This review may contain spoilers
A short healing episode...
MDL put a page for the special episode here... so I watched that nearly a month ago... What I noticed, it was a rushed production, because they had a lot of Sasaengs following them and they nearly did not film this at all. This is a nice healing episode which heals both of them.It seems they had problems getting a free location, so they had tourists looking at them while filming, but I'm happy enough, that they at least finished this short episode. So at least it feels more real with people gawking at them, because oh my god, two men are kissing on the beach! 🤣
This is a nice finale, so if you have watched the series, you should not skip it.
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ML can't act but I adore him anyway!
Actually I adore both the ML and FL! As individual characters, they were likable but as a couple, they were endearing and inspired relationship goals. Also they were simply gorgeous to look at.Why Women Love is a May-December love story done right! It is not often that we get a romance between an older super capable manager and her young assistant (who was actually her boss' son), let alone a good one. If you are looking for something light, lovely, fun and fluffy, this show might just do the trick.
Honestly, there was no real plot, but there was character development. The FL learned to open up her heart, and become brave in facing the unknown of love, and the ML grew into a man who wanted to protect and give his love a blissful and happy home. I love that even though the ML became more matured, he did not lose sight of his dream of being a motorcycle racer. The best part is that he still reacted like someone in his twenties but carried himself well to be worthy of the FL.
Gina Jin is beautiful and she did well as Zhao Jiang Yue, a reserved, over-achieving manager. Absorbed with her work, always focused on doing her best, she was labeled as being incompetent in love. As she gradually fell in love with the ML, one can see her loosening up, and becoming more carefree.
Wang Zi Yi as Gu Jia Xin was a total idol in this show, with his avant-garde outfits, and being a newbie, could use more acting lessons. However, he was still able to pull off charismatic and lovable Jia Xin, and I truly enjoyed watching him charm his way into Jiang Yue's heart. Plus he can kiss!
There were 3 other side couples and I enjoyed watching 2 of those relationships progressed. As for the 3rd couple, I did not think that Xu Ning Yuan and Li Yan Ran were a good fit and there was no chemistry between them . Xu Ning Yuan was supposed to be the second male lead and was also Jiang Yue's first love.but he did not really put up much of a fight, other than being "compatible" with her.
Overall, the cast was great, and there was a fun rapport among them. I did find Li Yan Ran annoying and clingy but at least she could still separate her obsession with Jia Xin from doing the right thing.
The OST was awesome. I never skipped the intro because of the song, 'Love It' sung by Wang Zi Yi and Gina Jin. The closing song, True Love by Zhu Xingjie was catchy too. My favorite was Upside Down by Chen Xueran, the romantic song that heightened the emotional scenes for me. For posterity, I listed the song list at the end of this review.
Overall, do give this show a try - all you have to do is sit back and be prepared to smile and laugh as you gush over the cheesy, delightful and satisfying romantic journey of the main couple.
Track list: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDkvOpX-XEAS7ux-N5WjgI5m6cKx3ngIt
Love it - 金晨 Gina Jin & 王子异 Wang Ziyi
True Love - 朱星杰 Zhu Xingjie
Upside Down - 陈雪燃 Chen Xueran
错了 Wronged - 曹杨 Cao Yang
中意他 Like Him - 彭雅琦 Peng Yaqi
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I have to say when I started watching this I had no idea about the plot and I'm glad that was the case because I feel it made everything more intriguing than it already was.
I'd only seen one of the actresses in a movie before but I have to say the entire cast is superb; they all give the right emotion and present each story flawlessly.
It hit all the right notes and since it's only an hour long I'll definitely watch it again because it's one of those dramas that gives you a lot to think about long after finishing it.
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THREE WORDS: "Boring But Interesting", you may be like "What? That doesn't make sense!" At first I was like that, but then I begin to get used to it. You'll get used to it.
STORY:
The story was pretty good, I enjoyed it. It was pretty brand new to me. There were some plot twist, revenge, romance, and etc. For the first few episode, it's going to focus on Miao Miao (Kitty) and then to everyone.
ACTING/CAST:
Honest, the whole reason why I watched this was because I wanted find new drama with new faces, i'm kinda tired of seeing the same actress and actor (I.e Aaron Yan, Chris Wang, Sonia Sui). That's why when I was scrolling, this drama caught my attention.
Nown on to acting:
They were pretty new to me, and they amaze me. To me I feel some of their acting (Kitty, Dragonfly, and etc.) I'm really looking forward to some of these actors's/actress's new drama.
MUSIC:
The MUSIC......... The first time I listened to it, it got me alright. But as I was watching, they keep putting music like always. I was pretty tired of hearing the same songs. The only notable and worth listening to was "Be Yourself" by Genie Chuo and I don't know the other one but it was catchy.
Sometimes though, the music will foreshadow what's going to happen next.
OVERALL:
Pros:
+New Faces
+Catchy song ( only 2 though for me)
+Story is interesting, kept me thinking and excited for the next episodes
+Plot twist got me like "WHAT.......?"
Cons:
-Dialog drag the story a bit, they talked for about 10-30 minute during some episode
-Some characters are darn annoying
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Plot: Nothing new here: bold serial killer taunts the police to play his game and try to catch him, but the execution of the series was great. How each crime is slowly linked to the major mystery behind who the main killer is and why he is on this 'seemingly' random killing spree was interesting to watch. I love it when there are subtle clues for the characters and the audience as to the main motives behind the villains. Gives a series more depth and gets me even more invested.
Acting/Cast: Sooooo good! From the cops to the crazy criminals to the unfortunate victims, it was all well done. I can't think of anyone I'd replace.
Music: All I can say is that the tension was felt in every scene and the fear for all of the characters was only enhanced because of the music. It wasn't overly dramatic and it fit every mood and scene well.
Rewatch Value: Normally I would say that the rewatch value for a mystery is low because once you see it some of the thrill of uncovering it is gone. That is not the case here. Because of the individual cases that all end up being connected to the major plot line you might pick up some points you might have missed the 1st time around. Plus the cases themselves are so 'creative' I wouldn't mind revisiting them again!
Overall: I highly recommend this for and crime/mystery lovers. Be warned though, there is NO ROMANCE or even a hint of it. At best you'll get a nice warm feeling from the loyalty and friendship between coworkers. The focus is entirely on the mystery. And I'm fine with that alone (for once ;-)
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Angsty, fast paced plot with enemies to lovers vibe.
Thankfully, I started this drama when I had symptoms of drama slump. Turned out it was because I did not find that one drama that suit my mood at the moment. So when I finally found it, I can't stop watching.So here is my review:
✅️ Very engaging, angsty & fast paced from beginning to end. I liked that the plot was unpredictable at times and every minute details have significance to the story like you would think they're unimportant but later they did have a meaning to it.
✅️ Excellent acting from all cast. I enjoyed FL's acting. She can acts in emotional scenes so well despite only have less than 3 years of experience as an actress. This was my second drama of Zhao Yi Qin and he did not disappoint too. He was perfect as Helian Xi . His character tugged at my heartstrings. I feel for his anger, anguish ,loneliness and sadness so much.
✅️ Romance & chemistry between leads was excellent. Enjoyed enemies to lovers concept in the early episodes. We could feel a lover vibe in their skinship scenes. Just wishh.... we get more than just one steamy intimate scene in the story ( ok now I sound like a pervert lol).
✅️ About the ending , I found it to be well suited to the story. After so much that happened to both main leads, they are free now from all the suffering.
✅️ Cinematography & costumes : 10/10 . I have no complaints. Many beautiful setting (my favourite were the house adjacent to waterfall and all snowy scenes ). Loved the costume details too .
☑️ Motive of the villains here were nothing new I speed through most of their scenes and still able to understand the story.
☑️ OST just good enough and well fitted.
Easily become one of the best short length C-Drama of 2024 and all-time favourite for me. If your soul need some fast paced, angsty & not so cliche plot with great chemistry between leads, try Hard to Find you might love this like I did.
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This review may contain spoilers
Is it possible for a show to choke?
This Show starts well and showed a lot of potential. It was fast paced, funny and really hooks you within the first couple of episodes. The leads have great visuals and are charismatic. The OTP also has good chemistry and their love line is quite swoon worthy. Throw in some unusual litigations and messy family dynamics and we have a nice smorgasbord of stories. What more can you ask?Everything was humming along and plots are developing nicely. The love story of the leads are progressing well. We even have a psycho antagonist which really spiced up the proceedings. That is why it is so baffling when the story telling seemed to goes off the rails at the last 1/3 of the show.
The cracks starts to appear when Team Law Cafe took on a sexual harassment case.
It is set up nicely, all the background stuff was dip fed to us. Very troubling but impactful. The veiled threats and actual dangers are there to heighten the tension. Everything is set for a multi-episodic arc with a David vs goliath style battle both in and out of the courtroom. What I didn't expect was a seemingly rushed conclusion to that storyline just when it got interesting and the tension is rising. It just feels underdone.
Yes, it does set up the big showdown with the main antagonist but the handling of this key plot felts arbitrary. It sounds like the back of a napkin type of writing rather than a finely tuned one.
Next, the hostage scene at the church is laughable. It was really illogical. We are talking about a dozen or more armed police with guns drawn standing by while the antagonist stood in plain sight waving a knife and threatening the hostage. He stood like that for minutes while ranting at the assembled police. The sorry saga only ends when the injured ML tackled the antagonist single-handedly. Yes, we get the heroic act but it really defies logic and looks farcical. Not sure how that passed script review. That was the moment the Show jumped the shark.
The acting on the whole was good. The antagonist did a very good job of portraying an unhinged person. The FL was bold and sassy and she really had fun with that. The ML was low key and conflicted. He feels out of sorts around the FL and is over protective. It worked well in the early stage of the Show but it does get a bit tiring towards the end.
I enjoyed most of the show and loved the spunky FL and the OTP's cute interactions but the weird misstep in the story telling did give me pause and took me out of immersion. The last episode is pretty much fan service. I can't rewatch the whole show but a highlight reel will not be a chore. Peace out.
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Team Alex
So like most of us, I'm here cause I fell in love with Pearl's spunky personality and beauty from the prequel Gameboys. She brings all the spice here as well and I loved it! I had an issue with the run around the story created but that's legit due to my own personal beliefs and feelings on relationships. Visuals all around and I think even straight people could learn something/enjoy this series lol I think the acting was better than the story itself but I'm glad the story wasn't anywhere near as basic as I had prepared myself for. This is definitely worth the watch and the ending was so much better than I expected. Enjoy...Was this review helpful to you?
It was nice, it made me cringed and almost made me puke due to the over endearing cuteness of these two...
All in all what I like about it is the story, somewhat believable if it was less dramatic but at the same time it was cute which didn't make me hate it.
I really wish they made it a real drama to make it longer because it was an amazing watch.
Another thing I liked is the natural skin ship of the main characters. It reminded me so much of Coffee Prince and the kisses, OMG how I love the kisses...not saying anything more but it was really good.
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I do agree that the two actors have incredible chemistry.... their kissing scenes were so good and probably the only good thing of the show. However, their acting... especially their dialogue delivery was quite awful. I could ignore it most of the time since I was reading subtitles anyway.
Well, since both actors didn’t do much dramas, there’s definitely room for improvement in their future projects.
The biggest disappointment was the story. It just didn’t make any sense. The first episode was actually good and I had expectations, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to it at all.
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Surprisingly good
Good series. I’m not a big fan of mini series (I.e, less than 30 minutes) but this was actually really good. The acting, the scenery, cinematography and wardrobe were all excellent for such a short series.Series definitely has some twist and turns which were executed well within the time. It revolves around a mystery affliction that affects people in a way that causes them to become violent. Before you run, it’s not to over the top. Most of the story revolves around relationships and finding the cure. Their action, some humor and swoon worthy moments. There was character growth that was portrayed so well in this series that I must commend the writer/directors. In series much longer, you may not see growth until the last episode but this didn’t drag.
It was short, sweet and worth the watch.
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A show that really makes you think
Good Old Days has a unique concept and pretty different from GMMTV's usual fare. I started late on this show, but, once I got going, it didn't take me long to get caught up. Certainly, some stories are stronger than others, but all of them captivated me in their own turn. While the show ties up loose ends by the end of the series, at the time, none of the stories really had a happy ending and that's alright. It makes the show more real and the characters more human.First of all, I appreciate shows with an anthology narrative. Each of the 6 stories exist on their own and yet are tied back to the running narrative of Hey's life as the shopkeeper. It's something GMMTV doesn't tackle very often, but they did an amazing job with this one. If I had to rank them I would put them in this order: 1)Bond and Relationships, 2) Road to Regret, 3) Memory of Happiness, 4) Love Wins, 5) Somewhere Only We Belong, 6) Our Soundtrack
However, the stories at the bottom aren't bad, just not as good the ones above them. This show tackles a lot of difficult (and dark) issues but in a very real way. The characters are forced to face these issues one way or another and they all have to sacrifice or lose something before they come out on the other side. None of these stories have a true happy ending, but rather a satisfactory ending. The objects in this show are also "stars" in their own way. It would be very easy for the object to just exist in the background of the story, following the characters, but all of the objects carry so much meaning and you feel that. In some stories, the object is the focus of the story and in others it fades into the background but in an ever present way. I never felt like I lost sight of the objects' importance and the weight they were carrying for both the characters and the story. It really captures the idea of that "every object has a soul."
With such a large cast, it's hard to address all the actors and actresses, but I think they all did an amazing job and gave great performances. I especially liked Krist and his role as the shopkeeper. His character development is very different because we don't see his story until the end, but up until that point he plays the role of omnipotent shopkeeper very well. In these types of shows, usually the shopkeeper is some old, worldly person, but the irony of Hey is he experiences the world through other people and yet that's how he able to understand people. I thought Krist did an excellent job capturing this essence of the character.
The only real disappointment I have with this show is they wrapped everything up so nicely. I don't know how extensive the source material for this show is, but I would watch a sequel series with new stories. Good Old Days is definitely worth a watch and is definitely a higher show than most. It's really a show that will make you think and reflect on life and how people face their problems.
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Engrossing series of a personal life and its trials. Kim Go Eun is gold.
Yumi's Cells series was definitely different, in a great way. I had to adjust to what they were doing with the animation. After episode one, it clicked. duh! lol. It made a lot of sense. Personally, I give the actress Kim Go-Eun a ton of credit for selling the emotions empathized by the cells. And I just finished seeing her "Little Women" about 17 days before. She's been good in most of the dramas I've watched with her. But in "Cells," her acting performance was stellar.Overall, I enjoyed the series. So many scenarios and scenes reminded me of my times when I was in my 20s. Good and not so good decisions, learning my way through life itself. Especially when it came to personal relationships.
Yumi's character's issues appeared self-produced at times. It all falls back to your inner core beliefs, your mental state, your self-esteem, and the core friendships and loves in your life. I'm trying not to reveal spoilers in this take, but there was one character that got on my nerves. That character's overly convenient appearances soon began to feel wedged. While I understand (a little) what they were trying to accomplish, I just feel that it began to dilute the great writing and story a little. I look forward to watching season 2.
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Slapstick Humor, Great Story, Great Acting, Abrupt Ending
This drama is a satire that pokes fun at what seemingly the most powerful figure of the land. In the story, the emperor feels that he is almost similar to a slave as all the decisions are made by others and his desires ignored; he has no freedom in doing anything he enjoys, going anywhere he wants, eating any food he loves. He has to obey everything his mother, the Empress Dowager, says and agree to his uncle who untiredly criticizes him and tries to claim the throne. Life is miserable in the palace, until one fateful day.The 17-year-old young emperor (Victor Qin) loves opera but his mother bans opera in the palace because she wants him to focus in his studies. One day, he accidentally finds a secret underground passage that leads to a theater house. He disguises himself as a kid looking for a job. The owner of the theater house, Bai Xiaoqing (Zhao Xiaotang), a fierce and mean lady who dresses in man’s clothing, takes him in. There, he meets his idol, the once famous opera singer Lan Ling (Meng Hetang) and becomes his assistant. There is also a cook who was once an assassin, a mediocre script composer who cannot even write a proper story and a fortune teller girl who uses talismans that always work the wrong way. Together they form the six idiots of the theater house and claim not to separate but always search own way out in times of trouble.
In the theater house, the emperor is being ordered to do all kinds of menial chores that he has never done before in his life. He is even ordered to taste suspicious food for poisons. To hide his real identity, he endures all abuses and happily complies to all demands, and quickly he learns to serve others. Victor Qin’s acting is fantastic – he can be as sorry looking as a nobody, and at the flip of a coin, turns into an esteemed emperor. Of course, he’s the smartest of the six but to stay low profile, he acts as silly as the others. Each character has a story and a "counting-the-eggs" dream with wild imaginations. Each episode tells a different story with a lesson to learn. Any trouble always resolves by itself through blind luck. And yet, lurking under, unseen dangers developed for the young emperor.
My Verdict
I have really enjoyed the story, the acting of all the characters, the jokes, the humor. It makes me laugh so hard in every episode. This feels like a live stage comedy, with dialogues that sound impromptu, yet every sentence rhymes. There are modern vibes inserted here and there with modern terms used in the dialogues. I love the play of homophones in the jokes. This is some really great script writing here. Each episode is preceded by a summary of the previous episode through a storyteller in the form of a narrative poetry. The recount poems are precise and funny. The camera work is good in capturing every expression and every emotion. My only disappointment is the abrupt ending of the story. There would be a season 2 that no one knows if it would ever be released.
Don’t be deceived by the few viewers on MDL. This is due to no proper English subs available at the time of the airing. This series is interesting and hilarious though it has no prominent actors. This is a great series to release stress as laughter is the best medicine. Don’t miss it.
Strongly recommended!
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Story : CUTE&SWEET;. These two words describe it the best. Its heart-warming and relates very well to people who hold little similarity with Sawako's character. Also it shows the bond of friendship that involves sacrifice, strength, togetherness, trust, love, belief against all odds.
It shows how a quiet person can be misunderstood because of their no efforts on socializing. And also cherry blossom trees play a very wonderful part in the movie.
Acting : I love Miura's character. He proves that he is best suited for the role of Kazehaya. So, if you're a BIG fan of Hamura Miura, he's all the reason why you should watch this. I really liked Yano-san and Yoshida-san as well and Sawako's sincerity towards them. Also a special mention on Sawako's parents who love her unconditionally because no matter how she was to the world, she was their precious jewel. :)
Music : I didn't really hear much of the soundtrack as the acting by everyone kept me happy at bay. But I'm sure, it'd be nice.
I watch it when I stumble upon it. Its a very light story and will make you smile. A very simple story, yet hooking. If my will could be forced on everyone who like Miura and this kind of genre, I'd make you watch it :P
Happy Watching :)
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