This is gonna be controversial
So, I watched it a mere month ago and I already don't remember A LOT of things. I know a lot of people loved it, but imo the drama is just forgettable. There is nothing really that sticks out besides its truly stunning cinematography.I do remember appreciating the heavier plot, though. The characters are far more complicated than what I had seen in previous BLs. For that I give the plot an extra point.
I remember thinking the acting was alright, sometimes with awkward little moments, but nothing bad standing out.
Apparently though by my messages to a friend, i apparently thought the drama was heavily inspired by thai bls. At least I do remember the thai bls, though.
Overall more of a disppointment for me, because everyone kept talking about it and I had high expectatiobs.
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Kim Jae Won is one of my favorite actors and he doesn't disappoint. He is very charming as Eun Joong. He has a subtle way of eliciting emotions from the viewer for his character. Ki Tae Young was also really good as the other Eun Joong. His characters emotions are written all over his face which to me is a sign of a good actor. Jo Jae Hyeon as Ha Myung Geun and Park Sang Min as Jang Tae Ha were just excellent. Kim Hye Ri as Go Joo Ran/Jang Jo Ha's mom is too funny at times. Her interactions with the other actors are usually comedic even when she is trying to be manipulative and serious. The other actors are good also.
There is some decent music in this drama. The Position's "Last Love of My Life" really fit well with the drama theme.
I probably won't rewatch this.
If you like melodrama, then this is a good one...just a little slow.
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The actors are great, there were only few characters involved but acting wise, it was very well executed. I especially liked Iitoyo Marie's acting here.
For those who liked manga based school-romance drama this one will be perfect for you! Will definitely re-watch this again!
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Liar Game Reborn Special - Fukunaga VS Yokoya
14 people found this review helpful
The game itself is sufficient to mildly entertain you for an hour but it’s not up to Liar Game standards.
The main problem revolves around the question who’s going to take the lead now that Akiyama’s gone. In the first third of the special close attention is paid to Fukunaga, but later both protagonists are depicted the same, distant way, which let’s the question arise:
Why would I care?
With nobody to sympathise with left the tension drops quickly.
Actors/Characters: Yokoya doesn’t appear as mystical and especially reserved a character as in previous episodes as the entire special spotlights only upon him and Fukunaga.
Suzuki Kazuma acts well but keeps up a surreal feeling thanks to his unnatural white hair, x-ray eyes and choice of clothes.
Mushroom/Fukunaga is as crazy and cunning as ever and Kitamura Soichiro’s performance is satisfying.
Music: ¡Estupendo! The original Liar Game tracks are outstanding and magnetising as ever.
Rewatch value: None. Unless you are either having troubles following the story’s progress or enjoy watching the special from a different perspective.
To make it short: It’s an agreeable but unnecessary supplement that’s mildly entertaining but lacks the originality and cleverness of the original series starring Matsuda Shota.
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Story: The plot is pretty simple,or so it seems at first.A bunch of bored teenage delinquents playing a life-risking game in order to prove their courage.But,of course it's not just that.Behind the "clapping game" hides the desire of the students to prevail over their classmates,to gain a place in that depressing,cruel reality,showing us how fearful power can be and the dreadful consequences of it.In contrast to this,we are also shown the strange and fragile friendship amongst the boys,their doubts and decisions for their lives.It may be slow-paced at some parts but it's ideal for creating the atmosphere and our image of the characters.
Acting/Cast: In my opinion,they couldn't have picked better actors for this movie! Matsuda Ryuhei and especially Arai Hirofumi are just perfect for the roles of Kujo and Aoki-they brought to life such complex characters! The rest of the cast were very good too.
Music: The soundtrack truly completed the movie for me."Drop" at the end and also "Akage no Kelly" brings me back many memories of this beautiful movie!
Rewatch Value: This is also a 10/10.Rewatching "Blue Spring" is a must!Especially since many important parts/messages of the movie could be easily missed and you'll be left confused.Going back to study the characters and to understand their way of thinking will help you understand why things turned out the way they did.
Overall: "Blue Spring" is not flawless and there are some things that could be added (such as more background stories about the students)or explained better in order for the viewer to get a complete understanding of the situation.However,this could be the intention of the director-to get us thinking and if that was the case,I have to admit he succeeded for sure!The atmosphere was very fitting and artistic too-I really enjoyed everything.
An excellent movie but definitely NOT for everyone.
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This drama deserves its praise for a high production quality and intense action scenes (quite comparable to Hollywood i must say). Great castes and impeccable acting. High emotional and nerve wrecking scenes.
Its filled with complicated plot twists, that were really annoying and got me racking my brain. That only made the drama more intriguing and entertaining. I enjoyed it! The romantic scenes between the two leads were really funny and lovely, my face hurts from all the smiles I flashed anytime they bring up the romantic feels, but most of all top notched action scenes, that really got me tensed and kept me at the edge of my seat at all times.
For a drama being entirely pre-produced, i'm really mind blown. I mean Korea rarely take the risks of pre-produced dramas being aired, at the risk of not satisfying the viewers. But this drama is so so good.
The fight for justice and power in this drama is just so balanced, can't be explained in words.
I must credit the male lead too, NO ONE COULD HAVE DONE JUSTICE TO CHA DAL GEON'S CHARACTER LIKE LEE SEUNG GI DID! His acting was on another level, very much different from all Korean actors I have watched act, his emotions were right on point. Honestly, i became a big fan of him after seeing him act in this drama, he is such a good actor, I was so impressed.
This drama probably declined in its rating due to its ending and the minor setbacks it had while the airing kept being postponed, its not like dramas like this give the feels of a happy ending.
Overall, my word for this drama is PHENOMENAL! 9.8/10????
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This review may contain spoilers
Fun and thoughtful spy drama that deals with relationships
Likes1. Yes!! This felt like an actual spy drama and had similar vibes with My Secret Terrius. But this one is different because beyond the spy and action, there were a lot of discussions on love and marriage. Actually it is like a relationship drama under the guise of a spy drama.
2. I loved the 3 main leads. Jihun, Ahreum and Derek had so much chemistry together as a team and separately as couples. The stark contrast of the marriage between Jihun and Ahreum vs Derek and Ahreum were both so beautiful, i actually got confused who she will end up with. I was team Jihun but i wondered how they will get back together without Derek in the way. I liked how they resolved this.
3. The bromance between Jihun and Derek was also great. They both loved the same woman although they had different ways to show their love. Hated Derek's character at first but came to also like and pity him in the end. I hope he is having a good life like he wanted.
4. Although Jihun loved Ahreum he never crossed the line and waited until the time was right. They were too young when they got married but now they grew up, got to know each other more and found out thy actually worked well together. They looked like the korean Mr and Mrs Smith in the last episode. Really loved the acting of Eric in this drama.
4. Ahreum is one of the best female leads in 2020. She was smart and tough, yet feminine and compassionate. She fought Tinker and slashed his leg with a pair of scissors, she made a sweet deal with Kim Dong Ran and helped take down Helmes boss. I actually thought she would get out of the wedding dress business to be a full time agent in Jimin's team but being informant is way better!
5. Yonggu and Seora 🥰
Dislikes: The bad guys didn't get what they deserved.
Rating: 9/10
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The best Wuxia Drama since
The story line is amazing. It start of strong and how they meet was also very cute . Of course it is understandable that ML behave different, cause he need to grow and all of them are growing. All the cast did a great Job!!I have seen many dramas and I watch all of their previous acting Drama. I would like to say that all of them has improved a lot their Acting, especially Ju Jingyi. She really work hard and she deserve all the praises. Mao Xiao Hui did an amazing Job potraying a introvert SFL. I cant say anything bad about the cast, cause tehy are very hardworking in a cancelling industry that has very high standart.
I have heard the ost!!
I dont like How IQIYI treats KIKU!! She deserves an apologie and promotion for her hard work. No to mention all the cast, cause without promotion for this Drama, they did all the cast who work very hard dirty!!
Amazing work!!! The only Drama I finished in 2024!!!
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This review may contain spoilers
A not bad but very good drama
Admist the title, I know that it has its purpose.The first episode I've seen sets up the story very well. So far it provokes so many feelings and it's hard to truly find anything wrong with it so far. Lee Do Hyun is an amazing actor and is the main reason I am watching this, I find the man has no faults and is a pure soul, I support him in everything he does.. so this drama is the same for me. Although I won't be shy to point out its faults.
What I like about this drama is the setup, as that is all there is for the first episode. The characters are fully effected by the setup that has been done, and that leaves Lee Do Hyun's character, Kang Ho, resentful towards his mother for treating him harshly. There is no gaps as to why she treated him as such, she kept her husbands life work and wants more for her son. It is pretty straightforward but the acting is done so well that you don't need solid explanations that are in your face. So Kang Ho is incredibly resentful, and he fulfills her wishes, but there seems to be a twist. I like the cliffhangers at the end and its just interesting to me.
The characters are likable, but gladly they are human and have faults. Lee Mi Joo might be a sore spot for this drama, but she has her own backstory with her family that I hope she isn't fully put into a girlfriend spot, or someone that just liked Kang Ho. As of now they have had their time together, and I think she is a good friend to Kang Ho, who hasn't really got to make any friends of his own. She is interested in him because she was young and they shared the same birthday, sort of a hopeless romantic like they share some fate together. It is child-like, but I can see a more adult relationship between the two of them as the story really unfolds.
Unfortanely I am iffy about their relationship and the closure that comes to it. I don't like Mi Joo for lying about her kids not being his, I think he deserved to know. I think she is immature and their relationship is immature. I don't know Kang Ho that well other than himself being in his injured state. I think the drama spent too much time with him like that. I understood that it was to show him and his growth with his mother, but not a lot of that happened while his mind was all there and that frustrates me. The plot with the legal stuff moved too fast because of this. I liked the comedy, but at times I was feeling it was out of touch at times.
The revenge plot fell flat entirely, but I don't believe that is what this drama was going for.
With Kang Ho being left in the state he is after his accident, it is both touching and heartbreaking. The main selling point of this show is the mother and son relationship- I won’t pick it apart as I could for a while.. it’s just really good and wouldn’t be able to be that way with bad writing- and acting. So the acting is amazing (as expected). What I again see as a sore spot is Mi Joo and Kang Ho developing a romantic relationship. With things as they are I don’t see it being ok because Kang Ho is really underdeveloped mentally atm. I hope and pray to god it stays on the route it is going, that being mother and son relationship growth over any romance.
Again. What was there I wasn't too fond of.
Finishing up this drama I can confidently say that the highlight is the mother/son relationship. I also give the drama credit for going through with the storyline of Young Soon having cancer. Still I think it was dumb for that to come up, to me it was to give Kang Ho a reason to 'grow up'. I wanted to see them truly reconcile and see their relationship as mother and son more while he was an adult.
This drama did drag at times and there were unnecessary parts. It's no masterpiece or anything, but there are glimpses here and there.
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I really love ZLS and YY, they look good together and had great chemistry.
But i feel like the story doesn't do them justice. The genre is romance, but romance part took so long to surface. However when they got together they're unseparated. No useless dramatic break up or silly misunderstanding.
I also like how the female lead stayed strong from beginning to the end. That's really rare to see
Usually i don't enjoy political schemes/throne intrigues, but this one were done really well and i ended up liking it.
But the development of the story was kinda weird towards the ending. There's just too much time skip and death, which makes me had to rewatch the scenes several times to understand what's going on.
I feel like they're too focused on Prince Lanxi. I wish they also show the story of Princess Xiyun, rather than just squeeze her part of story in the last episodes.
The costumes and setting looks really eye pleasing.
The cinematography, and fighting scenes were choreographed nicely.
OST were good and it fits the drama.
All the casts portray their roles perfectly.
Overall
Who Rules The World is more of a political/wuxia drama with light romance. Which is actually not my cup of tea. But I'd definitely rewatching it for the leads.
If you like historical drama with more political schemes, I'll recommend you try this.
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Sometimes incoherent, huge plot holes esp towards the end, but for the most part pretty enjoyable.
For me at least. Episodes 10 & 11 really brought down this story for me. I feel like Never Let Me Go started out so strong but somewhere along the way it lost its way. It's like the writers lost interest and were just trying to finish it the soonest possible. It was pretty obvious because things started to make no sense. Character motivations sometimes felt out of nowhere and left people scratching their heads with their actions. Some characters were just a waste of space eg Ben and Chopper. Seriously, what was their point in this series? The villain was also laughable. The writers intent was to make him this scary, unstoppable force but in the end he just came out as a clown.Also, something happened with Phuwin and Ponds acting after episode 9. It was very flat and like neither of the two cared how bad their performance was. They just wanted to be done with it and that's that. That's one of the things that took me out of the series and made me lower the rating to 8.5 paired with the plot holes. Aside from that I feel like before they hit episode 10, they were really giving it their all and I was enjoying watching them portray more mature roles compared to their time in Fish Upon the Sky. The story and acting may have been up and down but something that wasn't was their chemistry. That's really what kept me coming back episode to episode. Luckily episode 12 felt like the beginning of the series again both in the acting department and the writing. I was satisfied with the way it ended.
Despite my huge problems with Never Let Me Go towards the end. I still pretty much enjoyed it and thanks to episodes 1-9 & 12 it's one of my favorites of the year. Due to the suspense, acting, chemistry and action aspects of the series. The filming locations were gorgeous. If we ever get another series like this, I hope the writers sit down and watch some of the mistakes they made with NVLMG and improve on them. Overall I give this an 8.5 and would recommend. Despite it's flaws it's still worth a watch.
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Aoi Ryosuke may have a devil’s curse, but he is terrified of his own abilities, while his counterpart Ryuzaki Shinji is a devil himself, with the gift of god. When they are brought together however, the game really begins.
From beginning to end, the mystery behind their powers drives the plot of the drama: just how much they know about each other and what are the implications of their gift. Is it a curse or blessing, or both, and how are they to be used? What is their purpose on this world? While a larger mythological background is hinted at, I actually appreciated how the drama focused more on the immediate repercussions. This isn’t a tale of gods and demons. It’s the story of two men who behind their powers are just as human as you or me. Their entanglement with Detective Hasebe gives this even more of a humanly-backing as she struggles to learn more about them - to trust or fear, protect or arrest.
“If I were able to change this world, would God be the only one who could allow that? If humans were able to hold God’s powers, would they be able to change the world?”
Thus begins the story as Ryuzaki stands overlooking a city drenched in rain. The camera pans down to reveal Aoi,as he walks into the nearest police station and turns himself in for murder:
“Coming here on my own makes the distinction, of what sort of person I, who has taken away that life, will become.”
The Dog of Orthros: The name comes from Greek mythology. Orthros was a two-headed dog beast (brother of the more famous 3-headed dog Cerberus), and minion to a giant. I'm sure other comparisons could be made between drama and myth, but there's not much known about the dog. Rather, it's more interesting to me that nowhere in the show does it say which man, the angel or the demon, is the actual beast. Both are just two parts of the same whole.
Not to ignore the drama’s political plotline (because, in this kind of scenario unfortunately one just has to exist), but that part was a little more on the predictable side of things – the only questionable outcome is which man, if either, would align with the greedy and power-hungry parties and politicians.
What was more subtly done I thought were many of the side characters, including Detective Hasebe’s young daughter (who often seemed to understand important things better even than her mother), and delinquent youth Kumakiri Masaru (Yaotome Hikaru).
Should you watch it?
I could barely turn away from this drama, and not even the political plotline bored me for more than a few minutes at a time. Like most Jdramas, the romance may be a tiny bit lacking, but the relationship between the three main players was anything but lacking in overall chemistry. The thriller/mystery aspects were also extremely well done (if not completely perfect) but enough that even knowing the outcome, I’d be likely to watch it again.
Read more (with pictures) on my blog:
http://shinealightrose.blogspot.com/2013/03/jdrama-review-orthros-no-inu-2009.html
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My biggest issue with this drama (apart from the fact that I’m not a fan of leads who act like jerks and who we’re supposed to find romantic rather than toxic) is that the story is all over the place. There’s a story-line involving the three brothers, with a mystery in the middle, which gets resolved halfway through and ends up going nowhere. There’s a story-line about the restaurant they have and trying to make it succeed while not selling out, and it also ends up going nowhere. There’s a story-line about the female lead’s quest for professional growth which ends up only serving the “romantic” story-line. There’s a backstory of a character to make them less two dimensional which also ends up going nowhere. All in all, it’s like every ingredient which could have turned this into less of a cliche and more innovative was pushed aside in the benefit of the overused story-line of the love triangle.
Out of all the characters, the only one I found memorable and whose performance I enjoyed enough was Nomura Shuhei’s Touma (the youngest sibling). He’s the only one I feel has a story arc which involves making personal changes, realizing mistakes and repairing damages he has caused. The rest, I can’t say much. It seemed Miura Shohei’s character was going towards a reasonable development and in the last few episodes his entire character turned 180° for the sake of the cliche romance. It seemed that Kiritani Mirei’s character had more substance to her than being the sweet main lead who tends to be too kind for her own good, but all about her drive and career seemed to just serve the cliche romance.
And Yamazaki Kento’s character deserves a paragraph on his own. He is the jerk male lead, the one we’ve seen at least 4 times this year: we saw him in Dean Fujioka’s Mamiya Hokuto in Happy Marriage, in his Kurosawa Ayumu in Please Love the Useless Me and in Shiraishi Shunya’s Uehara Hisashi in Good Morning Call. I really dislike this trope, I think it’s toxic as heck, but the rest of the dramas at least tried for me to feel for the guy. They intended to introduce a backstory (mostly tied in with family grief) in which I could say “oh, so this is why he’s a jerk”. It never worked, but they tried. Here, everything that happens to this character, all the troubles and external arcs to change him, happen in the timeline of the drama. There is no reason why he acts this way and he doesn’t change his attitude with anything that happens to him. He has that kind of extremely subtle character change which stans of him will call development but I call bad writing.
The reason why this drama isn’t my complete least favorite of the bunch is because it’s very nicely filmed and, mostly, decently performed. The shots were brilliant and they paid attention to detail, the cinematography was very enjoyable. There are some things in the story I found interesting, like the family mystery I mentioned, the somewhat complex way in which they tried to introduce the “ex girlfriend” cliche and the youngest brother’s character growth. But it doesn’t have enough to be different from the rest of the dramas with the same trope.
All in all, if this is a trope you enjoy and male leads being jerks is your thing, for some reason, this is a very well done one of those. If you’re looking for something innovative, different and devoid of love triangles, dates in aquariums, firework festivals being a “big romantic deal” and lots and lots of misunderstandings and “I hurt you because I want to protect you” scenes, there’s not much here for you. Except for an omelette with a burger inside, which is pretty good.
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