So why do I find this drama so great? The story, the acting, the music, everything.
Storyline is really interesting. The acting -- let's just say I cried oceans while watching. When the characters were sad, I was sad. When they were aggravated, I was aggravated. They made the viewers feel their pain. And the leads. THE LEADS. I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop from the beginning to the end. Their chemistry together was ELECTRIFYING. The yearning, and the expressions; I couldn't handle it. It was just captivating. To add on to the dramatizing, the selection of music for scenes jerked more tears. Although I had no idea what the words were in the songs, they just set the right mood.
Don't miss out on this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
I screamed when I saw this - one of my all-time favourite Chinese novel finally got turned into a drama and I didn't know about it until 3-4 days ago! I was super excited but at the same time nervous starting out since I didn't want to have this huge expectation and have to fall so low if it turns out bad. I have watched the movie version of Never Gone when it first became available but it fell short of my expectation. It was good but didn’t get me as excited as this drama version did lol. Once I finished the first episode, my heart soared and was overjoyed and excited that it had a strong start. I pretty much binged watch the entire drama and man, it flowed so smooth for me lol.The actors and actresses fit the YJ, CZ and the side characters in my mind to a T! The young actress and actor for the main characters during their high school times were spot on too - I'm not sure if I'm just so excited that I'm making it up in my head and seeing things but I swear Landy Li and Hu Xian Xu looks totally believable as the younger version of Yang Zi Shan and Elvis Han. It just flows so well! And their acting, I must applaud - so cute, lovable, easy on the eyes and totally, exactly like the characters they are portraying lol - the continuity of the characters' personality were amazing. Granted, the transition from high school to college over one summer showing the change over of the actors/actresses was a bit…unbelievable but that can be easily overlooked :P
***The rest of the comment MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS so please read at your own discretion!!!***
Now moving onto the drama itself vs the novel. There definitely were some changes. Some changes I appreciated yet some, I did not (hence I rated this drama 9.5/10 as opposed to 10/10). The character of SYJ was pretty much the same, frustrating but that was just who she was as a character so that was well portrayed. I love how persistent and one-track mind CZ is for SYJ. The character of CZ was more likeable in the drama though. That’s not to say I didn’t like him in the novel (which obviously I did but he had major flaws which made him even more human if that makes sense...). CZ in the drama was more like a….straight "pure" character - yes he had his immature side and acted like a big (albeit lovable) kid, but in the novel, the character of CZ made more mistakes and did certain actions that were more “dark” and inexcusable than the drama portrayed. I suppose I already sort of expected them not to show certain actions in the drama as it was described in the book but still, some significant scenes and events did not happen as well (i.e. in the book, they got together sooner - after the SARS event since she felt touched that CZ was there when she felt all scared and alone or that she had an abortion alone and it was during that time she bonded with Xu Zhi Heng and got closer to him). Of course, there were changes that I liked too. I liked how we got to know more about Shen Jun An and Zhang Yue. I also liked the addition of Jing Zi though as much as I wanted Mo Yu Hua to have a happy ending that she did not get from the novel, I didn’t like how she ended up with Zhou Zi Yi the way they did. I wish it was done differently or not at all. I may be the only one who feels that lol.
I have read the author’s other novel 許我向你看 (translates to "Let Me Look At You"?) and loved it as well and the whole time I watched Never Gone, I kept thinking how perfect Yang Zi Shan would be for the main female character and Elvis Han as the main male character if they ever make a drama for her other novel - but one novel at a time! What really got me excited was the inclusion of Chen Jie Jie and a tiny peek of her side story through Zhou Zi Yi in their mini trip arch as CJJ was a second female lead in 許我向你看 so it gave me hope that there would be a drama for that novel soon too in the future. I have read that there will be a movie version in 2020 but we’ll see!
One last thing I want to point out: the music. What great choices of music. Absolutely loved the background music and how a male re-sang Fish Leong's "Courage". Super fitting!
As much as I’ve discussed about this drama, I must admit it’s not for everyone as the female lead can make you want to bang your head against the wall and want to scream at her like CZ did regarding her inability to voice and express herself. However, if you can come to understand that, that was just how her character was written (that her personality is just this stoic, internalize everything kind of character), it would make sense. They can’t all be those happy bright character or outspoken female lead right? One of the reasons I loved the novel were the flaws in all the characters so I wasn’t as bothered by the portrayal of SYJ. I would recommend reading the novel first before watching the drama to avoid some of the frustrations lol - it may help or not but just a recommendation!
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A Historical Marvel Fueled by Explosive Chemistry
Knight Flower isn't just a drama; it's a mesmerizing journey that has left an indelible mark on my heart. Each character, no matter how fleeting their appearance, was a revelation, adding layers of depth and nuance to an already rich tapestry.From the passing poor citizen who graced the screen for mere moments to the seemingly insignificant characters who proved to be pivotal to the plot, every individual was a masterstroke of storytelling. The gray characters, neither wholly good nor evil, added a complexity that kept me enthralled, while the villain's cunning schemes held me in awe of their sheer malevolence.
What truly astounds me is the unexpected success Knight Flower has achieved. Surpassing even the most esteemed dramas of its time slot, this drama has defied expectations and set a new standard for excellence. Its rise to the top is a testament to its quality and the fervor of its audience. The scriptwriting was a stroke of genius, seamlessly weaving together intricate plotlines and witty dialogue that kept me on the edge of my seat. And the direction and choice of OSTs added an extra layer of depth and emotion that elevated the drama to new heights.
And then there are the performances. The lead actor, in his first major role as the sole male lead, delivered a tour de force performance that was both powerful and nuanced. His magnetic presence kept me glued to the screen, hanging on his every word and gesture. And the leading lady, a modern-day incarnation of the multitalented Honey Lee, brought a strength and charisma to her role that was truly awe-inspiring. With every scene, she commanded the screen, effortlessly capturing the essence of her character and leaving me breathless in her wake. What truly set Knight Flower ablaze was the explosive chemistry between the leads. The screen practically crackled with electricity every time they shared a scene, leaving me breathless with anticipation for their next encounter. And how tender and understanding they were towards each other... And it wasn't just the main couple; even the side couples were a perfect match, their relationships unexpected yet utterly captivating.
Knight Flower has cemented its place as a true masterpiece of a genre that can't be just put into a box for being either a historical, political, romance, or comedy per se but a bit of it all and the best of it all. It's a testament to the talent and dedication of everyone involved and a shining example of what can be achieved when passion and creativity collide.
I don't think I can ever be satisfied with finishing this review because I don't know if words can encapsulate how good this drama has been from the first minute to the last. And also how hilarious the drama is! it's the kind of show that brightens your day or week, leaving you unable to wipe the smile off your face due to the sheer cuteness and perfection of the deliveries.
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The Hana Yori Dango adaptation you shouldn't miss
It all started 21 years ago when I first watched and fell in love with Taiwan's Meteor Garden. Since then, I have watched every version made before and anticipated if Thailand will ever release their version. When this show was first announced, I was thrilled. I even pictured the perfect Thai Tsukasa and he was Bright. I recommended him in every Thai discussion forum and polls I came across, I just knew he had the looks, height and screen presence. Boy was I right and so thankful he was chosen for this role. He was too good, close to perfect as Tsukasa. Once they cast Bright, Dew, Win, and Nani, I was looking forward to the cast that would become one of the best F4 assembled, second only to Taiwan's F4.This version just had so much heart. Although shorter then most versions, this show was able to achieve what many of the past versions couldn't, giving each character depth. Some might not agree but I loved the writing in this show and its writing was able to tell each character's story to its full potential without dragging the story.
Highly recommended. Period. 5/5 Stars. Period.
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********Skip 'Storyline' if you don't want to know the actual History of this drama before you start it *******But it would be better to read up on the history of each character as they appear - so you will be prepared for what is coming & so you can see how their take on the historical characters.*************
Storyline: We follow the drama as it takes us through the end of Seonjo's reign to when Gwanghae takes the throne, when Gwanhae get's usurped by Injo, the following rebellion, the 2nd Manchu war, Sohyun's demise & finally to Bongrim taking the throne. We also get a fictionalized version of Princess Jungmyung's disappearance & return after they had thought she had died.
I loved watching Cha Seung Won play/portray Gwanghae! <3 My favorite character by far in this drama!!! and he was GREATLY missed after episode 30 :'( I thought he was a really good ruler! Who ended up having a couple of bad subjects that lead to others misunderstanding him. His scenes were the best! I loved watching him give commands & do things in secret! When Kim Jae Won appeared and played Injo - I was pleased by his performance (his first time playing an actual bad guy lol) I pitied his character in this drama a lot - he was such a misguided/mislead king :( He wanted to be a good King but ended up being the opposite - an incompetent King who always listened to the wrong council. I also enjoyed Prince Sohyun's entrance into this drama ^^ He would have been a great ruler! He simply wanted to help his people & his country! I cried when he left us :'( I think he was on from ep.39-44 :) One thing: Seo Kang Joon & Lee Yeon Hee needed to improve their acting - I thought they did pretty much okay during the first 30-35 episodes - but after that they always had the same expressions, same reactions, and were rather poor actors (what happened?) *sigh* SKJ as Joo Won was really innocent and almost nerd-ish in his actions lol - It was cute ^^ I enjoyed his scenes with Gwanghae the most & there were a couple scenes of him with Jungmyung that I really liked as well ;) LYH played Jungmyung - (basically her character was the most fictitious one in the drama b/c the Princess according to Wikipedia stayed out of politics completely - whereas in this drama she is deeply involved in politics - enough to make several enemies - & there is this whole "prophecy" thing surrounding her - that I honestly found annoying in the earlier part of the drama (they had to have some basis for her "revenge" stuff) Her character when she grows up was good for the most part - I started to like her once she let go of her anger towards Gwanghae. She was strong & had a "stronger" part to play in the latter half).
Music: I liked the songs by Lena Park & Yesung the most - and I'd laugh whenever they played this instrumental ost that seriously sounded like they were saying "pyeha" lol - every time it came on - I said and again with the "pyeha" song lol
If I ever rewatched this it would probably only be Cha Seung Won's scenes as Gwanghae - they were the most impactful and meaningful parts to me :)
As someone else said on this page: "the first 30-35 episodes were addictive, after that it went up and down." I remained interested in the story line - up until King Injo dies - Injo lasted until episode 47? I think. After that I started to lose interest in the drama - and kind of pushed myself through the remaining few episodes lol... But, I don't regret watching - if you are interested in Korean History (even if you've read up on it on Wikipedia - like I did lol) and you'd like to see it "come alive" before your eyes (even if parts are fictionalized - like the Princess being involved in politics at all) then you should enjoy this drama overall - despite the poor acting of SKJ & LYH in the latter half...
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This review may contain spoilers
I really wanted to love it as much as Stranger 1.
Lee Soo Yeon does not disappoint and delivered yet another masterpiece of a crime/political drama. Despite my header, I still really enjoyed the show, with it's actions, twists and drama. However, in my opinion, every aspect is definitely lacking when compared with season 1.Plot wise, the overall story was definitely less tight-knit. Story telling wasn't great (it wasn't obvious to follow and link together all the different cases). There were lesser shock reveals, twists were somewhat expected and most of all, the protagonist was (imo) too weak. It was obvious from the get go that WTH was no LCJ. He lacked the charisma, the brains and the personality to fill in those big shoes. I felt like too much time was used building up the base premise of the Prosecution-Police Rights discussion (which could be an important topic in Korea) and on SDJ digging into police power abuse cases (to get into the team). In fact, by the end of it, no real resolution was reached (except that both sides do not deserve to have exclusive rights). Pace in the first half was slow but it quickly picked up in the 2nd half with SDJ's disappearance, which I would rather the drama had started with. The ending felt rushed and I would have preferred the last few episodes to have spread out more. Many arcs were not closed out well such as, with Hanjo Group, LYJ's secretary's being suspicious, potential Kim Sa Hyun involvement, Oh Ju Seon, Segok Police Case etc. Overall, I felt the writer was trying to do too much in too short of a time. Maybe season 3??
Cast wise, I thought everyone played their part well but again, WTH's character was (imo) too underwhelming when faced with LCJ. LYJ as well did not compare up to her father. In fact, no mention was made about the status of her father by the end of the show, which I thought was pretty suspicious considering he could be used as one of the masterminds of these plots.
Overall, still a very enjoyable drama. Perhaps a slight tweak by the writer, aiming for a more philosophical style with more dialogue. Would have preferred more action/strategy like in season 1, which is what I fell in love with Stranger for.
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HEARTLESS, SOULLESS ADAPTATION!!
They should have made their own movie instead of making a loosely inspired adaptation of a popular novel that many people loved. This movie is the greatest insult for both the readers who loved the novel and the original writers who put so much effort and love into creating it. They changed the core aspects of every important characters, including the main character, and even did unimaginable gymnastics to alter the very foundations of the plot. It's such a catastrophic, abysmal disservice to the source material, and I pray to every god in this existence to strike this movie into its unrecoverable downfall.Was this review helpful to you?
Well anyway heres what I like about this film.
first the love story
I expect this to be a dark movie and yes its dark but I was surprised it has one of the best love stories I watched and its more tragic than titanic. Just imagine this..two people wanted to be loved met in a dating site but the timing was wrong cause the guy just killed a girl before their meeting and I said this is more tragic than titanic cause in titanic jack died but he still remain in rose heart...in akunin yes the guy still remain in the girls heart but she now thinks that hes a murderer..akunin.
Second is the grayish akunin character
While watching the movie you will ask yourself is this guy good or bad, earlier part of the film portrays him to be a somewhat misunderstood kid but later part portrays him to be a bad person..the part where the mother tells that he took money from her and his grandmother blaming herself tells this and why he suddenly wanted to kill his lover near the end WTF.
Third is the acting
The father portrayed by akira emoto and the grandmother portrayed by kirin kiki are the ones that made me cry. these two characters has to be the most authentic holy motha faka piece of acting that I watched. Father searching for justice and the grandma blaming for herself. the lead are both fantastic in fact this masterpiece film made me think that satoshi tsubamuki is the best japanese young actor living today...his way of portraying a gray character needs praise, he didnt overdo the BAD side of the character to make the character clear gray...that for me is fuck*n hard and eri fukatsu tho not that great in some dramas I watched with her..but here I dont know what happen but she really shines here every emotion shown by her character goes deep to your heart facial express everything perfect. And their chemistry is one of the best seriously.
fourth is the music
the music composed by joe hisashi gives a very dark ambiance to the movie but his song gives life to a one of the best love stories ever told. I kept saying that credits ost is not just a piece of shit music at the end but it has to summarize what you just watched (the concept of the movie) and this song was the epitome of that....A dark love.
Check my Blog for other reviews & other JDramas stuffs. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)
https://thatjapanesedramaguy.blogspot.com/
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not like I expected
When I found out there was special episode about this drama I already so happy because I really hope they continue their story or at least give explanation about what happen with Shi Yi after he went abroad. But turn out this like almost any other special episode where only listed clip from director cut. It's just like scene that consider not important in the drama & when put it there will gonna be like too long or not important. So they cut it from original drama but don't want to delete it too & they put it all here.The scene still funny but yeah not important & not explaining anything. But yeah this just short clip you can watch to remembering the drama again
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The story idea didn't interest me in the beginning but as it started getting into the gambling aspect it became very interesting to watch. And then the plot just started to move quickly with twists coming out at every corner. The romance portion is very very light so if your more interested in that then this wont be the drama for you. Revenge is the theme.
The ensemble cast was awesome! Jang Hyuk is love of course but the supporting cast was really really good and stood out. Each minor character plays a large role in Go Ni's master plan. They were quite memorable.
Rewatch- I'd rewatch this in a few years cause i really did love all the characters.
Overall this drama is different but exciting enough. More people should give it a chance.
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I liked that at the end he was also concerned about her career growth and development above his feelings, this made me really like his character plus he was hella building that chemistry with his girl once he fell for her.
There wasn’t any crazy love triangle or family intrusion in this drama . Just simple and straightforward 10 episodes of them growing to fall deeper in love .
As basic as the story line was, I would watch it again and again because it brings such good feelings.
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Although time traveling is not an original subject, the plot was far more interesting than I thought it would be. This is much more than the story of a man trying to correct his past mistakes. Also the flow was amazing, I was not bored for one second. The storyline has its flaws but if you are not that nitpicky, I'm sure you'll enjoy it as I did.
The main actors Domoto Tsuyoshi and Endo Kumiko were simply beautiful. I could watch them forever. Especially Endo Kumiko, I fell in love with her voice. And Domoto Tsuyoshi has not disappointed me once. They deserve a definite 10, but a couple of the supporting actors weren't as much amazing, therefore I gave an overall 9 points for acting.
Overall, I gave this a 10 because of the original and flowy plot and also because of the acting by Domoto and Endo. It had just the right amount of romance and the right amount of suspense.
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