Personally, I found Yoon Sol's interest strange, but if you look at it lightly, if you don't actually take it serious, it's easy to brush aside. She has a very bubbly, energetic personality, although she's oblivious to many, many things - as your usual young female romance protagonist. Hae Young, her friendly and shy best friend, is just as charming as the male leads you find in this type of troop. The rest of the cast was okay.
There are many aspects to appreciate in this little web drama: even if the premise was weird, it's original; the drama is fun, entertaining, even if it can become frustrating since it was easily predictable; the attention paid to a certain side couple was interesting and fresh (and I wish they had done another couple's experience while they were at it) and... I have to say it... that kiss scene... I never care for those but I can't write a review without slow clapping that kissing scene. Best off 2020 so far (as if we're that far into 2020 lol).
(Sort of Spoilery part!) One thing that threw me off was Hae Young's character development. Although it did happen, and we did have key moments of said development shown to us, the way the writers closed off the narrative oh-so-neatly in the last episode left me with a bittersweet feeling. Other than that, the pacing was good.
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Ultimately flawed.
The show had good intentions, but ultimately flawed.With so many variables and ineffective challenges, there is no way they can say they found the absolute best physique or specimen out of all contestants.
In my opinion, it's not a show entirely focused on actually and accurately finding the perfect body.
Many good contestants and top athletes were eliminated too early without having the chance to showcase their true abilities, and also some developed injuries which also did not help.
The team challenges sets were incredible. And while were most exciting and fun to watch, did little to actually single out the best of the best. Rather I saw it as them wanting to slash down on contestants.
My biggest gripe was the final episode. So much momentum and excitement was built only to be letdown on the finale. Not because I didn't like the finalists, but I felt the challenges were lazily put together. I expected a lot more especially for the chance to win a quarter-million dollars.
Some, if not most of the games were just to create a wow-factor or to stir excitement, rather than set out to actually determine the best physique among contestants. If that were the case, there would be more one-on-one challenges.
It's a good watch to burn time and but I wouldn't take this show too seriously because there's just way too many variables and too many flaws.
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I Loved This Until I Didn't
Burnout Syndrome follows the same, formulaic sequence that all GMMTV series have: I love it (episode 1-5), okay, something is dipping (6-8) what am I watching for (9-10). Burnout Syndrome felt like this series that could be GMMTV's anomaly, and yet, it unfortunately was not. Some of the best performances I have seen out of all of these established actors, so it sucks that the story cannot say the same thing.Let's Dive In.
Let's get one thing straight; this is the best work I've seen out of Off and Gun. I was worried with Off's portrayal as the lonely and stoic Koh, but we see the very intricate details he placed into his character, and by the end, we see a dramatic disposition turned truly beautiful from him. Gun is Gun. Gun could literally never do anything bad. His performance as Jira is heartbreaking and poignant and I loved it dearly. Dew as a new comer (for me) surprised the hell out of me. I did not think I was going to go into this loving him and his character as much as I did. I was expecting him to be treated as a throw-off second love interest, and instead, they might've told his story the best.
The problem? This series ends with zero morals. Jira throughout this series rejects and criticizes Koh's utilization of AI. Even after his art is used like some lab rat for Koh's new technology, he still ends up with him. What. the. fuck. So what is the moral of the story? Deal with it? Deal with what's going on? Oh well?
If BL Thailand didn't have some stringent rules of pairings and couples, Jira and Pheem would've ended up together, no questions asked. While Pheem has his own list of problems, he's agitated with how much he cares for Jira, and is even more upset with himself that he let himself get so attached. He tries his best at helping Jira, and nothing works, less because of Jira, and more because Koh is the walking, living, breathing devil.
This worked so well because it felt so different than another other series, cinematography-wise, pacing, the story, the way intimacy through nudity and art is shown. And then they completely fumbled the ball in the end, which is just such a let down.
If I was rating the first half of this, I would've told you 10s across the board. I cannot believe that I didn't end up loving this like I was so sure that I would.
Rating:
Story: 7.5/10 - Excellent story, a new, intimate story we haven't seen out of GMMTV yet, but they completely ruined it by the end. The audio was also some of the worst that I've heard it be in a while.
Acting: 9/10 - Every one does beautiful, even Emi, even AJ.
Music: 6/10 - Didn't pay much attention to it.
Recommendation Value: 7/10 - I think the first half of this deserves every audience it can get. The second half, I have no words.
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Right from the cast that interacts nicely with history, balancing the impending tragedy with gentle humor and a quirky procession of quirky characters, the film features an impressive collection of characters and bold audacious performances.
Miyazawa is painfully fragile and unselfish, while Odagiri's wifey husband is nice. But who really shone was 11-year-old Sugisaki Ito as the most courageous young generation, taking on the pain and responsibility, while maintaining his youthful life.
Directed by Ryôta Nakano who made a dazzling script, it provides an emotional load of tears as the family history intertwines with humor and marked with multiple surprises.
The sound is solid, but the full surround effects seem to be lacking, in the scenarios part does not deserve to be.
Overall "Her Love Boils Bathwater" is cheerful and adds to every scene. A balanced film that deserves to be watched.
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Good drama
My ratings for the series out of ten:Recommended series: 10
Acting: 9.75
Directing: 9
Music: 10
Chemistry between the main characters: 10
Dialogues: 10 It was very meaningful, the series helped personal growth 🩵
✨️ It's worth watching again (I think I'll watch it many times)
Overall series rating 9.75 Highly recommended ✅️
It's one of those beautiful series that stays in your memories💘🌈 I laughed and cried with it and learned
It's a series that I eagerly waited for the new episode every day.
I liked the characters in the series, each of whom had their own story and you could relate to them.
The chemistry between the couple in the series was great.
I liked the process of the series
The dialogues were great and it showed personal growth, that is love, sacrifice, goodness, selflessness, and many good and bad truths...
⚘️ A memorable series that I love and will love ⚘️
Don't get tired of the series team for such a beautiful series 👏🏻
I will definitely watch this series again 🌸 because I will definitely miss it 😭
✅️Recommended series
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16 chapters would have been enough
This drama is nice and warm. Is very romantic and has a lot of cute moments. Main characters are endearing and they develop well. Also, the relationship is nice, there is no much drama regarding it; is very straight forward and not problematic. Music is good. The general aesthetic and styling are awesome. However... it's very slow paced and the plot feels like running in circles at times, because there are not many subplots, mainly in the second half. After they get together there is no much left to be told, but, it goes on... It was a little hard to finish for me, but it was still enjoyableWas this review helpful to you?
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It was pretty interesting.
For me it was really nice watch, the plot executed in a good way, there were quite a few plot twists...tho the ending was a bit different from what i expected.It was kind of a cliche from some aspects. Not just the ending but some parts of the felt that way.
Other than that, the background, acting, emotions, dialogues, were very well done. Shin Hye sun portrayed Han So ra very well, so well that it felt really.
And trigger warning,cuz there are some scenes with animal ab*se , so watch with caution.
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anyway, beside the ex's arc being a little frustrating, I really enjoyed the characters, especially Dain (that turned out to be ellie from www). and Jae Yeong who was 2nd guy's right hand man in Nokdu! he has a great voice, and he looks better in modern dramas ;p
the 2ndery couple were cute too, and the whole story was the type of noona romance I look for, it was undramatic and bright~
overall it was a nice slice of life fresh story. it kinda teaches you about letting go and moving on which gave it a feel of realness ;)
my rewatch values are either a 1 or 10, there's no inbetween~
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Is is a bird? Is it a plane? No, ITS A TOXIC ALERT!!
Although it was intended as the main storyline of this series, personally I wouldn't watch this drama for 2 main reasons:1. The toxic relationship between the male and female lead
2. The amount of 🤦 moments in the drama that kinda make you go huh?
Unfortunate to say, but I did finish this series only because I was hoping for it to pick itself up at the end but it didn't so it was relatively disappointing.
The utter tyrrany, manipulation, obsession, corruption and toxicity radiating from this series is just not healthy and it's definitely hard to preservere through the drama knowing that it's there in every episode.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend the drama if you're looking for a healthy and lovable one although, if this is your kind of trope, by all means, it's possible one of the best ones in that category.
Happy Binging!!
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I started seriously hoping to find an Lee Byung Hun film without the word Mature in the genre. I love mature stuff; especially with Lee Byung Hun. I know what you think. Stop right there!! But mature films cannot be recommended to everyone that's why.
Anyhow the story kept me on my toes, yes. It started getting slower so I thought they were going to ruin it but the twist was just shocking for me. And I loved it.
I wondered why they presented the couples' every day's life in a so detailed way but then I understood when everything fit its place.
Not your oh-my-god-how-I-could-have-lived-before-this-film work, but it's definitely worth watching. Watching Lee Byung Hun playing the psycho doesn't surprise me anymore but amazes me all the same. This guy is not your average actor. Lee Min Yeon did a great job here as well.
The ending soundtrack grabbed my heart but I couldn't find it anywhere.
I don't think I'll watch it again though it's good enough for that.
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A sweet, uplifting youth drama with a BIG heart
I'm surprised that there is no review of this drama. It was based on a 2017 film of the same name. It has been available to view for over 1 year. I suppose it is a sleeper for most people. That is a shame as it is surprising good.However, there is a couple of caveats. It is a idealistic youth drama and there is a lot of music and most of it traditional Chinese "folk" music. If you are not into this genre then you might want to skip this.
The drama was set in a school but not a typical high school, it was a music conservatory. The school was roughly divided into western classical music and traditional Chinese music streams. It was this division that formed the central plot.
The writer really went out of her way to give the standard school romance a twist. Everything were a little left of centre. With it being a "special" school, the characters were also more quirky. Most were nerdy and had strong personalities that departed from the typical mould. It made the show more interesting and unpredictable.
For example, where the FL and her roommate usually formed a clique, she was the odd one out here and she ended up forming a much stronger bond with four girls that were much quirkier. Those girls all had their unique personalities and solid backstories so that they are not the usual one dimensional BFF trope. If anything, they stole the show half the time.
Another curve ball the writer threw at us was the OTP pairing. At the start of the show we were introduced to the FL and her crush which was the handsome piano prodigy in her year. It sounded like the standard unrequited love plot, right? Well, you will be wrong. Her male BFF, who had a crush on the FL but still enabled her to chase after the piano god, became the ML and it was their budding romance that formed the basis of the OTP. Their relationship was very innocent and there was not a bit of skinship here. That was where the 2OTP came in.
The 2OTP was a more mature pairing and there were some nice skinship as their romance blossomed. This romance line was strong enough to be the main plot for most c-dramas but it was a little tropey. At least the angsty bits were handled with maturity. The 2ML was a popular c-drama star and his (the writer's) observations of the industry was quite insightful.
Of course, being a school drama, there was a lot of teenage angst and schoolyard shenanigans but nothing was over the top and even the darkest situation had a light at the end, there were also a good deal of humour and slapstick to keep things light most of the time. There were lots of positive messages, some might find it a bit preachy but I think it was ok within the drama's youth/school setting.
The writer did not leave everything in the land of the unicorns though. There were dark themes like bullying, parental pressures, self image, ageism and even death but they were all there for a reason and she used them to push forward more positive plot developments. I think it was a fair call to highlight the marginalisation of traditional Chinese music in the face of c/k/j-pop and western classical music.
As most of the actors were young, their performance can be a bit patchy but it was not a big issue. Some of the minor plots were a bit weak and cliché but they are just ripples in the overall dramascape. As someone who knew a little bit about music education, some of the plot device used were a little unrealistic but hey, it is dramaland so just keep the rose tinted glasses on a little longer.
The OST was great if you like Chinese music or even music in general. The band battle in episode 23 was definitely a highlight.
Kudos to the writer for giving us the feels but without making it too sugary. Words like heartfelt, warm, sweet, uplifting, cute, touching came to mind when watching this show. Was it realistic, no, I wish it was and the world would be a better place but when you watched it and maybe even rewatch it, you will feel these feelings again and again which is a shelter from our trying times. Highly recommended.
P.S. I finally watched the original movie (fast paced, fun and entertaining, BTW) and I have to say that this drama series was actually better. This should not be taken for granted as a lot of movie spin-off becomes a draggy mess. The writer kept most of the key scenes and the central theme but fleshed it out really well. The 2OTP love line was completely new. In fact, all the teacher roles were added. Several other supporting roles were new and, in hindsight, how wonderful they were. The old lady living across the practice room was a gem. Very nuanced and bridged the generations . The food delivery guy with a strong Cantonese accent was another. It is rare to hear any type of accent in a c-drama as they try to make everyone speak standard mandarin (it is understandable, a Ming dynasty assassin speaking with a Taiwanese accent will break any immersion) hence dubbing is everywhere and can be a bit of hit and miss. To hear someone who is different is refreshing but more importantly, it wasn't a wallflower role. His interaction with them was so sincere. The farewell scene was very touching and I bought it 100%. Where the movie was a great idea and well executed, the drama fleshed it out and gave it a heart. Yes, it might be padded with sentimental tosh but so is a hug from your grandma.
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The perfect tragic villain
First off: this series isn’t your “normal” villain story. Baek A Jin is portrayed in a way that makes you, at times, want to pity her.Careful though, they are not trying to make her the hero of this story. It is simply presented in a way that makes you occasionally find yourself rooting for her, because she is almost put into the role of a victim. That is very fitting, because in her world, she is the victim. She sees herself as the loser. At the same time, it is clearly shown that she is the villain , that she is evil and incapable of feeling compassion for anyone but herself. The series never excuses her actions, but it forces the viewer to sit with an uncomfortable question: how much empathy is too much when it comes to someone who causes real harm?
This is what I personally found most fascinating. The story is truly well written and executed. At times, you see her true self and can’t help but pity her: at other times, you are confronted with her completely psychopathic side, which sends shivers down your spine and makes you hate her. The series does an excellent job of playing with your emotions and actively evoking them. These conflicting feelings accompany you throughout the entire series. The pacing supports this emotional tension perfectly, allowing the story to breathe when it needs to and tightening when her true nature comes to the surface.
I can see how, for some people, this might feel too contradictory and therefore off-putting or even repellent. Personally, I really liked this aspect — it’s actually what made me like the series so much. What makes this series so compelling is not the question of whether Baek A Jin is evil, but how the story makes you emotionally engage with that evil.
These two clashing emotions, induced by the same character, are truly captivating. They show how complex human emotions are and that one feeling does not exclude the other. I also enjoyed this because it gave Baek A Jin real depth. Through this, she isn’t just a one-dimensional villain (though those can be fun as well), she is portrayed as a genuinely human character.
All the other aspects of the series were amazing too.
The acting was remarkable, all the actors did an outstanding job. The OST?! The sound design, loved it . The camerawork was superb as well.
Finally, I can only recommend this series to anyone who might be interested. Even after finishing the series, Baek A Jin stayed with me. Not because I sympathized with her, but because the story refuses to let you simplify her into something easy to forget. This is not a comfortable series, but it is a powerful one... it truly is one of the best series I have watched so far.
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When I was the most depressed
I am a Jisoo fan from day one but wont stop me from saying that this one was nearly a disappointing drama for me. The story is something that would have been interesting a decade ago. When you got an amazing cast at your service, the makers should have been a bit more productive. This series stands between mature and cliché. The dialogues were good and were executed brilliantly. There is no wrong in a complete melodrama format but it becomes a headache if you can't bring realistic aspects to it. Character portrayal like Yeji's aunt and Carrie was cringe at times. The father of the brothers was one to applaud.The saviours of the drama is indeed the cast. I liked Ha Seok vibrant acting. So bad that he is not used well. He could make any role. Im Soo Hyang is really the soul of this drama. There is something peculiar in her acting. Her way of dialogue delivery is a textbook to other actors.
Coming to Jisoo, been a fan of him since Angry Mom, and five years apart, he is still the sad boy. Dude just needs to change his agency.
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