I can understand why this series has the fairly high ratings it has, especially for this genre. The twisted connection between the three main actors and the development of their relationship was done well. I also very much appreciated how the supporting actors did incredibly well with their shifts from a normal human being to just plain creepy.
This isn't one of those "let me shock you into fear" or "let me disgust you so much that it will hopefully leave an impact" kind of show, which is nice. And although there were scattered moments of drag, there was enough depth to the story and characters where I still looked forward to the next episode. The ending felt a bit rushed and you'll have some unanswered questions or explanations but I was pleasantly surprised at the enjoyment factor.
Bonus points were given to the score because this genre is particularly difficult to do well.
Was this review helpful to you?
Falling High School Girl and Irresponsible Teacher
10 people found this review helpful
by virgievirgie 
2
2 Love on a Suspension Bridge
What is the suspension bridge effect? According to Urban Dictionary, “the suspension bridge effect happens when a person crosses a suspension bridge and he sees someone of the opposite sex. His fear of falling down causes his heart to pound. He then mistakes that for the heart-pounding feeling felt when falling in love with the opposite sex.”Is the love Ochiai Mikoto (FL) feels for Haiba Jin/Haijin (ML) a result of the suspension bridge effect? Will these feelings go away once she’s not standing on the edge of the building? Well, you will have to watch the drama to find out.
“Tsuiraku JK to Haijin Kyoshi” aka “Falling High School Girl and Irresponsible Teacher” is a dark comedy addressing the serious issues of suicide and loneliness. The drama does not take the issues lightly, but offers an alternate, witty and sarcastic way in handling them. You will fall in love with the leads and their personalities. Both of them are caring, considerate, ‘unique’ and ‘wacky’. But the best part of the drama is their interactions. You never know what’s going to come out of Haijin’s mouth, and what comebacks Mikoto will have. They are just so fun together.
The drama is really short - 9 episodes and about 20 minutes each. It doesn’t tell the full story but only gives us the initial encounter and relationship building. I wanted more of them and wished the episodes were longer. I want to know more about how Haijin fell in love with Mikoto. That one flashback is not enough for me.
If you are unsure of the taboo relationship of a teacher and a student, I can say there’s nothing overtly out-of-the-line physically. But there’s heavy flirting and you know emotionally they are ‘together’. There were only two instances where they performed an act to ‘save someone’s life’. Of course, that’s their way of justifying the act. But they did it in such a comical way that it didn’t feel dirty at all.
This drama reminded me of the C-drama “Definitely Not Today”. Both tried to tackle the issue of suicide with dark comedy but approaches this topic very differently. This drama has a lot more comedy and flirting.
If the themes of suicide and teacher/student relationships don’t bother you, I recommend this unique drama to you.
Completed: 9/18/2023 - Review #355
Was this review helpful to you?
Hedonistic and Not For Everyone
Look, this is NOT a short film for everyone. It is a bl (boy lust) series rather than a BL. It is for adults. No romance here just pure animalistic lust. It is very well acted and has the classic 'bad boy' feel about it. We all like to pretend that this type of fantasy would never happen to us as we are sensible, have a moral compass, and have some boundaries. But this short film shows otherwise how easy it might be to succumb to a more lustful nature if the circumstances were right. Seemed almost too easy.Was this review helpful to you?
The Crucified Lovers tells the story of an unfortunate love affair between a servant and his master's wife. The film is quite simple and slow placed but therein lies it's beauty. The lack of action and multiple side stories forces you to solely focus on the couple and their plight. The movie itself is beautiful-I always find these classic Japanese films to have a serene and majestic quality to them. A simple movie with a simple message: a life with love, however brief, is much preferred to living 100 years without it.
Was this review helpful to you?
I was amazed how they acted! They were really good and I can't wait for more of some of these actors!
They picked the right music, sometimes it wasn't my taste but that is personal.
I would rewatch this movie and I would recommend it to anyone who like some action, a good story and some suspense!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The 1st half was overly dramatic and the 2nd half was a snooze fest. Park Hae-jin's character Li Ang and his love interest Li Ren were supposed to be the main pair but they threw in 3 other couples that had the same amount if not more time given to them, especially Li Ren's cousin, Tian Na. Towards the middle it seemed SHE was the lead. When time was actually given to the OTP, it fell flat. I did not feel their chemistry at all. It was odd, they had scenes that should have been romantic and sweet but it felt like they were just checking off a to do list. Definitely not building a close and connected relationship with each other. Such a disappointment.
If a viewer is into crazy and sometimes nonsensical kinds of relationship shenanigans they may like it. Lots of breakups, lots of ex's, meddling elders and a bunch of grown ups who don't know what they want. Personalities seemed to change on a whim. Several scenarios happen over and over. What was the worst for me was I didn't particularly LIKE most of the characters. Even the ones that weren't bad weren't that exciting either.
***Possibly Spoiler-ish***
One love story fights against age and social status differences and has a jealous ex-girlfriend which was as cliché as possible. The jealous ex-girlfriend is especially grating. There is also an extra-martial affair relationship, a crazy psycho girl in love with a creepy magician and one other relationship that was actually normal but just seemed to be there to fill up screen time. One character that I did warm up to was Li Ren's cousin, Tian Na. In the beginning I couldn't stand her but by the end she won me over with her exuberant and quirky personality.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Shen Yue you done well...?
i liked the acting of SHEN YUE, she done well. And all the casts as well. Although it is remake but it differ in version. I like the chinese version not because of the Shen Yue, but the story as well. The music, OMG i like their OST "Pure Love" very romantic and its fits very well the concept. I keep on watching it 2x already and still counting because i love the chemistry of Shen Yue and Jasper.kudos UFMT production team. Hope there will be UFMT part 2 with thier kid/s 😅 Jasper and Shen Yue, hope you have more project again. And what i had observed to Shen Yue, she is improving her acting.Was this review helpful to you?
High aesthetic value - favorite FL
This drama has some of the prettiest background designs I've ever seen. The blend of CGI and stage design is so smooth I have a hard time knowing what's real and what's not. The world is thought out and immersive. I also like the costume design for all the animal spirit characters.The female lead is self-assured and competent, if not manipulative. This characterization works very well for the story; she is easily my favorite character. The only con is that she overshadows the male lead, who is there to be pretty but gains some action relevance later in the season.
Check this out if you want to watch a series with profound lore, well-written female characters, and gorgeous aesthetics.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A spoiler free, 5 star review with my opinions, likes and non-existent dislikes of this drama and it's drop-dead perfection that deserves to be seen by all and every. A Love To Kill is, Hands Down, one of the best dramas I have EVER seen. And I'm saying that with over 150 dramas under my belt. If you're in the mood for a romantic, suspenseful, tragedy, first/true-love story.. buckle your seat belts because this will break your heart and yet keep you coming back for more.
I am a huge fan of Rain, and I say that having seen almost every one of his dramas (well at least having STARTED every one of his dramas) and loving and admiring his work. So yes, I may be a tad biased towards his dramas but for good reason. He's a TERRIFIC actor!
Shin MinA startled me with her beauty, her depth, and her vulnerability in creating this character.
Despite making this drama seem really intense, tragic and heartbreaking (which it is) It's also really sweet and there is a lot of hidden depth to each and every scene, as well as every character and change in attitude and view. Although I'm not super fond of all the characters, they all have their own struggle and their own story.
I cannot begin to explain to you the excellence in the writing of this script, you will only be able to know by watching it for yourself and realizing how lovable and re-watchable (coming from someone who REALLY doesn't re-watch dramas) this one is. Going back to re-watch scenes and episodes every once in a while, it's really incredible to see how connected everything is. From episode one, something occurs that later will be either explained or somehow related to something in a later episode. It's incredible.
The music is so perfect and beautiful and heartbreaking that EVERY SINGLE TIME I hear the OST I fall in love with it all over again and even begin to tear up. It's catchy, soothing, melancholy and is played at the most perfect and fitting times.
If you pay close attention to the dialog throughout the drama, from the beginning to end, everything intertwines and means something at some point or another. In the very last scene, there is a vital part of information you'll miss if you don't pay close enough attention, which will simply crush the courage you built up to hold in the tears.
I really want to give a hand to the cast and their acting because it really was something.Consider yourself warned, this is a hard-core melodrama and if you aren't in the mood to be swept off your feet by a river of tears, don't watch A Love To Kill because it will break your heart. But It's SOOOO worth it and I want you to watch it anyway so we can rant and discuss and cry over it together! The acting, as I was saying, was simply incredible. Each cast member did a fantastic job of portraying their character and each and every thought that went through that characters head at every scene they were in. The longing in Shin MinA's eyes, the passion in Rain's, the outrage in Lee Ki-Woo's eyes. Everything was perfectly done and in the most unsuspecting way.
Now, like every older melodrama there usually seems to be a lot of lagging parts in the middle with stupid seemingly fixable problems. Although this drama has NONE and let me say that again, NONE of those draggy-boring moments. Let me assure you, every scene has meaning and some sort of depth. You may not see it right away but you shouldn't skip parts because later it will come up and you will wish you had read deeper into the moment you skipped.
There is so much more I'd like to say about this drama but there isn't anything I can add without giving examples that would be spoilers or simply repeating the words, "I LOVE THIS DRAMA SO FRIGGIN MUCH!!!" So I just won't continue. YOu should watch it. That's all I have to say. If you still aren't interested by the 3rd episode then drop it. Otherwise... You're in for a treat.
Was this review helpful to you?
Story:Its a simple plot: a guy is determined to learn English so he can follow the girlfriend who dumped him to the US, only to fall for his English tutor.The slow buildup of their relationship is too cute, and the misunderstandings that happen because of the language barrier only gets funnier as the movie goes on. I promise, the joke never seems to get old!
Acting/Cast: The supporting characters are so over the top and ridiculous you can't help but to laugh. The comedy between the main couple, Pleng and Gym, mostly concerns them falling in love with each other, but their friends and other supporting characters bring moments of pure joy and you'll ending up dying from laughter! I have nothing bad to say about the acting from any of the actors. All of them seemed to find the perfect balance between comedic timing and heartfelt emotion.
Music: Great! If you stick around for the credits there is even extra singing and dancing that made me lol even more!
Rewatch Value: DO IT! Its so sweet, and cute but has these epic scenes where you'll find yourself grossed out but laughing and unable to fast forward because its so good. That's the only reason I can see for this movie ranking 7.8. I'd recommend it to any rom-com lover *.*
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Only in Japan
OverallWithout ever reading the manga, Overall, I have to say that it was definitely enjoyable and I would rewatch again. If you think the topic is to weird or triggering please don't watch, but if you think it sounds interesting, by all means, give it a try.
Story
Honestly, this is the first time I see something like this. I am sure that there are more out there but it is my first. I think that the plot was good but there was so much that was never explained at all. Who was that group of cleaners? Never really got an answer. In the end, I just ignored all that because I was really enjoying it for what it was, but I know that there is a lot to be explained.
Acting/Cast
The main cast was amazing as always. It was great to see Sugino Yosuke and Fukuhara Haruka act together again. I really enjoyed them in the second season of Good Morning Call and also in their other works. Both are great actors and There can't be much said about them other than how great they are.
Rewatch Value
I would definitely rewatch.
Was this review helpful to you?
Will become your second home :)
I can't even begin to explain how beautiful this drama is. It's beyond words. As a fairly new jdrama watcher, I have found that Japanese dramas have this way of touching your heart, a way that Korean dramas could never replicate.They become your second family, you never feel excluded, and you grow and learn with them. They become your friends, brothers, sisters, parents, and neighbors. The viewer themselves is considered part of the village, they're part of the family. as the drama progresses, we laugh and cry with the characters, and we learn new things about them. inside jokes start developing, jokes that you wouldn't get unless you had watched the previous episodes
It's hard not to get attached to the characters, each having their own charm. Not to mention how scenic this drama is, the setting of the village is beyond extraordinary and so cottagecore-esque, it makes you feel warm and fuzzy :))
beware before you start this drama, because you will definitely have a hole in your heart once this drama is over, nothing can replace this gem !!
Was this review helpful to you?
The story of closeted lesbians in ancient history
Unlike many historical dramas that dive into politics and betrayal, Mhom Ped Sawan takes a refreshing turn of exploring the issue of เล่นเพื่อน, or ‘len pheuan'. This term translates to ‘playing with friends’ that refers to the intimate female companion or, in easy words, the lesbianism. Set in the 18th-century Rattanakosin era, this series follows a typical template of Thai historical drama with some politics, strong misogyny and sexism, but with a sapphic and gay twist. For those unfamiliar, ‘Mhom Ped Sawan’ is an ancient story penned by Khun Suwan, a well-known poet from that time.The series takes a wider look at how same-sex relationships were perceived and accepted in that time period, along with the complexities of love across different social classes, particularly within the palace walls and its social circles. It also highlights the presence of LGBT allies during that era. While the series is more focused on drama, it still has some interesting moments of romance and the tension that come with it. But with 30 episodes, some plots are a bit draggy and repetitive.
One worth noting feature of this series is its skillful incorporation of Thai culture throughout the plots. The elements of poetry, literature, dance and play, cuisine, and palace etiquette are beautifully represented through the characters and their arcs.
When it comes to acting, all the cast members did a fantastic job. If there's one problem, it's Film and Tubtim’s chemistry. While their individual performances are good, their on-screen chemistry isn’t strong enough. Some scenes come off as a bit detached and lack the warmth you'd expect from lovers. In contrast, Princess Vilas and Khun Suwan's chemistry stand out more. Their companionship is endearing, and even though they’re not romantically linked, their dynamic is way more fulfilling than Mom Kham and Mom Sud.
This series has a good production quality and stays consistent from the first episode all the way through. But one drawback, in my opinion, is the use of camera angles and certain framing for the kiss and intimate scenes between Mom Kham and Mom Sud rather than showcasing the real kiss/performances. I wonder if this was done for the actresses' comfort, perhaps due to their inexperience with such scenes, (which I doubted that was the case), or if it was the director's choice or the channel's restriction. But regardless, it really detracts from the authenticity and believability of their relationship and undermines the emotional depth of their characters.
Despite its LGBTQ+ theme, it’s quite noticeable that this series is crafted through a hetero lens. But taking into account the cultural context, the time and place setting, and the target audience of ThaiPBS, the overall execution is quite good. While certain aspects of the storyline may falter, it’s still a good drama for those who like historical drama with less complicated palace politics.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
So slow….
Glad this was only 10 eps. It was really slow and boring through most of it. I have a few hang ups. Na Bi really set the relationship for failure from the beginning. She listened to everyone and their stories of who Jae-eon is or who and what they think he is. She had a bad relationship right before that left her with a bad attitude to begin with. If you go into a relationship with a bad attitude and not really opening up and being honest to begin with then it really is doomed. I think they both were stupid in their communication! They never said what needed to be said when they had a great opportunity to do it. It was infuriating!! So many times I wanted to stop watching because I wanted to seriously smack them upside the head. He showed her so many freaking times how he felt but she was to stupid to see it! Even in the end she still talked about how he would disappoint her again and then saw Do-hyeok and almost let go of Jae-eon’s hand. She was still wavering!! Sheesh! If this is really the reality of how young people today communicate and have a relationship I feel bad for them!Story - so slow. It was agonizing just like a said above! It was not the best storyline for me.
Acting/Cast - the emotion was there. It was good acting. I was not disappointed in that. I was just disappointed in the story they had to work with.
Rewatch - probably not! I personally am not one for slow, boring, and poor communication shows. I like when people are honest and open. Like I said before if this is how young people date and communicate… I feel bad for them.
Was this review helpful to you?
