Completed
A Gentleman's Dignity
12 people found this review helpful
Apr 17, 2013
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
I enjoyed this drama, although it is different in many ways to a lot of the dramas I have watched before. This drama is based around 4 best friends who have reached their 40's, if you like dramas based around friendships then you will enjoy this. My favourite thing about this drama was the first 5 minutes of each episode has a little flashback kind of scene of what the boys got up to when they were young, this is a really unique thing, I haven't seen anything like this in other dramas. A thing I didn't like about this drama was the dilemmas often seemed little but lasted too long and then got resolved very quickly. I very much enjoyed the music! The actors were great, portrayed their characters well. If you are watching this as a CN Blue fan for Jonghyun, he is a main character but he's not in many scenes and if you're a Woo Bin fan he's in even fewer, but the scenes they are in are well worth the watch. This drama did have some serious aspects but it was a really fun drama to watch, made me laugh a lot!

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Completed
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God
12 people found this review helpful
Feb 16, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

still my favourite kdrama after 9 years and after my 9th rewatch

i could write a novel about how much i love goblin but all i will say is i just finished my 9th rewatch and i am surprised how despite knowing everything i still cried my eyes out watching the last two episodes. Truly such a tragic love story for our main and the second couple.
i find this show to be perfect in a way i cant describe it
1) the casting is 10/10 they found the best and most fitting actor for each role especially thanking them for giving us the best second couple ever (LDW and YIN chemistry is unmatched). gong yoo being the coolest mc to ever exist and kim go eun just being gorgeous and adorable as ever. despite the unique relationship they both played the roles so well i just fell in love. Also thank the staff for casting yook sungjae and introducing me to one of my favourite kpop bands btob and my fav idol actor.
2) the ost is unmatched i think its the best ost i have heard in a kdrama till day, its still so good and iconic and i always listen to it and reminisce about the drama and watching it for the first time when it was airing
3) acting and cinematography also perfection this drama is beautiful and like the way its shot the lighting plus the amazing acting there really were no flaws
4) the plot and writing 10/19 i felt no string was left untouched everything came together beautifully and i felt it wasnt rushed at all which is sadly rare for kdramas coz alot of them fumble the last episode. this drama had sucha. great story with the historic past to the funny yet satisfying end. the way all the chars tied in together just was so so well done and didnt feel forced at all.
5) the balance of all the genres was perfect like there was a good amount of humour and a good amount of romance for it to be a romcom but its also well done as a historical fantasy with the flashbacks and all. the tragedy was amazingly written too like it truly had me breaking down so many times. it really has everything for everyone

now ik people hate on the main couple due to age gap but i hope u can still give it a chance. once u watch it u will realise the type of love they have is mkre than just romantic love. i think the second couple showed that kind of love well, the tragic yet beautiful love story that transcends time, they were made to fall in love with each other no matter the lifetime. Our goblin couple seemed different it was more of a soulmate connection, destined to be together....tied by fate. i think this trope is often messed up in mangas. manhwas and dramas coz it can get weird with reincarnation but goblin does it well. their love is much more wholesome and pure i would say.

either way i hope u give it a chance, i still believe to this day goblin is a perfect kdrama and the best kdrama ever, i will probably continue rewatching it every year like i have till now

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Completed
Mr. Swimmer
12 people found this review helpful
Nov 23, 2018
46 of 46 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
The storyline was Lengthy I was waiting for when these episodes will end and its kind of boring that they were dragging the whole storyline as there is no ending of it. After reading details I was expecting that drama will be wowed blasting but it was okay. Rather than difficult plotting, they would have some simple Romance that would be great but according to the drama there was a lot of melodrama involved, whole family thing and then superstar's tantrum. I mean it's a drama it's not a circus that they are involving every single thing.

As for the acting, I really love lead actors' acting and Mike did his best but I don't know why I feel like his voice is not his voice is it's just someone backing it up.
As for Song Chacha character which is played by Ju Jing Yi was beautifully played and the essential points are you can say essential personality traits was shown very clearly that how song Chacha is and how she lives her life.
And the character Lan Tian which is played by Jerry Yan. This whole character was so much in hatred with other characters that I was like I can kill this person (Lan Tian) if he was alive but after a while, at the ending, everything was settling down because every drama or every romantic drama need to end as a happy ending.

and as for the music during the intense situations and scene music was played on the dot I was so much into the scene and because of the music I was overwhelming with my emotions and also it was like I was living that scene I was standing there. music does matter to the drama but because of the whole Lengthy and dragging thing I was irritated every time so I really didn't get through the music or you can say feel the music.

To be very honest I really don't want to talk to myself by Re-watching it again and again because according to me it's not that amazing.

For the overall review, I would like to say that I appreciate the acting and I appreciate the music (which I really don't know when I listen to it). As for the plot and the whole storyline I was little disappointed because I was expecting something more playful, fun, and romantic but it turned out to be a more melodramatic, disastrous, and family problem.

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Completed
Kiseki: Dear to Me
12 people found this review helpful
Nov 8, 2023
13 of 13 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10
I have mixed feelings regarding this series and Taiwan BL in general. I remember when HISTory aired, the very first series was called "Obessed", and everyone was talking about it. I checked it out and thought the story makes zero sense, but the actors were committed and showed us great make-out scenes. Many years later, not much changed.
This series' author also wrote Trapped and MODC, and again, I have the same criticism. There is only one explanation for the author's success I can come up with (some even call her the "queen of Taiwan BL"): She puts so much stuff into her stories, that there is something for everyone. You like a couple where one guy is much older? Check. You like a couple with unexpected top/bottom roles? Check. You're into student-teacher stories? Check. You like the tsundere type and the cold/stoic type? Check. You like big height differences? Check. You like the one being manly, and the other being cute? Check. You like mafia guys? Check. So I assume whoever reads this found at least two points they like. So go watch it!
Seriously, the author talks about stuff she doesn't know anything about. In Trapped those police officers behaved like children playing detective, now in Kiseki the mafia guys behave like children running a car repair shop and doing some street fights. The older mafia guys are sitting in the hot tub, looking dangerous and talking in a way that it sounds important. It's low budget, I know, but don't go there, if you're not capable of making it believable. The whole plot is a mess. Two young guys going to prison for 4 years is a good example of the weak wattpad-style storytelling. You could write a whole series about their experience in jail, but they brush over it, and they even get out in the same episode. Not much changed, as if they had seen each other just months ago.
Back to the same criticism I had regarding Trapped and MODC: There is no balance regarding the mood of the story. Kisekei had some very touching and serious moments, but then it gets incredible cheesy and corny. It's funny, and in the next moment it's tragic. The author apparently wants to evoke as many emotions in the viewer as possible. The result? It's a mess.
But not only the plot is a mess, the acting is too. Ai Di (Louis Chiang) is the only good actor, I would even say, he is the only "real" actor. What do I mean by that? He embodies the character wholeheartedly. Even if the character develops or changes over time, you still feel it's the same character. I have no issue with Chen Yi (Nat Chen) acting. He is doing a good job, and it's not uncommon that an actor reaches a new level when paired with someone talented. But still, it's obvious he isn't as good as Louis. Unfortunately, everyone else, from the younger guys to the older guys, is just here for the paycheck.
My final thoughts and rating? I love the 2nd couple, they are my guilty pleasure for many reasons. I hope those two get a new series, because I love their chemistry and acting. Everything else was forgettable. The main couple was too cheesy, and Taro Lin should really work on his acting. For me this was second hand embarrassment.
7 stars for the effort (they did some things right, and some scenes were beautifully filmed), but since I'm madly in love with Ai Di and Chen Yi I will give 8 stars.

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Completed
Reflection of You
12 people found this review helpful
Dec 4, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 6.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Most Frustrating kdrama that I have ever watched - a story of how NOT to get revenge

I will first start off with a warning that this drama is EXTREMELY slow-paced and repetitive , especially in the first 10 episodes. There are points where the story is seriously dragged out and with the same things happening over and over again. This drama was advertised as being based on a book, but I did some googling and discovered that it was based on a short story and not an entire book (the short story collection is also called reflection of you) which honestly explains why the story is so dragged out - there simply isn't enough content to last 16 episodes!

Aside from the plodding pace, almost all characters in the drama are portrayed as unlikeable, unsympathetic, with virtually ZERO redeeming qualities. Even the kids. Everyone is so bad that I felt myself rooting for the affair couple in the show... which is making me reflecting on my own morals right now lol. This drama has a very typical makjang plot centered around the theme of extramarital affairs, betrayal, love... you get the idea. Nothing groundbreaking. Except the woman who got cheated on (Gu Hae Won) is the most unlikeable person EVER. Even worse than the "third party" Jeong Hui Ju. Why? Because our introduction to Hae Won is where we see her while working as an art teacher, slap the shit out of Hui Ju's daughters Lisa who happens to be a student in Hae Won's class. It is later revealed that Hae Won being an art teacher at Lisa's school isn't a coincidence at all, and her main reason for slapping Lisa was to kickstart her revenge plans and punish Hui Ju for having an "affair" with her husband. It's hard to retain any ounce of sympathy for a woman who decides to viciously assault one of her students just because of a past transgression by said student's mother, and when viewers did not even know about the supposed "affair" at the point of the assault. Haewon also does other scummy stuff like manipulate one of her student's deadbeat dad into kidnapping Hui Ju's other kid, resulting in prison time for deadbeat dad. She also manipulates said student into taking secret videos of Hui Ju's husband and Lisa. Compared to this, Hui Ju is a saint, whose only crime (not counting her actions in the last ep) was just being an unfaithful spouse and a terrible friend who just wanted to have a live in boytoy while enjoying the perks of being a chaebol wife in peace (LMAO)

The reason why "third party" and "affair" are in quotation marks is simply because the show doesn't adequately explain Hae won's relationship and her husband (Seo Woo Jae). They were described as getting married for the sake of obtaining a visa. Hae Won addresses him as "sunbae" throughout the show and there were no scenes of where he treated her as anything more than a friend. She on the other hand, is obsessed with him, if anything, it was an unrequited love relationship on her part. So how does one feel sympathy for a woman who is supposedly being "cheated" on when she isn't technically in a relationship in the first place? Though to be fair, Hae Won did mention rather obliquely about possibly having a miscarriage after Woo Jae went to live in Ireland with Hui Ju, which brings me to my next point of critique: WHY DO ALL THE CHARACTERS NEED TO SPEAK IN SUCH A CRYPTIC WAY?????

When Hae Won first starts harassing Hui Ju, she goes on and on about Hui Ju needing to apologize yada yada without actually saying WHAT exactly she wants an apology for. Of course, at the start the show needs to build suspense and wouldn't reveal all the events that happened but COME ON. This dragged on till literally episode 10 at least. She/Hui Ju refuses to speak about the affair when it's plain as day she is referring to it. They dance around the topic, talking in circles about forgiveness, being wrong...waxing poetic about pain and suffering like they were philosophizing about the root of mankind's suffering when the crux of the issue is just one woman stealing the other woman's husband. This really boggles my mind. If Hui Ju was actually sorry she would have apologized YEARS ago, not now. And if she was actually a decent person she wouldn't have had an affair right? So what's the point of all these apologizing bullshit? Seriously. And Hae Won had evidence of their infidelity too. She could have gone public and ruined Hui Ju's reputation and career as a high profile artist but no...her solution is to stalk Hui Ju CONSTANTLY, make cryptic comments, ingratiate herself with Hui Ju's friends/family for some reason and lastly...reintroduce an amnesiac Woo Jae to Hui Ju JUST SO HE CAN CHEAT ON HER WITH HUI JU AGAIN.

To add to the frustration, all these long winded conversations occur when the characters (Haewon, Hui ju, Hui ju's husband, woo jae) "unexpectedly" run into each other. The frequency of these run-ins make it seem like they are living in a small town with a population of 500 people instead of metropolitan Seoul. Because what in the world???? Yes it's a show but it doesn't mean all logic flies out of the window. The frequency of these run ins drop off after episode 11 but no, the frustration does not end. Because Hae Won still miraculously retains the ability to be in HJ's proximity at any critical juncture, especially in the last episode. With superpowers like that, who needs revenge plans? She should have just straight up teleported to Hui Ju and just murdered her.

Plot critiques aside, the only bright spots in this drama are the acting, cinematography and OST. Shin Hyun Bin is excellent as a self-righteous mentally deranged/traumatized woman and Go Hyung Jung is excellent at portraying a repressed chaebol wife who shows no remorse for her infidelity. The OST is sublime and while I won't rewatch this show, I will definitely be replaying the OSTs.

TLDR: woman gets cheated on and decides to get revenge in the most ridiculous way possible. watch world of the married for more satisfying revenge plots instead.

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Completed
Renai Shindan
12 people found this review helpful
by aros
Aug 23, 2012
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
I've only watched Story 1 (episodes 1-3, the BL story), though I've heard that Story 3 (the GL story) is about the same as Story 1 rating wise.

My favorite part of the drama was actually the music, namely the ending song. The acting was alright and the overall story was about the same. It's nice if you enjoy a casual BL story, but if you're looking for an amazing BL drama.. this is not it.

If you're bored and can't find anything else to watch, it's a somewhat-okay drama, but that's about it.
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Completed
My Magic Prophecy
12 people found this review helpful
Nov 2, 2025
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

MDL Ratings is WAY Too High

This had such a high rating that I was excited to jump in and see what MMP was all about. This was 13th on my list of the most anticipated GMMTV series of 2025, out of 17 series (BL-oriented only). While not bad, this is also not 8.7 rating good. Like most GMMTV plots, the beginning is immaculate while the rest falls into the same cruel and repetitive arcs. The only saving factor is the fact that Jimmy and Sea do have incredible chemistry.

Let's Dive In.

This is definitely a story that was genuine and unique in nature. A fortune teller/psychic can see the coming death of his best friend's brother and predicts that someone is out to kill him. Because of it, they are forced into close proximity (one of my favorite tropes) until the threat is seized. Meanwhile, you have a cop trying to investigate the sudden crimes happening at the hospital, who ends up rekindling his complicated relationship with an old best friend. It sounds good. It was good up until a certain point. Usually for me, that's at about episode 6 or 7. This definitely could've been shortened into 8 episodes if they took out half of the cheap writing of a minor miscommunication and whatever the fuck that side couple was suppose to give us.

I only tolerated this because of Jimmy and Sea. They seriously have such a fun and energetic way of telling their stories. But even with that, I was bored once they have pretty much sufficed their relationship. One thing they have in the bag is being physical, and they do that very well (Sea, the man you are when shirtless, my goodness). I loved the dynamic they played in this, I love how natural and organic their dialogue is, and just to see how much they've grown since Vice Versa. They are also both very good actors, and can cry !! How nice is that !

The side couple was so bad. I don't think I've seen a side couple in a GMMTV series that I've just not liked even a little bit. They had zero chemistry, they quite literally gave us nothing. Please don't ever put Save and Franc on my screen again until they've gone to at least 20 more workshops, my goodness.

The whole story around "who is trying to kill Thap?" was so anticlimactic and predictable, I was laughing my ass off when they revealed it was First's character, like no fucking durp. I would've loved a little twist, something we didn't see coming.

I love me a good village love story, and Khaohom was the cutest thing. I also learned a lot about tarot cards and how readings work as someone who is pretty skeptical about that type of thing, so I think that was cool too.

Probably my favorite scene out of the entire series is the last 5 or so minutes of the final episode. It was just them being genuine and adorable, and they really are just great friends that get to kiss for a living.

I think what's screwing up the MDL rating is the concept of virality and trending. I've learned in recent days that in order for a series to perform well in the eyes of the higher ups in BL companies, there must be a certain percentage or number of how much a couple is talked about to based their probability of getting another series. That is mostly for social media, but I would also think that MDL plays a big role too, internationally. But let's be honest, the MDL ratings have never been very accurate of a series, but I feel like it for real isn't accurate anymore. This is no hate to people that genuinely loved this, this is no hate to JimmySea or the people behind this series, but this should be a 7.8-8.2 at best. What happens is that you have fans that will rate a series 10 out of 10 for every aspect, and if enough people do that, it raises the importance and hype around it. Well, I have learned my lesson, i need to stay away from MDL ratings, period, lol.

Ratings:

Story: 6.5/10 - Good at the beginning, then completely dwindles in the end. The side couple was complete trash and really ruins the story score for me.

Acting: 8.5/10 - JimmySea ate, and their growth as actors has been so nice to see. I didn't hate Save and Franc's acting, but they definitely have a long way to go.

Music: 6/10 - Sea can sing ! Still skipped it, but like, I noticed it.

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - I think this is the perfect BL to start out with for first time watchers. It's cute, the stakes are high, yet still pretty low, and it ends happily ever after. Also, Sea is shirtless enough times in this for me to think about a rewatch, for sure.

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Completed
Hidden Agenda
12 people found this review helpful
Nov 18, 2025
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Very Surprised

I love J & D, so i went into this wanting some cute fluff, but i have to say it was better than anticipated.
Very nuanced, lots of issues & topics covered, like internalized homophobia, bias, self awareness, great communication (eventually), say what!!!??
But as usual in BL, we have a great ramp up and then it drags a wee bit at the finish line, and both MMC's had fam misunderstandings, but on the whole if you love our boys, and let's face, so pretty to look at, then go for it.

Plus added AouBoom bonus, and Boom broke my heart with his acting, needed all the hugs.

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Completed
Lost Romance
12 people found this review helpful
by Let
Oct 23, 2020
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

The best Taiwanese drama of 2020

At first I started watching this drama, because some aspects of the story reminded me of W: Two Worlds and Extraordinary You.

I found the first episode a little tedious, but the following episodes stuck me in the story and since then I was looking forward to the next episodes.

I admit that I liked the story better when it happened in the book, because the plot in the real world, for me, was a little tedious

About the characters, I loved the female lead and the way she made fun of the romantic cliché stories. This role was made for Vivian Sung and I loved her in this role.
The first lead irritated me at times and until halfway through the drama I shipped the protagonist with the second lead.

Speaking of the second lead, he was one of the best characters in this drama, I loved his attitudes and I loved the ending that the story gave him.

Now for sure the character that I hated the most in this drama was Chuchu, at first she was very annoying and then when she started to become friends with the female lead I even started to like her, but I hated the way that the story turned her into a villain, I think it would be much better to leave her as a friend of the principal, without creating an unnecessary female rivalry.

In summary, this is a very cute and romantic drama that will surely bring you some good laughs and you will be addicted to the story and hope that the couple will be together soon.

The ost of this drama is also perfect and for sure many songs will stay in your head and you will probably want to put them in your playlist

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Completed
Baby & I
12 people found this review helpful
Apr 18, 2013
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
the story and acting was good, the technicalities were not. some things were just off especially the baby's voice, it was so annoying and trying to be funny dint work. also clearly the female teacher not only had a wig but the wig was wrong and horrible. those are just the little problems that bothered me otherwise prince jang was awsome as always. the airport scene is a tearjerker. i liked the girl too and wanted more from her. this wasnt a 10 or 9 it was just ok
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Completed
Ti Amo Chocolate
12 people found this review helpful
May 10, 2013
80 of 80 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Tiamo Chocolate makes you want to become addicted to chocolate (if you aren't already) and transform into their family.
I must admit that I got into this story because I thought it was a Taiwanese version to Coffee Prince. I am not the biggest Korean drama fan, but I love Coffee Prince. Besides the real Taiwanese version of Coffee Prince is horrible. The story starts off similar to Coffee Prince where Fang Jia Hua leaves the house because he hates his father and tries to buy a chocolate shop. Alas someone else wants it as well (Ge Jia Yi) so they have a contest to see who will get the shop. Jia Hua lose the contest and begins working in the chocolate shop. Hong XI En is a skilled worker who needed another job to help her family and decides to pretend to be a boy and work for the chocolate shop.
Once I started watching the story I felt there is no way the can make 80 episodes off of this alone, but I was proven wrong. Like I explained before this show seems similar to Coffee Prince, but it is not at all. To avoid spoiling the show I will just say things happen at a faster paste for the love interest of Jia Hua and Xi En, there is another romantic story between the Xi En younger sister and Zheng Ting, and the people who are trying to break the happy couple up are more cunning ( and crazy in the head). It is a different story all together and you grow to love the chocolate shop and its characters. The only problem I had with it is the fact that the love story between Xi En younger sister and Zheng Ting is more interesting then the main love story. At least in my opinion.
The characters are amazing! Xi En is very stubborn, headstrong, and independent. She is the ideal lead. Jia Hua is a guy who despite his background is not a spoiled brat and actually has compassion. Zheng Ting is the sexy bad boy and Xi En younger sister is the airhead (there is always an airhead in these shows). The only characters I struggled to like is Jia Rui (younger brother of Jia Hua) that is afraid to do anything to get the love of his life and Zheng Jun( younger sister of Zheng Ting) who would do anything(in a scary way) to get the love of her life.
The acting of course was awesome especially Vaness Wu and Dou Bobby. The music was repititive, but it played at appropriate times. Overall, I loved this show and I would watch it again.

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Completed
Princess Jellyfish
12 people found this review helpful
Nov 16, 2015
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Watching this movie was like opening a plastic wrap with a bunch of gummy bears. It was sweet, colorful and full of fun.

The movie may seem nonsensical or rather another "Make Over" concept at first, but gradually, the fun starts when the cross dressing male lead Koibuchi Kuranosuke gets more involved with the female lead Kurashita Tsukimi and her housemates. I think that's where the story line actually picks up. Kuragehime may not have a great romance aspect into it, but it does give hints as to whom the character's heart actually belongs to. The portrayal of an Otaku in this film is also quite a bit over rated to my taste but then there's Kuranosuke who by the way is trying to hide the fact that he is a male cross dressing as a female so as not to be hated by Tuskimi's housemates who thinks he is a girl... so that actually became a redeemer factor for me. The story revolves around this simple story line made complicated by the characters themselves. Though there may be additional conflict inserts along the plot line, it didn't give much impact to the over all feel of the film.

Acting wise, I really enjoyed the fact that the main lead is comfortable wearing female clothes and actually looks good in it. Compared to other cross dressed actors I've seen, Suda Masaki nailed his role, he never once looked like he was a trying-hard-wannabe-cross-dresser. It was fun watching him punch the air in excitement, dress up Mitzuki in pretty clothes and walk like a model while speaking in a male voice. The way he acted spelled FUN all over the place. Then there's our female lead, Mitzuki. Nounen Rena who portrayed this character (with her glasses on) looked so much like Aoi Miyazaki from the Movie - Tada Kimi Wo Aishiteru. Sorry, I had to insert that because I really found the resemblance quite astounding! Aside from that detail, I found myself liking her character. It wasn't as strong as the male lead, but it was cute enough to compliment Masaki along the way.

As for the other supporting actresses, I found each characters lovable: Banba (afro girl), Mayaya (Bangs Girl), Chieko (Doll Girl) and Jiji (Old Man lover girl). The person who caught my attention though was the afro girl. I really find her fetish for trains a bit odd, but her other skills like photography, having a keen eye, attention to details... those things made her really interesting. Oh! Her BIG Afro wig was a big plus too. Aside from these girls, I will have to insert Kuranosuke's brother - Shu Koibuchi and his ever faithful driver Yoshio Hanamori (played by my favorite Mokomichi Hayami-san!!!). Their tandem in this movie is funny, despite the over-acting in their part, I still find the slapstick comedy funny.

Music wise, I find it endearing and catchy, it also made me check out the band which was SEKAI NO OWARI. Ironically upon listening to their music they have the same feel as the American Band: Owl City, and when I did my research they already had a show together! That piece of information was really awesome. Another trivia about SEKAI NO OWARI, they are also the same band who sang the OST for Attack on Titans (but it's such a shame the movie wasn't up to my expections).

Over all, this will be worth your time if your mood is into a feel-good-funny movie with bits and pieces about Otakus, Gender Bender and Fashion.

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Ongoing 36/36
The Lady in Butcher's House
12 people found this review helpful
by bibi
Apr 12, 2022
36 of 36 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Are you kidding me? Give this drama a better rating c'mon!

I absolutely had to write a review because the rating is unfair. This is an amazing drama, great writing, direction and cast. This deals with social issues like feminism, class, inequality but also love, marriage and personal growth.

What most people will love about this drama is the character development. The MCs are written beautifully, they're complex unconventional characters that have layers. ML is adorable, sweet and caring and not afraid to change his mind when he's unsure. He makes mistakes and is insecure at times, but he always has a goal and strong values. FL has a tough exterior to protect herself in a world where women are still property. Some watchers will give up on her too early instead of understanding her hardships. But when she loves she loves hard and will be a ride or die. The rest of the cast is just as detailed. This is the kind of drama that leaves you feeling really close with characters because they felt real.

This is also without a doubt a romcom, but not a dumb one. Its funny but still has some intrigue and the problems get resolved quickly. What I appreciated the most about the writing is how every new character and event intertwines and leads somewhere. There's no nonsense or holes.

Overall, I feel like the only people who will dislike this are the ones who will give up on it too early or were expecting something else. Because for what it is (cute romcom with unconventional characters) this is great.

Giving this a 10 because this is well above average and is up there in quality when it comes to cdramas.

(Also the set design is rich and has variety (big budget))

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Completed
A League of Nobleman
12 people found this review helpful
Feb 4, 2023
29 of 29 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Historical Mystery Detective Bromance

Finally this was released in 2023! There's been plenty of CDramas held up for whatever reasons and glad this one made it out alive. I saw the trailer for this last year and it seemed good which floated up to the top of the watch list. It looked like a high quality mystery detective drama coupled with a serious darker storyline. I hate getting excited about the trailer and then being disappointed once I start watching the drama.

So far it has lived up to expectations. The first few episodes really started to pick up with the mystery of the first ML who is the Minister of Rites. The other ML is entangled in the intrigue as a scholar amateur detective trying to figure out the murder of a member in the acting troupe. Imperial palace politics are weaved in, the empress does a good job carrying her role as the one who is in charge and with the power. The cinematography is excellent and high quality, attention was paid to the details of the costumes and settings, and the details within the story have been developed pretty well. As each clue is being discovered by Zhang Ping, it feels like the story tellers are carefully unwinding the puzzles of the case for the viewers as it is being solved by the amateur detective. Are there a few situations where it is a bit far fetched? Yes but the positives of the show outweigh those.

The ML played by Jing Boran, the Minister of Rites acted pretty well in his part, an official who is a son of a traitor embroiled in intrigue due to his desire to solve the mystery of his past but has to hide and be deceiving of his true intentions. The other ML is the amateur detective played by Song Weilong. He is so-so in his role. I have seen him in other dramas, I found him to to be on the stiffer side and not quite on point with his acting abilities in his roles. A fair number of viewers find him eye catching in the eye candy department and he doesn't disappoint in that area.

No M/F romance so far and not really expecting it. There isn't too much action involving martial arts, the heavy hitting part of the drama relies on the detective storyline with cases that are investigated and the developing bro-love between the MLs and other SML characters in a male centric drama.

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Completed
Majo Saiban
11 people found this review helpful
by catnip
Feb 29, 2012
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Overall - for lovers of such genre it should be almost a must watch (or at least "give it a try and decide then") material, for the ones that are not fond of the suspense - most probably you will not like it, but once again that plays to the drama's strength, as it concentrates on the plot and idea rather than on the usual fanservice value or chasing ratings.

A bit in more detail: I think the best thing about this drama was that you truly did not know whether the "witch" was guilty or not until the very end. Of course, the cute and honest character played by curly haired Toma Ikuta did help a lot (I even had made myself orange T-shirt with writing "THINK TWICE"), but that truly was only a bonus to the original and well executed plot of the story. As for the acting, there were no cases of overdone or underdone acting and expressing emotions, which, unfortunately, I have seen in Japanese dramas for a few times, especially when it comes to expressing intensity. I think it might have been also the first time when I thought about Ikuta as a talented actor in serious plots as well, and not only in such characters as from Hana Kimi.


The only thing I really did not like in this drama, and I did not like it very strongly was the arguments of the lawyers. They were too brief, too simple and even I could see many flaws in them, as well as in the too emotional arguing of the lawyers themselves (take notice that I have characters in mind and not the acting). On the other hand, most probably this could be written off to the fact that supposedly such system of courts in Japan had been only introduced (in the plot) and therefore the lawyers and/or the judges might not have clearly comprehended of how it should be executed as professionally as I would have liked to see.

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