Reviews

Rushed, but still highly entertaining

Sep 2024
I love the Sweet Home trilogy and whilst S1 is still my favourite, the 3 combined make for gripping viewing.
As much blood and gore as in S1&2, but far fewer monsters, as this final instalment focuses on the main characters that survived S2, together with a slight twist to the story.
Song Kang is brilliant in this, to my mind. He doesn't overplay the part, but exudes a kind of power and always gave me the feeling there was something more to his monster side.
Further characters lost in S2 are swiftly replaced by the fast moving storyline... a little too fast at times.
There are several surprises, but a couple could get lost in clarity and importance, if not getting enough concentration.
Couple of totally bizarre storylines as well... one being the little boy from S1, which definitely had me scratching my head.
The final scenes were a bit weird and in one instance for me, slightly disappointing, but at the same time not without emotion.
I might give it a break and then watch the whole thing (S1-3) from start to finish.
I really hate these stupid season breaks Netflix and other Western production companies, inflict on us. Really spoils the flow and when the gap between is ridiculously long, the story definitely suffers. Cramming the story's conclusion into the final 2 episodes, doesn't help either.
Having said that, I loved the cast, the premise and with how my imagination carried the conclusion forward, what I perceive as the intention behind the ending too.

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Sweet B*thcy Life

A testament that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

Its a story of two guys, both living alone and finding comfort in ach other through good food. One is an awkward cutie college student and one is a suave police officer.

What i liked about it is it's sweet and slow-paced approach to the story. Both characters hinted of having a sad backstory, but that wasnt the focus of the story and was only slightly brushed upon, instead they decided to keep it light and palatable that unfortunately if you look closer may make you feel that the show lacked depth. The intention of the show is just to show life is better experienced with someone you love!

Of course it didnt hurt that they cast two very good looking leads and the Japanese robotic (that should have been patented by now) acting worked out great in its favor. To be perfectly honest, nothing much has been happening every episode and the whole series would have been perfectly ok in maybe 6 episodes but seeing both of the actors just being cute together is enough to keep me watching the show. I also liked Isumi's friends especially Yohei, who acted more like a fairy god BL mother in the story.

HOWEVER, in what feels like a big clickbait BL thirsttrap, I initially thought that they were spoiling the story in the credits sequence which showed a lot of scenes of Isumi and Kyosuke being sweet together and holding hands in public. The truth is those sequences wasnt even shown in the actual series (the same exact sequence and a just a tad more was just shown in the last few minutes as a closing montage of their time together). There was even a time around the middle episodes when i was even questioning whetherthis was in fact just a bromance show and a one-sided unrequited love and that Amasawa only really saw Isumi as a younger brother and Isumi was only misinterpreting Amasawa's actions. Every next episode preview would tease us that something sweet will be happening in the next episode only for it to turn out into nothing the next week. It only really paid off during the last few minutes of the finale and by that time you feel like you just havent seen enough of the two as a couple together.

With that consideration aside, i still feel like it is a good enough show that would even be better binged in a day or two seating. Will i recommend the show? Yes definitely. Will I rewatch? Maybe not entirely.

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Cultural shock

I don't throw around the word "masterpiece" a lot, but if there's one, it's this drama. Back in the day I remember I was watching, and enjoying, a certain American show about politics. Then I came about watching Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan and I could never look at that other show the same. The intrigues and politics within the imperial harem made the other work feel like it was targeted at school kids.

Now, I don't mean to trash that other show. it was objectively good in its own right. But the reaction I had to Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan was akin to a cultural shock. The script, the dialogues, the thoughts of characters, their motivations and actions were so intelligent in my eyes, I couldn't get over the fact that at the end of the day, it was just a piece of entertainment.

The show has an impressive number of 76 episodes, but there's not a dull moment. The epic story spanning over the years had me gripped, worried, angry, scared, cheering for love and in constant awe. The pacing is phenomenal, the acting really good, the writing is perfection.

I love that the show is not simply set in historical setting, but characters are acting according to times and their position within the society. Some historical dramas feel like they're simply using historical aesthetics for telling modern stories. Not in here. The main character is an extremely intelligent, well-educated woman, but she knows what is the appropriate behaviour expected of her.

Which leads me to my other point. This is a show about women, featuring a lot of great female characters. Some of whom are incredibly strong and formidable. But the way it's done is not through girl bossification, cardboard stick figure character portrayal, who's just as smart as dumb are her opponents. This is a story of truly wise women, who use their power smartly. And as this drama shows, not always is the loudest person the most formidable enemy and the most dangerous ones are the ones you don't see coming. Consort Hua and what happens to her being the case in point (I love her character to the bits, by the way).

This drama is a 10/10. Absolutely fantastic.

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Whatever you do, you can't change what is destined to happen!

A story of a lost soul who tries to make things right in the present after being in the future for 4 minutes. 

It had a grand start filled with thrills, naked white butts, and lots of anticipation of great content. Another BL with a time travel theme got me interested in watching. It was going very well; I understood what was going on and created a link in my mind. But soon after episode 4, things started going downhill. I lost track of what was going on and totally got confused with the storyline. If I were to name a drama as a show-off, then this is the shinning example of it. Wait, this is literally synonymous to BOC now!

Even though I understood what was happening at the last 4 minutes of EP 8, in general the story feels like a fever dream where you feel like you understand the situation but still can't figure out what and why that is happening. And after waking up, you completely forgot what it was all about. The storyline is so erratic that I lost interest in the middle. There were different storylines, and they wanted to give attention to every one of them, but while doing that, they lost the actual significance of the show. Maybe it's not that complicated, but sure, it is confusing. Still, I watched it because I wanted to reach the conclusion. So I can't really point out what I liked or disliked, as I feel like I'm in a daze to conclude anything. 

It had a big budget, great artists, and beautiful and aesthetic cinematography, but it fell short in terms of storytelling and binding the whole thing together. Again, it is proved that BOC failed to deliver a compelling story and tried to hide it with NC scenes and handsome faces. I had high expectations, but now I'm utterly disappointed. I can't rate this show high just because of its high content value. I do enjoy the complicated storylines, but I can't lose my brain cells over 8 episodes of content. Maybe I'm too dumb for this; it's not for me.

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Cross-cultural love

I'm a sucker for cross-culture love dramas. Usually they flopped because the leads couldn't understand each other. Particularly bad have been some Japan-China or Japan-Taiwan tie-ups. It was pretty clear the leads didn't understand each other.

Most recently there was another Japanese-Korean drama called Eye Love You which was great too because the leads understood each other. However, it soon became draggy and tried to achieve too many things, probably because it had more episodes than were needed.

In this drama, I read that FL learned Japanese for the role and it shows as both clearly understand each other and can react accordingly. This is a simple sweet and short love drama! Fast moving too. Loving it!

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The award for the BEST INTRODUCED DRAMA goes to "Dear Hyeri"

What a start......... I would say. The first two episodes of this drama are a 10/10 for me. The way they portrayed the character's intro without any confusion........the clarity of the plot.............wow, I am still in awe.

I haven't watched any kdrama with a similar plot so this is like a beautifully executed story I would say. I think the first two episodes narrated the story and now what is left the WHY & HOW.

Coming to the Acting & the visuals - only one word: MIND-BLOWING. Can anyone have any complaints with Shin Hye Sun's acting....no....NEVER. The MLs are really good looking especially Kang Hoon and I really liked their acting. I didn't even know that these MLs existed but I'm just 2 eps in and I really am loving Kang Hoon......he's soooooo freaking handsome and with his acting &visuals, I can't get him out of my head.

But yeah, considering the synopsis it is really hinting that hye-sun and jin-wook are going to be the endgame, but I really want hye-ri and Joo-Yeon to end up together :(

Until now I have no complaints regarding anything but I am a little bit concerned about how the plot and the leads relationship is going to progress. Please do give us a Happy Ending......is all I am hoping.

PS - Great Start!! Have to see if it stays the same throughout.....

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Pretty funny at times

Sep 2024
Bit of fun with a mildly darker element running in the background, as a "too nice to be true" detective (who tries to cover it up by being off-hand), from a somewhat haphazardly run crime team, meets a cold, but brilliant neuro scientist, who's fallen from grace and gets assigned to the team.
The team is overseen by an awful man, stuck in the past, who has a huge complex, using his senior position to verbally bully a mild and weaker character on his team. That's meant to be comical, but often fell very short.
There are very funny moments though, but also the overly silly ones so often included, too.
The idea that psychopathy can be mapped in the brain, is based in fact, but the methods in this make for the darker element, as does the mystery of the death of a main character's parents.
I liked the cast and enjoyed it overall. Would make a good filler whilst waiting for episodes of a currently airing drama.

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Best BL for 2024

Initially having second thought watching this show. Since netflix already have some episodes available i gave the show a try. To my suprise the show was so good. Actors are all good. Music used on the show added more depthness and emotion in some scenes. The chemistry between the two leads were spot on. The show gave me the craving to watch it till the end.

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Actors: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Supporting Cast: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Music: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I guess im not the only one hoping for season 2. Majority are begging for it. Aside from the main cast, im also excited for the story of the 2 teachers, the storybof the parents specially the introduction on Jiang 's father, Gao and Chilli's story is exciting too.

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season2

I completed this serie in 1 day because I was really excited for it and overall I really loved it and the chemistry was on top.
and the ending was sad but I get sheng a lot he likes him but he can’t because they are brothers and maybe that’s why he failed the exam to distance himself from tian and maybe that’s why tian asked him if he also lied to the teachers about that.
I also think that tian likes sheng because he made him happy and he also thinks about him and he knows sheng likes him.
I really hope to get season 2 asap cause I need the ending we all need.

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Another Disappointment

I thought I'd give this series another try, hoping that the team would do a better job this time. Episode 1 & 2 got me quite excited. I dropped this series after Episode 3. What's wrong with writers these days... Please don't insult your viewer intelligence time and times again. Would any sane person willing to make an appointment with an unknown sadistic serial killer in a desolate place without bringing any kind of weapon or camera to take footage for evidence? Also the said police that tailing them, where were they? Or does the writer thinks that South Korea have such an incompetent police department? Really writer? Really?

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A very mediocre drama

To be honest, I expected a lot more from this drama and yes, the only reason why was because the last time I saw Shin Min ah in anything was Hometown Cha Cha Cha which is for sure one of my top 5 dramas ever.

I guess the best way to explain how mediocre it is, is by telling you that I really don't care at all about the two main characters. I don't care about them individually and I don't care about them as a couple. The only reason why I'm still watching it is because of the side couple. That's really it.

To me it feels like that they are just trying to do too much instead of doing one thing well. The premise of the female lead getting fake married because she realizes that she's losing out on being single could work great if it were a very lighthearted drama (think Business Proposal), but instead they decided to mix this with serious topics such as abuse, children being abandoned by their parents, the foster care system etc. which just doesn't work.

There are very very few dramas out there that are able to cover tough topics well and still make a drama that is very light & bright at times - and this drama surely isn't one of them.

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Disappointing

Honestly, it wasn’t that great—it was just… meh. It’s watchable, but I was expecting more.

With only seven episodes instead of the ten from season one, everything felt super rushed and kind of dull. There were so many plot holes, and the conflicts didn’t feel fresh or exciting. Plus, there were a ton of backstories that really needed more attention. I mean, a hundred years is a long time! The events and relationships built up over that time just didn’t get the focus they deserved.

Yeah, the action scenes were cool, but it felt like they were trying to make up for the weak plot with all the action and CGI. Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee are great actors, so no complaints there. But the script was a bit too cheesy and pretentious for my taste. You could tell they were going for some deep philosophical stuff, but it didn’t really land.

Honestly, I think season one was way better. They should’ve built more on that story in the same era and maybe just made the present-day stuff an epilogue. I really wanted to like this season—I was pretty excited for it—but it was a letdown compared to how rich and creative season one was.

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The summer of youth.. and the midsommer night's dream

Haaah..
I needed to let it just stew for a while after that finale because the feels.. all the feels I'm feeling.. haaah..

Between the poetic vibe and the bright lens they used to tell the story, there's a ton of whiplash on what you think you're supposed to experience, but none of that matters, because watching this is an experience in itself. I was left contemplating the meaning behind their actions as they left them in a sad and vulnerable state, while experiencing joy beyond explanation just by watching two people become the entire world to each other.

I love those bonds, just pure love. Where you know what the other person is thinking, can anticipate what they're feeling, when you know them better than they know themselves on every sort of level. The melancholy and excitement, and the growing pains of being a teenager who is suddenly thrust into unfamiliar and uncomfortable environments only to end up finding the one person who is going to be their entire life was so incredibly moving to watch.

A lot of my words until now have been vague and philosophical, so let me just say this, they perfectly managed to encapsulate the feelings of being in a new environment and then discovering that it's more home than anywhere else. Budding friendships, familial ties, first love, and all the confusion, happiness and pain that comes with it.. just perfect.

This was more than just a romance, not only because that wasn't the only focus of the story, or because they weren't the only couple in the story, no. It was because, more than a romance, this was a story of love. A love I can't quite explain, so it's best to watch and experience it firsthand.

Where's my season 2 though :(

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A very good drama, so close to being amazing

Is Moving a good drama? For sure.
Is it worth watching? Definitely.
Is it a 10/10? Sadly no.
But it could have been.

I only started watching Moving almost a year after its first episode aired. I didn't really know anything about it except for the fact that it was a very popular drama in 2023. That was it. I didn't know anything about the storyline, or even what genre it is.

Still, my expectations were high. Due to all the hype, I was sure I'd probably binge all 20 episodes in a week or so. Instead, the first few episodes felt very slow to me. I just didn't get the appeal. Sure, I liked the characters (it's basically impossible not to to start smiling anytime Bongseok shows up on screen cause he is just too adorable), but the story just didn't pull me in.

At first, I was blaming this to the fact that I haven't been into action dramas in a long time. Sure, I was a big fan of Heroes when they started airing almost 20 years ago (which Moving felt very similar to) and liked other "supernatural" shows like Smallville (yes, I'm *that* old) or LOST.

It wasn't until episode 8 when Dooshik first shows up & we watch him meeting Mihyun that I said to myself "OK, now I get. I love this." Those were two spectacular episodes that were unfortunately followed up by 2 mediocre ones. Don't get me wrong - I liked seeing Joowon's backstory, how he met his wife and became a member of the Black team. It just felt too dragged out.

Soon I realized that the whole drama was like that. It just kept going up and down again and again. There was one episode that was good and you got really into it, but then it was followed by another one that you were itching for it to end. With so many characters it just felt like the writers didn't know how to pace the show and include the details of the side characters in a way that didn't bring the entire drama down a notch.

Fight scenes were another problem. There were just too many of them and they were much too long. When you see Joowon get stabbed, hit or shot at for the 1000th time, it just seems like too much. I constantly found myself skipping ahead.

I like how they humanized "the enemy" by showing how and why the North Korean unit came to be, but it just felt a bit sloppy. They sprinkled in the crumbs of how most of the North Korean soldiers didn't really believe in their mission, but at the same time they were fighting both the adults and the kids to get the files and do what they were told.

To top it all off, the ending felt rushed. Why did Bongseok go in hiding all of a sudden? Why did the North Korean soldier get a nice & heartwarming scene of how he basically got "adopted" by Joowon & Heesoo, but the Doosik, Mihyun & Bongseok family reunion felt so underwhelming?

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