Reviews

The sublet was very horrible

Yes, it has bad sublet but I think my problem with it was at the ending when one of the female lawyers husband cheated on her she was never there for her husband and she wasn't really there for the kid until the husband got a job far away and when she fought one of her husband colleagues sleeping with him the woman told her talk to husband because men go through things. She ignored her advice, and then he finally cheated, because she was never there. It was weird for me watching this because she put more effort into checking to see if he will cheat instead of talking to her man and then it finally happened and then she won custody of the kid that she wasn't there 95% of the time to take care of that part made no sense, and then she got pregnant in the ending when this people wasn't even communicating that made no sense. It's left a bitter taste in my mouth and his lawyer kept bringing up his wife, might've cheated in his divorce case instead of talking about why father should have the kid instead of the mother when he's there most of the time when she isn't on the other end and she's going to have another kid when she isn't even there for the first one known she's going to have two kids and a promotion and a job that she has less time even in the end in one of the lawyers she helped tells her she works too much so it makes no sense I think they just wanted to give the female lead a win on the trial that didn't make no sense. If you think about it, how could you win a case of custody when you work so many hours and you're never there and now you have a second kid on a promotion that makes you spend more time at work and that's the ending is horrible.

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The concept & Choi Jin Hyuk brought me here but both lead actresses stole the show.

Ep 1: I have wanted to see Choi Jin Hyuk as a lead in a rom-com for a while so I eagerly put this on my watchlist when I first came across this. I also loved the concept of the drama. Both the lead actresses are terrific, especially Lee Jung Eun. Wow, she made the drama so much fun to watch. Her dance moves were just amazing and comedic at the same time. She definitely has more energy than I have ever had in my life. The scene where Mi Jin falls in the well is so visually good. The cat now, half of the time I thought that it was going to take a big chunk out of her & turn this entire thing into a horror show. Wow, finally there are shows that I can look forward to this month. For a while, there was only Lovely Runner.

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Pretty bad honestly

With the director and everything I thought this was going to be pretty good, but I full on got up and quit watching and went to shower. My partner finished the ending and told me about it, and Im glad I didn't sit through to finish it. Lots of harm and hate towards women. I get its the whole story, but after the first incident it is entirely on the ML's choices that the rest of the people get hurt because of his unwise and vengeful decisions. I dont need to watch a film being gorey / graphic towards women.

The beginning is decent, good set up, good motives, and I can't say it wasn't well filmed because it certainly was. Acting is well done, whoever wrote this is the problem. Story is bad. ML becomes just as bad as the villains and is leading on the harm towards other people. I told myself after another women got harmed that if he let the pedo kliller go ONE more time for his sh*tty selfish anger and someone died I'd be done with it. And that's exactly what happened. Would not recommend. Its not "good revenge" if you let other people die, get traumatized and then ask that person to then help the dude who literally just SA'd you. Seriously?

Being a decent film doesnt negate this terrible plo

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First Impression: Sunset x Vibes (uncut version)

Overall: I enjoyed the intro with its mysterious/sexy start, but the overused comedy sound effects ruined that vibe. The series is based on "Sunsetxvibes" by Rosesarin_ which I haven't read and I will review the series on its own merits. 12 episodes about 50 minutes each. Airing on iQIYI uncut https://www.iq.com/play/s2n3mgmw3x?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4

Content Warnings: thought there was one towards the end but then it wasn't (trying not to spoil things)

What I Liked
- the intro (and cinematography/styling)
- mystery/fantasy element
- visuals
- GL rep (not a fan of the dynamic right now though)
- supportive sibling
- supportive friends
- a funny moment of a character talking about if it was a movie and then it going into a flashback scene

Room For Improvement
- the pervasive comedy sound effects that did not make things funny
- tropey accidental fall and catch
- odd hazing stuff at that company
- did not care about the business scenes or backbiting coworkers, hopefully they don't keep having a lot of those
- very odd location for a first date and who poses at the door like that
- I was upset at something towards the end, but luckily it wasn't what I thought, the editing could have improved in that section

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boring, draggy, overrated

wanted to watch this drama for it's plot and storyline but it just was too boring, not sorry. started out first few episodes was okay, I didn't had much thoughts about it but as the drama progressed, I found myself struggling to stay awake or focus on this drama. It was purely so mild, there's no kick and DEFINITELY overrated, how did it even get good reviews? why was this even 50 episodes honestly, what a waste of my time thinking I would watch a high end drama with good actors but turns out just to be a lame story. The actors were good, no shade to any of them but honestly this type of drama is a type of drama the older generation would prefer, lousy and draggy just nice for grandma or grandpas.

how did this show get such good reviews though?! I'm so surprised, did the chemistry, bts, appearance of the MLs trick everyone's mind into give it 10 stars? honestly I already know the main reason for it's popularity, Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan ofc. They're popular everywhere and even BL category is hard to find nowadays in cdramas because of China's strictness, that's why their bromance is shipped by many and attracting many netizens to watching this boring drama..

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I liked it

I have rarely seen the ratings so varied as they are here for Doona! Reading through the reviews, the bad ratings probably come mainly from young and immature critics who didn't understand the ending (although you can watch a scene multiple times on Netflix) and who wanted the story to develop as they wished. Then we have a lot of psychologists among the viewers and those who can't step outside of their culture. Anyway - I liked Doona! and I liked Bae Suzy's restrained acting, she gave many scenes a deeper meaning with her facial expressions. I was actually prejudiced about seeing another drama with her after the really, really bad "Start-up". But she managed the broken character quite well!

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Le Sigh Part 2 - The Power of Love

Rated ?

My original review 27th April 24 -

Le Sigh

I really, really wanted to like this but I just couldn't get into it. I tried 3 times but my brain just won't let me accept a romantic relationship with a lead who basically acts like a child. If it was meant to be friendship I'd be fine but I'm expecting romance from a character who is basically a 5 year old in an adult body and I just can't move past that. Also, the harem of fairies. Oh please. My first, 2 months now as of writing this, adventure into chinese dramas, I'm starting to see a pattern of shows that just aren't for me.

Visually, this show is stunning. A lot of green screen LOL The sets are glorious. It even just looks like a chinese fantasy. Palaces floating in the sky. Ornate head pieces etc The opening credits were actually my favourite thing LOL the artwork had my mouth open and I think that's why I just really wanted to like this.

It's one of those shows, I think this is my 3rd one now, where everything looks so grand but I just don't like the characters. This time I at least liked the ML but that was it. You can't force yourself to watch a show that you're just bored to tears watching. It's like a christmas cookie. All visual, no flavour.

My updated review on 15th June 24

I wrote the above review after I had initially dropped the show but because I can't write two reviews, and people had like the previous review, I just had to delete and write this instead.

At the time, I was fairly new to c-dramas in general so I was just going on instinct at the time. I have now, thanks to Immortal Samsara, have learned that Xianxia's spend a lot of time laying out groundwork for the world building and characters before they give you the plot, which seems to be happening around episode 7 or 8. I dropped this show in the first minute or 2 of episode 8 and realised that I had probably dropped this minutes before the plot arrived. So out of curiosity, I went back to it, and if I had kept watching for another 5 or 10 minutes, I'd have seen the FL's bully get a glorious smackdown LOL
And I was right. The plot arrived with that event.

So I said, ok, I will give this one more chance. For the most part, my original review still stands. It was like Harry Potter all over again. The logical part of my brain can see why this is popular. It looks good, the characters, most of them redeem themselves, really love that Danyin's conclusion, that's awesome. It's a pretty cohesive plot through out, no major plot holes, all the characters had legit reasons, even if it was just obsession and had a really sweet message under it all.

But I just didn't like it. There was a cog in brain refusing to move and unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about that. I just didn't like. It was boring. I think it was around episode 20 when I really started to skipped scenes. I just wanted it to end.

Like I said in my first review, the ML made this show for me. He was the only one I was interested in. I love an anti-hero and to be honest, even as a villain, I loved him, he was hilarious. Everyone else who might have had a reason to stand out to me just faded into the background as the plot hooked them up in a side pairing I didn't care about.
That dragon. My man. How they wronged you by dampening down your potential.
And once again with Xianxia Immortals, the Emperor is the biggest A*hole and everyone is so self righteous without logic they make me support the villains.

My original rating was -
story -3 moved to a 7. I don't think the writing was too bad. It flowed well, it was understandable, the characters had their reasons and the narrative was very plain and simple - the power of love and obsession, and what it does to us.

Acting- went from 2- 6, this all because of Dylan Wang's portrayal of the ML. That's literally, he was the only reason I managed to finish the show. This was the Moon Supreme show for me. He gave good passionate kisses. I appreciate that for a chinese show that seemed to be scared of showing any lip movement whatsoever.

Music- 2-3 -Not much change to the music, I didn't really care for it and found it a little intrusive and loud over romantic scenes.

My rewatch remains the same though, at 1. I am unlikely to watch this again.

Overall, I can only give this one extra point simply because I loved the ML character. Everyone else, meh. I just didn't care.

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Good Filipino flavor

Nothing beats the original, but this adaptation is not that bad, they have the same vibe the comedy and cuteness is still there. They still have the same plot,as the original with a Filipino taste. The KimPau never fails their fans by giving them the Kilig factor that they are looking for.
The cast are all funny in their own little way. I was cringed in Cyrus character, he acts as if he is planning something it is so bothering. And annoyed in Paulo Avelino's big eyes acting, its so creepy for me, it never adds on his gwapo factor it makes him not good looking guy.
All in all I super enjoyed watching it, it adds a different flavor Although they follow every iconic scenes but they make sure that they add Filipino taste on it.

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Hierarchy: A Letdown

"Hierarchy" contains familiar K-drama elements: relentless bullying, unsolved murder, ultra-rich high school students, a poor student seeking revenge, drug and power abuse, and inattentive parents, similar to "Penthouse," "Sky Castle," and "Revenge of Others." However, it disappoints on multiple fronts. The story starts slow and only gains pace in the last two episodes, where the rushed and lackluster revenge plot finally begins. The ending feels abrupt and unsatisfying, leaving viewers with a sense of missed potential.

The characters are underdeveloped, making it hard to invest in their journeys. Despite a talented cast and high production values, the drama's exploration of heavy themes remains superficial, used more as plot devices than for serious commentary.
Nonetheless, I liked the male leads acting. If I could complete the drama it was because of them.

Overall, "Hierarchy" squanders its promising premise, failing to deliver a compelling or engaging narrative, and ends up being a waste of time for viewers expecting a gripping drama.

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Tremendous Improvement in the ML's Acting!

ML's acting [+]

I'm really excited watching the ML in this drama!

In his previous work, 'Snowstorm of Love', which was filmed the same year as this drama, his acting skills were much more unimpressive. In my personal ranking, he was the second worst in terms of performance.

But in this drama, despite the characters he played being similar, his performance is much different!

Both characters are solemn and calm, but in 'Snowstorm of Love', he was so stiff it hurt my eyes. It was annoying watching him try to be cool and unnatural whenever he appeared on screen. But in this one... wow! I gotta use the Chinese proverb 刮目相看 to praise him! He's made such progress that I can no longer see him with my old perspective. He is very charismatic in 'The Double' and I can't get enough of his screen time. I can watch him endlessly with anticipation about what his role's gonna do next without getting bored. It's amazing how my feelings toward him changed so drastically! (I finished watching 'Snowstorm of Love' less than a month before starting 'The Double'.)

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Director [~]
I think I have to praise the director the most for the ML's performance. There's no way he could improve this much in such a short time between the two dramas without great directing and guiding!

('Snowstorm of Love' was filmed from Jan-May 2023 and 'The Double' from May-Sep 2023. This actually also reflects on the director of 'Snowstorm of Love' (Remember, the ML of this drama was second to last in that drama? - The last one was the ML of 'Snowstorm of Love' himself...) In retrospect, the director of 'Snowstorm of Love' really had problems directing his cast.)

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Plot [+]
Apart from the director, I have to praise the plot. The story is great and complex, and it unfolds logically without any recklessness.

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Art Direction [~]
To be honest, the ML and the director's work aren't perfect, but their flaws are minor to me at this point as the ML's improvement has tremendously impressed me.

But if I have to mention their flaws, one obvious thing about the ML is that he looks much younger than the FL. His acting is on par with hers, but his appearance is obviously younger, even though he plays a role much older than hers.

For the director, there are some dignified scenes that end up looking laughable instead. For example, in the student competition scene, he has the FL and her three friends put their hands on their waists and walk intimidatingly towards the opponents. The FL's friend and her brother do a good job showing pride in that gesture, but the FL and her cousin look more like they're choreographing their bodies to walk on a catwalk, which is very out of place and out of character. This scene looks ridiculous to me instead of looking cool.

Moreover, many scenes are intent for beautiful visual without any meaning in them. For example, the cast would flick their robe into the camera while the camera moves backward creating a grandiose sense for that scene, but it's actually a scene without any grandiose point to recognize and this exaggeration only makes me feel their art direction is empty and meaningless. Or another example, there's this scene only for two rival characters to accidentally meet on the way home without any meaning for that own scene for the story forward, but the scene happens just for the visual art that the director wants. In this scene he just wants to show a visual of these two persons walking away from each other to their opposite directions under a rainstorm to symbolize their rivalry. The scene happens so unnaturally and points out how inexpert the director is to maneuver and demonstrate a scene he wants to have. There're a lot of forceful scenes like this scattering along the drama which annoy me more and more as time passes.

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FL's acting [~]
By the way, the FL has also done a great job with her acting, but it's not perfect, either. Sometimes, you can tell her facial expressions are choreographed and not genuinely felt. For example, sometimes when she makes her facial expression to look femininely cute when she's with the ML, it looks so fake -_- Since her personality is wise, experienced, and dignified (- and her natural mature face can't hide that she's already a mature woman as well), so when she shows a naive/innocent expression, it comes across as fake.

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Personal Enjoyment [+]
Anyway, I have no boredom watching each episode. I really enjoy it. It reminds me of how I felt about 'Nirvana in Fire'. Although I really like this drama, it hasn't reached the same level that 'Nirvana in Fire' made me crazy about it. That story was very dignified, wise, logical, and heart-wrenching. All the cast also made their characters perfect.

There are about 13 episodes left for me to go in this drama. Let's see how close this drama will get to 'Nirvana in Fire' when I finish the final episode.

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Love the casts

Love the drama❤️my favorite actors and actress. The story pretty good , ML and FL chemistry very good and love the happy ending .❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️?❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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