads was fascinating and realistic; it never dragged at any time and honestly didn't need the filler characters nor their issues. When a plot or a character's actions draw heated discussions/debates in the comments, it means the drama is doing exactly what it's supposed to by making people think and want to talk about it. Papa Lin's cancer arc was the hardest and most heartbreaking of all because not only was it tastefully and realistically done, but it hit close to home as I've lost several very close friends to cancer; so tissues were needed in that sense.
Loved behind the scenes and the "Little Theatre" at the end of every other episode between Gu Wei and LXZ; even in the most angst ridden times, those moments provided us with glimpses of their times on set and into the characters' relationship even when they were at odds with each other. It was a great touch.
Cons: All of the 3rd wheels; lord almighty. When I need to ffw a great drama like this because of all of the truly not evolved and useless characters, it will take a hit in my rating of it. I think I've reached a new high of nicknames created in this drama, though some did evolve; the others thankfully were fazed out in the end. Dr. Gorilla Glue and Dr. Scrooge surprised me the most with being able to evolve and be actual allies and friends to GW, not just hot tar and a sanctimonious prick. Arrogant violin dude actually just needed to be let down before he was able to switch over to a mature human being who gave LZX some great advice.
The worst however remained Dear Abby Wannabe and Ms. Faux Victim; their characters and plots added literally zilch to the series; most time they did more harm then good. I understand young but not useless with absolutely no comprehension of reality. I never read the novels so have no clue if these characters were very prominent; but dear lord I wish the screenwriter never used them or sporadically without their plotless issues; the main plot was already so full and rich; this was just an absolute nuisance.
Would I recommend it? 100%! This is the type of drama you would want to watch with your friends, family, or even alone as most of us do. It has a little bit of everything. I want to thank the entire cast and crew for a truly special series. I will rewatch the cute moments and this drama will forever be in my heart and soul. Bravo!
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