This review may contain spoilers
*TAKES DEEP BREATH*
Final Verdict:7.5 Stars out of 10.
-1 Star for insane pacing.
-1 Star for the 1000 over-the-top villains & their ridiculously over-the-top personalities.
-1/2 Star for the time skips(not one but TWO of them), which are a personal hate factor for me.
I wanted to love this show, my complaint would be the pacing. If they put a little moderation in everything this show would be beyond brilliant. Instead everything is a wee bit over the top.
Bad Guys:
Princess is a psycho.
Queen is a psycho.
Almost-married-to-Prince is a definite psycho.
New concubine/princess/whatever? Yup. Fo Shizzle a Psycho.
The characters are too "much" to be believable. On top of that the sheer number of almost-got-murderized-but-didn't traps is dizzying.
Got caught in a trap. Prison. Almost died but didn't. Got caught in a new trap next episode. Got beat THEN sent to prison and almost died a traitor but didn't. Next episode got caught in a trap in order to trap someone else in a trap and got beat and sent to prison and released again in the nick of time.
*TAKES DEEP BREATH*
Anywho... my personal opinion is that if there was some build up & story-telling in between these 100+ traps, some more in depth character building rather than Characters 1-10 = Psychos, Character 11 & 12 = Good Guys, & Characters 13 & 14 random wishy-washy peeps, then this show would be at my top 5 of all time in C-Drama land. For now, it's enjoyable to pass the time, but too fast paced & too over the top with its characters to quite become something super special. But I'm still going to watch and enjoy this show for sure.
ETA 02/19/19:
Soooo I've been cheating and watching the raw videos in advance. I'm pretty far in and pretty sad about how things are going since I'm not a fan of "time skips" because I don't feel they're ever done well. Hao Lan has two time skips. 8 years and the next one soon after another (at least) 8+ years. I'm not a fan and from what I'm watching it's a LOT of heart ache in the show constantly without much to "look forward to" as a viewer. I'm going to watch it in its entirety, but I can tell already this will not (unfortunately) be leaving a good taste in my mouth. I hate that because it has everything that SHOULD make it amazing... but the most important thing and that is believable pacing and viewers connection/investment to & in the characters.
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The VIPs ruined it
Typical death game story. too predictable. Can't help compare to Alice in Borderland which was way better.Likes: Lee Jung Jae was excellent. HoYeon Jung was a refreshing new face. Big name cameos. Design was stylish. Only 9 eps
Dislikes: THE VIPs. Worst voiceovers EVER. Completely ruined the drama
Next time, do us viewers a favor and set aside some of the budget to hire decent foreign actors so that your drama doesn't become stupid because of horrible acting. Thank you, that is all.
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This review may contain spoilers
It’s a Jackie Chan movie. And it’s a silly thing, sillier than usual, even for Jackie Chan. Seriously, there are CGI hyenas in it, I kid you not. But there’s also Yang Yang, so there is that, true. And, gosh, action stuff really suits Yang Yang. Like really. He looked and moved like a real soldier. But even though his character was a bodyguard, he sure was the damsel in distress in this movie. First, the heroine shot him with a tranquilizer by mistake in the middle of a fight so when he got her away from the bad guys, she had to take care of him and get him to safety because, well, he fell asleep. And then, when they were attacked again, he got hit over the head protecting her and they were both captured. And then, he got put into a bomb vest, just for the kidnappers’ kicks. So... yeah. I guess the filmmakers realized that Yang Yang suffered nicely. Or something.
Overall, the movie is nothing to write home about. There’s just way too much CGI. Even most of the car chases are CGI. And because of that, the most adrenaline fueled scene is the one where Vanguard comes to save Yang Yang’s character and the girl because that’s mostly genuine, old-fashioned action. Too bad, it could’ve been a good one. Oh well...
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this is a MUST WATCH! A simple but pure and enchanting story about -
a first young love that will melt you!Every time I think about this drama I just happy/sad squeal inside! This show had me staying up till 4am because I simply couldn't stop! Having to put down my absolute obsession into words is almost impossible. I am currently watching it for the 3rd time and get so sad every time it ends, it's that good!
I was blown away from the moment I started watching this, there was no drama, no fill-in scenes, amazing acting, and realistic circumstances. I was watching a full mature chinese drama that wasn't only 'okay' but was actually amazing, something I hadn't seen in a long time. I kept expecting for something weird or unnecessary to happen, but it never did.
The young actress absolutely charmed me, and I had a short struggle adapting to the 'older' version played by Lu Si, but fear not, for it didn't take long for me to fall in love with this new version of the FL and ugly cry for her and her love struggles. I have now become a passionate fan. The ML was enchanting and his portrayal of emotions really pulled me into the story - to say that I wished I was the FL in this drama would be an understatement.
The music really complemented the story and was tastefully implemented, although there were a few scenes which I thought could have gone without. The cast was good, specially the FL's parents and brother.
In short and without any exaggeration, please watch this drama. For your sake and for my happiness, gift yourself 24 hours of an absolute wonderful series that will not leave you disappointed. I hope you can feel my joy and glee for this drama through your screen into your heart. Be happy, watch Hidden Love!
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"And if german guys ask you 'DO YOU WANT A BEER?',sprinkle hot sauce on them! "
Aghh,so this is how a good kdrama felt like...MY FIRST perfect 10 THIS YEAR. After watching the first episode i already knew i was going to love the story and i deeply wished to not be disappointed after a couple of episodes (like many other dramas)
And i definitely wasn't. The characters are very deep and you slowly get to understand each one more as the story progresses. Each one of them have their own unique characteristics that i won't be able to forget. For example,Jennifer. She's now on my list of fav characters. There's not one character i didn't love,that's how amazing the cast was.
And the plot of this drama speaks out to you in many different levels. In both comical and serious tones,i laughed most of the time but man,the last episodes were hard to get through without crying. I even cried because it ended. It was an amazing ride that i won't forget.
Conclusion: It doesn't take long before you get hooked on to this show. It's my personal top drama of the year. 100% recommend
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+/- Plot:
Is anyone feeling the trend of reincarnation this season? I mean the two most competing shows (in my opinion) of Winter '16-'17 both had this weaved throughout their storylines. I love the idea of reincarnation and how our fates are continually interwoven, especially how romanticized it is in the KDramaWorld. I also liked the fantasy aspect of the drama with Jeon Ji Hyeon as a mermaid, I could see there was a lot of mermaid theorizing that went on behind the scenes and I appreciated that as I felt that it was a nice touch. As for the actual storyline, it's main focus was the romance of course, but they also tried to add an element of suspense/thriller at some points and I felt that was the additional route they wanted to take they should have had a bit more background on Ma Dae Young's character and why he had such grievances against the world. Although they slightly touched on this in one of the last few episodes I wasn't completely satisfied.
As for the romance and the light-hearted areas of the plot I thought they were well planned out and came full circle at the end. I will say that there were some pretty funny/cute moments that make the drama memorable.
+/- Acting/Cast:
Jeon Ji Hyeon is the reason I actually started watching this show. I think she is amazingly beautiful and innocently comedic, a rare combination to come across. I love how she's not afraid of putting her beautiful image on the line to pull out some comedy. She's slightly reminiscent of Mary Tyler Moore, which I greatly admire. Not only does she have beauty, she's also very talented as an actress in my opinion. Although her character wasn't too complex, I think she played it very well and it was fitting.
I'm sorry to say it but I'm not a fan of Lee Min Ho, there's just some aspects of his acting which I find subpar. It felt like he was crying every other episode, and not that I object to a man crying (he had just reason to), it's just that I didn't feel the conviction or the heart throughout the scenes. I probably would've been more moved if they didn't have so many scenes of him bawling his eyes out making his make-up splotchy. And when he performs his 'cutesy' romantic scenes he just doesn't make me swoon like other actors, it just doesn't feel genuine.
Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of the romance between Lee Min Ho and Jeon Ji Yeon. I felt that there was just something missing between the two, they didn't quite have the spark as some other small screen actors. I had much more favor for Ji Yeon and Soo Hyun in Love from Another Star.
As for the other characters, they did pretty well as a whole. I throughly enjoyed Lee Hee Joon and thought he played his part extremely well; he really kept me questioning him through the end. And Shin Won Ho was especially adorable throughout the show, although he didn't have many lines he still made me giddy with his smirks. (I admit, I was initially opposed to his ending, but I'll accept it since I wanted a happy ending for Cha Shi Ah too).
As for the bad guys, I will say that I was put off by Kang Seo Hee and Ma Dae Young, but I've had more burning hatred for other characters in different dramas before. They were fitting for the roles, however, I felt they could have taken it up a notch. And ultimately, I just felt sorry for Lee Ji Hoon's character. I wasn't in love with him, I just slightly felt for him and his circumstances. Sad to say on Lee Min Ho's part, but Ji Hoon's final moments in the show might have been one of the only times when I was even slightly close to tearing up.
+/- Music:
The music was decent, I mean there was nothing that stood out about it. I would say the only song that really stood out to me was Lee Sun Hee's track, which is because I'm a big fan of her. Other than that, there was nothing outstanding, but the OST did it's part in the drama.
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Great Acting, Great Writing
Don't let wild rumors about this being a propaganda to discourage you from watching. Otherwise you will miss such a good drama with great writing, presented by a great acting.Hirowareta Otoko is a slice-of-life, semi-fictional biography drama about Matsuo Satoru, the actor we see all over Jdramas but we don't bother to remember his name...LoL. In this drama we got to see his journey of becoming an actor as well as his psychological complex during childhood that later contributed to his sour relationship with his family members.
I don't know how good the original source material is, but the writing in this drama was presented in such an interesting way with many beautiful and smart dialogues. I liked how the writer used time jump and flashback effectively in the story telling without making viewers feel lost of the plot. The first half of the drama was full of comedy and coming of age naivety but be prepared for a more serious emotional ride in the second half if you ever choose to watch this.
The performance of the cast was another key factor that made this drama great. Nagano Taiga did an extraordinary job at portraying Matsuo Satoru in my opinion. We could clearly see that he gained few Kg of weight ahead of playing this role. He was versatile enough to easily changed from quirky to serious. As a main character he knows how to attract audiences sympathy.
Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, while doesn't get that many screen time really did well in conveying complex emotion of his mysterious character. He could have done better with his English conversation, but that's minor downside and we understand the difficulty of Japanese actors with foreign languages. I only wish they wrote a sentence that sounds more natural for a non-native speaker instead of "Cool American English" that can't be delivered (or understood).
Other actors also did well in carrying the whole drama and supporting the main character including the US cast. I would say the casting department really did a good job in this one If you're wondering about Ito Sairi, she did well too but her character was more of a supporting one than a main role (as oppose to what is stated in this MDL page).
All in all, Hirowareta Otoko was a wholesome drama that has the right amount of everything; laughter, anger, curiosity, sympathy, and sadness. It's about chasing happiness and self discovery with strong elements of family bonding and brotherhood as well as accepting one's fate whether it's good or bad. If you're looking for a slice of life drama with warm characters this is a must watch!!
About US propaganda mentioned by other reviewer.
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The following section may contain some spoilers
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Since this is a Jap-US joint production, there was an "American Arc" that's focusing on MC's stranded brother (Takeshi). Few US actors were added in the arc and it changed the feel of the drama a bit. I mean from Japan-mode to Western-mode overnight....yeah that kind of feeling. This could be a letdown for many viewers apart from the allegedly US propaganda thing that I will explain below.
However this arc wasn't as bad and still carrying important plot elements as MC got to learn the different side of his brother he didn't know before. He also got to solve the mystery surrounding his family for 15 years. The story of the kid (Sean) was also interesting and cute. It has more Japanese vibe than the western in my opinion.
And I DO NOT see Takeshi mentioning US as a peace place for diverse people as a PROPAGANDA. In fact it's an outdated concept of American Dream that's known by everyone already. Whether that dream is reality or just a dream is a subjective matter.
That statement by Takeshi was clearly his personal view and curiosity considering he was frustrated with their conservative Dad. Knowing that, Satoru candidly said "yeah you've found the place you're looking for". This could only be true in these brothers situation and does not apply to everyone. ...obviously!!
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Was It A Waste of Time? Yes.
Full disclosure: I actually really liked the first 8 episodes of this drama. I knew that it wasn’t the best thing out there and was fully aware of how dumb it was but still enjoyed it because of how entertaining it was.Until episode 11. For some reason all the joy and amusement I felt for this drama went out the door. I watched it as it aired but ended up dropping it for three months because of how annoyed I was. What exactly was I annoyed about? The plot, the FL, and the ML, SML, and (third male lead?). It’s pretty bad when you are more invested in the plot of two fourteen year olds, a minor character who owns a bar, the fourth male lead, and the FL’s mother. If it wasn’t for them (and the 2.5 speed button) I would of never finished this. I typically try to find the good in EVERY drama I watch because I understand that everyone has different tastes but this was atrocious. However, I’m not blaming the cast. The cast was wonderful in their roles as was the cinematography but the script was messy. I found myself wanting to reach through the screen to slap the every character besides the kids, dog, bar owner, fourth male lead, and the FL’s mother.
I feel so bad for the cast because obviously they have good acting chops but the characters they played and the script they were given was not good.
Anyways, I would have gave this drama a lower rating but I did enjoy like four characters + the OST which has a really beautiful cover of ‘Dreams’ by The Cranberries. Would I recommend this to anyone? No. Would I recommend this to people who like to hate watch dramas? 100%. It’s the perfect drama to hate watch if you are in a bad mood and want to yell at idiotic characters.
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Beautiful romance that is flawless - 10/10 recommend!
My God, I thought I’d seen the nicest man in the last drama I watched but now we have Jiaxu! He literally has no flaws!!This drama is a 10/10 for me, and I don’t give 10/10 easily! There was nothing wrong with it in my eyes. It’s so rich in chemistry between the leads. Get yourself a man who treats you the way Jiaxu treats Sang Zhi 🥰
I literally couldn’t hold back from smiling the whole way through.
I loved how Jiaxu fell in love with her over time; and when he knew for sure that she liked him 🤗 Ughhh I could gush about it for days!
I will admit that although I knew they would end up together, I couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit weirded out in the beginning. Especially because they had a younger actress playing young Sang Zhi meanwhile it was still the same actor playing Jiaxu. Btw, the young Sang Zhi looked about 10, not 14.
The brother is so funny although it was a dog move to hit Jiaxu.
I loved how Sang Zhi stood up to the crazy girl about it not being Jiaxu’s fault that her dad died.
It was the smoothest sailing romance that progressed in the sweetest way possible. The ending was also perfect! 10/10 - a must watch!
-E
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??????
Best couple. HL popularity speaks how best YuanLu Chemistry is. Its known internationally that it reached to the haters. Well, haters gonna hate but I so loved Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan.Congratulations Hidden Love and the cast, You all deserved the award!!!
Best couple. HL popularity speaks how best YuanLu Chemistry is. Its known internationally that it reached to the haters. Well, haters gonna hate but I so loved Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan.
Congratulations Hidden Love and the cast, You all deserved the award!!!
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Generally speaking, I liked the drama and the main lead actors but Ella's acting was a serious flaw since it can be overdone sometimes.
If you want to like this drama you have to stop comparing it to the 2007 japanese version; They may share the general story and characters but there are huge differences between them so watch this without previous expectations and you will love it; just feel the events like you've never watched the japanese version and you're going to fall for it.
However, the ending sucked: it's a warning for endings lovers, if you want to like this drama forget about its ending.
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My favorite Mr Gu drama
So far this is my favorite Mr Gu drama there is. I did watch 3 out of the 4 Mr Gu dramas and one is dropped and the other one is on hold (Miss crow and mr lizard). This drama is very simple in terms of story line but both main leads acting is amazing. Shen Yue has improved so much on her acting since Meteor Garden and Jasper is very sweet and caring so the chemistry for me is amazing.The female lead is very simple , there are no clumsy scenerios , no jealousy or acts likes shes dumb. Male lead makes his mistakes here and there but they dont become toxic behavior or too much to handle. Both of them make a good couple in the drama and I enjoy that alot. Plus in comparison to the korean version this drama wins by far. The lead is not abusive nor rude to the main lead which was a problem to me in the version. I think all sweet scenes between both leads gave an amazing warmth feeling and made me love them together in the drama.
Second lead couple
I love it , bodyguard/ chofer with love story with a rich not spoiled girl is amazing. The thing with all couples in this drama is that the issues they have are not dragged to 5 episodes but for atleast 1 or 2 which I love. I think the 3 couples in this drama acted well.
Probably the only issue I have is the second male lead which was annoying. I think his character or maybe his actions very unnecessary instead of him making some sort of tension he became very annoying and actually toxic. This drama is not real all scenerarios are pretty impossible but he is another level of crazy. Definetly no second lead syndrome
This drama is not out of this world but is a sweet short drama to watch just to get the feels of a good day.
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The first part had Yeon Woo Jin and he was simply amazing, I started that drama already crying, but it gets so good and the end was amazing and touching. I sincerely watched more for him than for her, but they made a cute couple and I liked the way she was willing to fix her mistakes to make him happy the way he did for her.
The third one had Bae Soo Bin and Han Seung Yeon and I loved this part, the girl was an amazing actress, even though the end made me cry, she has talent and I would love to see her acting again. This story was different, but it was so sweet, it could be seen as a one sided love, but we've our answer in the end and they made a cute couple.
The fifth part was only good because it’s impossible to hate Chang Wook falling in love and looking at the girl with those eyes, the way he looks, OMG, I’m starting a goal in life to find someone that looks at me like he looked at that girl, gahhh, he kills me. He made that last part watchable, because the girl's character was very annoying and stalkerish, she gets better in the last episode, but still made some things that made me want to beat her.
So, even though all parts were good, the 2# and 4# part didn't touch me that much, because of the main couple. The forth made me cry my eyes out because of her father, so he was good, but I didn’t care for the leads, the second part I didn’t love and didn’t hate, it was just there, but I really, really recommend the complete drama, with great male leads and great stories.
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In the foot steps of The Confidence, with a twist!
Having watched The Confidence in June 2022, I was happy that Unexpected Falling came out recently. The cast consisted of almost the same actors as The Confidence. Cai's performance was remarkable as she used alot of her facial muscles and eyes to speak her thoughts. Peng grew into his role to put up a good performance. He initially reminded me of Feng in The Confidence. I enjoyed watching their interactions as both of them had alot of lines with each other. I liked that they spoke their own lines while a few others had their voices dubbed. Peng and Cai have good voices. I also like the music and songs particularly the ending song sung by Cai and Peng. I found out that Cai did train as a singer in her early days. The older actors were all veterans and their performance did not disappoint. Sadly one of them had passed away during the production.Both The Confidence and Unexpected Falling have male leads that are imposters. But in Unexpected Falling, the male lead was hired to investigate the financial scam and eventually he unmasked his fake role as he loved the female lead who was kind and righteous. The male lead became himself to win the love of the female lead.
Although Unexpected Falling was not as thrilling as The Confidence, the drama also kept me thinking initially if the female lead was her dead husband's accomplice, if her best friend was sincere and if the make lead was a two timer. The story unfolded gradually without unanswered gaps. I liked that there were no long, repeated flash backs. In fact, the female lead's dead husband did not even have a face although his name was repeatedly brought up in the story. He was a lead character that had died. The director deliberately kept viewers in the dark about how he looked like. I think this is a first!
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