This review may contain spoilers
A romantic comedy that executes itself with maturity and few cliches. Park Min Young and Kim Jae Wook had overflowing chemistry. The looks in their eyes could deceive you for off-screen romance with their multitude of kisses being passionate. This drama had the most mature couple I've seen in a drama that really understood each other and helped each other achieve their own happiness. Park Min Young is truly a great actress, proven by her years in the industry. No noble idiocy, no misunderstandings - this IS the perfect couple everyone wishes to have in real life. The side characters like Cindy and her mom had a nice character development, and even our 2nd lead didn't get too caught up in his love triangle and redeemed himself. The story wasn't anything special, but the writers pulled it off so well. The OST is also fantastic and fit every scene. Was this review helpful to you?
However, having said that, I loved this movie. It fits perfectly to the "slice of life" genre, a glimpse of real life, and in this case real life is just a little bit funny to boot. I love the main character, and how she is portrayed by the main actress. I love the easy-going mood throughout the movie, the breezy and fresh theme of renting cats to lonely people.
The music and the cinematography elements of this movie are both important reasons to why I enjoyed it so much. It's beautifully done, shot, and persecuted. It also gives the feel of japanese traditions, the japanese life style that we all know and love (at least I do).
Lastly, because this is such a lay-back sort of movie with no particular goal or end line, I feel it's the kind of movie I could watch and re-watch many times.
Basically, I would recommend this to anyone that adores the slice of life genre and of course, if you adore cats, or mori style (because in my opinion this movie has a very mori-ish feel to it).
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Brutal, Heartbreaking, Bleak, but somehow still Beautiful.
Watched 26/10/2025 at opening weekend.Before going in to watch, I happened to see the director had said that she wanted to showcase the harsh realities of rising poverty amongst youth, an issue not often enough highlighted in modern Japan. The main symptom seen of this in media is the rise of so-called ‘yami baito’ in the news - in English, effectively ‘crime part time’ as desperate youths whose backgrounds aren’t so fortunate desperately try to stay afloat to afford rent, university, and the like.
This film showcases four such people, whose circumstances leave them nothing else to turn to. I did not expect to be so emotionally moved by this film, at all. The storytelling was also cleverly done, as nothing is revealed too quickly, yet upon seeing the whole picture, there is still beauty in the humanity you can find amidst the brutality. The story is largely told in three arcs, one for each protagonist, and the pacing was exactly as it needed to be. The use of perspective was also particularly clever in the sense that you start the film through the lens of the youngest and most inexperienced of the three protagonists, which also serves as an appropriate introduction to the world of yami baito for those unfamiliar with it. Acting was spectacular and gut-wrenching in exactly the ways it needed to be.
This film brought a range of emotions out in me, from the visceral nausea of reality to the sweetness that cannot be separated from the bitterness. This is not a film full of cheer, hope, and optimism, but it is still a film with a painfully heartwarming glimmer even at the most desperate times.
The closing song is beautiful and fitting, and other than that, the soundtrack was unobtrusive. In fact, I was so deeply invested in the story and characters I didn’t notice any music until the credits rolled, however there was most certainly music there and a composer credited.
I absolutely recommend this to anyone who can see it in cinemas, or anyone who enjoys crime-thrillers in general. It is a superbly well acted film. This is easily the best Japanese film I have seen since 18x2 Beyond Youthful Days (which I also reviewed at the time).
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Violence, Blood, Gore.
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Be true to yourself and the people around you !!
wow, amazing I got no word for the last scene just because that is a 10/10 for me. I like to make my point of view about everything and in the end no matter the final result deep down it was my choice and I can't blame anyone. this series was well made it is not just a series but an educational one that showed about (understanding, accepting your real you, learning how to be reasonable, flexible, honest with your partner, respect everyone, and only care about the people you love and not focusing on the outside opinion while some are still hiding their true self ) good job for every person that made this production possible. both seasons 1 & 2 are amazing people feel free to take a look. on that note bye bye PAPA & DADDY Series I love you. I am a big supporter of LGBTQ+. big Love ❤️Was this review helpful to you?
Snow during spring
"A masterpiece may be in someone's possession for a while, but once its purpose is done, it goes to the next person."Sometimes when you are looking at a work of art, many different emotions overcome you and iribito is exactly like a work of art. It can't be really explained with words. It is like a painting with vivid and dark colors that makes you feel the complexity of human nature and the beauty of human creations. Its atmosphere is unsettling and suffocating, but at the same time liberating and cruelly beautiful. Takamura Naho is mesmerizing, assertive and infatuated with art, while Shirane Tatsuru is ethereal, passionate and unbelievably creative. They complement each other in a way that resembles human creations. Those creations are made by human beings and can only be appreciated by other human beings.
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Just like any other anime movie adaptations, I'd say this one did not disappoint! The plot line was not rushed, and the story clearly showed where it was headed to, so it wasn't confusing and was easy to watch that even if you haven't read the manga, you could easily follow through the plot line.
Overall, I had fun watching this movie. The actors did well in their roles, the acting was not cringey, and they were good looking too! The leads had great chemistry! and most importantly this movie had a good moral lesson.
I am a hardcore kpop and former anime fan, so I kind of relate to the movie where sometimes even though we have, and love our world of fandoms, we have to step out of this zone, interact with real people and live the reality, because this is how we expose ourselves, form friendships, and meet new people. Long lasting friendships are not only formed based on similar interests but through interaction.
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Highest quality of any BL
For sure this is the best yet of the Thai BL's. Bravo! I can't remember even on episode that I thought the story was off track or they were stalling or going on a tangent. The story developed out from start to finish logically. There were some twist and turns but not too much and not too fantastical to be believable. Earth for sure was the best actor award. He was believable playing a stern and difficult part. All of the actors including the kids were believable and likeable. That again is a great accomplishment without being too cheesy. I will really miss this one. Maybe I'll feel better about the rewatch value after a while but because it is a story with a they live happily every after and no want of a season 2. The Dr (Nam) is also an honorable mention. He needs his own series.Was this review helpful to you?
Obsessed with this drama now
Hii....! Thank you director for beautiful story, im so obsessed with this drama, especially ji chu & Qing...Love every episode especially episode 20 , ML the he look at qing after telling her that lets make this marriage real.. Omg, killer eyes killer look,, 🤗❤☺
Ji chu ❤ love story between two is so natural n realistic... Aah..! Love all the characters... Ji chu body guard have another vibe ❤
Blush... Blush...blush whenever qing n ji chu scene use to come... There talks, serious, funny, ❤☺🤗
Lots of love ❤ to JI CHU & QING
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Festival of misunderstandings and a bit of clear thinking, highly enjoyable
Misunderstandings are one of those things that completely infuriates me when it comes to dramas. We know it very well, one of the characters mishears something and then we have to watch through five episodes how it spoils relations or leads to cringe situations. Complicating plot just because two grown ups cannot really articulate what’s wrong is just lazy writing for me. Saying that, I’m so happy, that those situations, in Her Private Life, even tough happen, ale so smoothly handled by well written and clear thinking characters. That was a great relief for me while watching this drama.I’ve seen someone already writing that this series could end on 14th episode and I kinda agree. It seems like writers had the main plot finalised at this point but were bound by the contract to write two more episodes so they’ve just unnecessarily overcomplicated some minor themes making them a bit too long. This unfortunately spoils reception of the finale, but without much damage to the drama as a whole. I’d say it’s just slightly annoying. Luckily characters are cleverly written so all misunderstandings that come from this prolonged motives are quickly resolved.
The main praise I have for this drama must be characters. I’d say that this is one of those dramas that defends itself solely by the characters, making main plot secondary (what is not necessarily bad thing here). I had the same with some other series (like What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim), where action is used more for character development, rather that the action itself. With Her Private Life, feeling is similar. Characters are just so well written and interact with each other so smoothly, that watching it itself is sufficient.
But of course we have an action and we have classic drama tropes that are so repetitive sometimes in drama world, that we could make a drinking game out of them already. So one of the characters must have some sort of childhood trauma that took its toll on his adult life, we have long lost acquaintances that figure out that they’ve met long time ago very late in the drama. At least one of the parents has to be slightly unhinged (this time not even slightly, but I can fully forgive it, since the character is so entertaining in her quirkiness that it makes amazing comic relief). And of course second lead syndrome must be there, but in this case I’d say it’s here only because someone decided it has to, since it’s not very convincing and certainly we can see that it’s not gonna happen. Honestly, I’d see someone else on this position.
This all luckily is overshadowed by high quality of the drama.
Overall I highly enjoyed this drama. It’s one of those that you watch with constant grin on your face by how cute some scenes are. I don’t expect very much from romantic dramas, for me all they have to be is enjoyable and this one delivered it fully.
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Dont bother with season 2
I totally agree that season one is way better ! Season two is messy and unnecessary!Main couple- Zhou Shi and Wei qing
second couple- Ning fei or Xue Ning and fei fei
Third couple- Bi qiu jing and Li ming cheng
The story started some what interesting... with the fact the the male lead became blind. the female lead loses her ability to draw. The story gets kinda weird and confusing because the female lead left for two years. In this time she is taking care of ning fei aka xue ning because he lost his memory while trying to save Zhou shi from being rape.
All the lead does is bicker and obvious they still like each other, but the female lead always rejects the male leads kisses.
Also Zhou shi is in the company of Xue ning's sister, who doesnt like the male lead( Wei qing) They are business competitors. There is also the addition of an evil character which is Xue zhi's brother. ( xue shi is the older sister, aka competitor.
So many story lines going on... ning fei lost his memory... trying to remember it....
It's just too much scheming, planning to the point that i got confused whats actually happening..
I liked the relationship of the three girls who where friends since college? Dont expect a fluffy romace. Im so disappointed by this drama. The first one i watched like 2 times..
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Overall, a fun light show!
I started this series without any expectations, since I found it out of nowhere while it was still airing.It's about a mother who tries to set up her three sons with girls she thinks they're the best for them, but she finds that it's not easy when they all fall in love with someone else.
I confess that I decided to watch it mainly because I wanted to see Tay Tawan in a comedy, because he can never disappoint, but I have to say that my favourite storyline was Arty's, played by Gun Atthaphan, who keeps being an amazing actor.
I thought it was pretty funny how Gun can still play teenage characters when next year he will be 30, but he's very convincing anyway. There is something to be said about the actresses who played the love interests as well! They carried the storylines as much as the main boys. Overall, it was a very well defined cast, that worked pretty well.
The stories were fun to follow, even though the way some of them ended disappointed me a little, because they felt a bit rushed. Although, I appreciate how the series was built, dedicating six episodes to each of the brothers and their own stories and backstories.
In conclusion, I have to say that it was a pretty light and easy to follow series, which is always nice to find, even though I don't think I'd rewatch it anytime soon; but the theme song will stay in my head for way too much time!
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Riveting study of the staffers behind a presidential candidate
This drama succeeds in making the the lives of staffers and strategists behind a presidential election absolutely riveting!The staffers deal with all range of challenges, from helping their candidate, Lin Yue-Chen, reframe a seemingly trivial incident with a dog to navigating policy questions about immigration, the environment, and capital punishment. They are in a constant state of trying to please the public while staying principled, and they also struggle at times with losing their grip on their personal lives due to the nonstop labor they provide. The series represents this sense of chaos so vividly!
The drama also spotlights issues of sexual harassment in the workplace and homophobia in media and politics, but the message through these themes isn't all grim. Because the main characters are so sympathetic, we're drawn in to believe that justice and progress will win and can be achieved through perseverance, an engaged electorate, and principled political leadership.
The drama represents strong women characters--older women, young women, working women, wives, daughters, queer women. In fact, almost of all of the main characters are women. This focus on women is backed by a memorable statement from the presidential candidate in episode three. She says,
"Do you know the proportion of female government officials is less than 10%? This means that in terms of Taiwan's current political environment, we're still a long way from the so-called gender equality. People would often ask me, 'as a woman, is it particularly difficult to be in such a masculine political environment?' I said, 'Yes, that's right.' It's precisely because it's difficult that we can't back down all the more. We must work harder and persevere more."
This drama seems to speak directly to that reality, but also to redress it by showing women taking active roles at the center of Taiwanese politics and staking a claim in the future of the country.
The acting, music, and direction are all outstanding! The city views of Taipei will make you want to travel there immediately!
As a side note, I'll add that I've been a big fan of Ying Shiuan Hsieh since seeing her in "The Making of an Ordinary Woman." And fans of My Tooth Your Love will enjoy seeing Yu Jin in a cameo role here. Gingle Wang continues to prove her outstanding acting chops. She's simply amazing on screen!
Dropping this really interesting review written by Divya Malladi here at the bottom, "‘Wave Makers’ Review: Why The Taiwanese Series Is Far Better Than Korean ‘Queenmaker’": https://dmtalkies.com/wave-makers-season-1-review-2023-netflix-south-east-asian-series/
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama completely took over my life. This hasn't happened to me since... since Word of Honor, I guess? And as much as I adored WoH, not even that drama moved me so deeply.I wouldn't be able to tell you why exactly ALP touched me so much. I guess it was the theme of self-sacrifice? Of duty and honor and love? And of friendship that lasts hundreds of thousands of years and isn't treated as something, well, less?
Because one of the things that fascinated me was the bond among the three True Gods: Zhi Yang, Tian Qi and Bai Jue. They have known each other for hundreds and hundreds of thousands of years, they protected the three realms together and they died and were reborn in their service to the gods, the immortals and the mortals, and they did it with grace and dignity - and not a little mischief. They bickered and poked fun at each other and sometimes they didn't see each other for thousands of years but the warmth they felt for each other never lessened. And that was simply beautiful.
The main draw for me was Xu Kai as Bai Jue/Bo Xuan/Qing Mu - and he did an absolutely incredible job playing these characters who were one and the same person and not at the same time and at no point had I trouble telling the three of them apart. Even when Qing Mu and Bai Jue stood side by side, I knew who was who. Xu Kai is a truly gifted actor and this drama let him showcase that.
Many, many times was I moved to tears. The last two eps I pretty much bawled through. I stayed up way past midnight to finish the drama and I cried so hard that my heart is still aching this morning and my eyes are all swollen. It was so beautiful.
What I must mention and praise is the CGI. The scenery, the fights, all of them looked so amazing and so real that at no point was I torn out of what was happening, thinking "Looks fake." Especially the fights looked truly epic, like fights between gods should.
Thinking back, there were several moments that truly stood out for me:
When Bai Jue was forced to kill Tian Qi
When the True Gods imprisoned Xuan Yi - and when they later on defeated Wu Huan with the same method
When Qing Mu received Bai Jue's spear
When Qing Mu received the 81 lighting strikes and elevated his position to a demi-god
When Bai Jue and Tian Qi battled together at Bai Jue's second wedding
When Gu Jun died for Hou Chi/Shang Gu
When Tian Qi learned about Bai Jue's plan - and then the moment before the battle with Wu Huan, when he realized that Bai Jue was going to die soon
When Bai Jue talked to his son about the meaning of death
When Bai Jue gave himself over to the Doom of Chaos, dying for Shang Gu with a smile on his face because he managed to save her, after all
When Shang Gu came to the Swamp of Netherill and realized what Bai Jue had done...
So many wonderful moments, and that's just off the top of my head.
Also, the score. LAP's songs not only had a beautiful melody, their text was downright heartbreaking, "when she turns to ash, he guards the three realms for her."
This drama was... it was everything I could've wanted and more. I don't think I've ever rated a drama so high but, yeah, it's a 10.
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