Reviews

Enjoyable Watch Despite Flaws

When this recently appeared on Netflix I jumped at the chance to see Park Shin Hye as a 19 or 20-year-old - the age she pretended to be in the recent series Undercover Miss Hong. The Miss Hong series had the good sense to poke fun at the idea that a 36-year-old Shin Hye could pass for a 20-year-old new hire. In this series, we get to see her as she was way back then.

This romantic dramedy appeared in 2009 and was an early effort by the Hong sisters who also wrote The Master’s Sun, A Korean Odyssey, Hotel del Luna, Alchemy of Souls, Can This Love Be Translated, and the upcoming Grand Galaxy Hotel, a sequel to Hotel del Luna.

Shin Hye plays both genders in a boy-girl twin duo. This girl lives in a convent and works at an orphanage where apparently she and her twin brother grew up. She is a devout, innocent and very clumsy novice about to leave for Italy to become a nun. Her twin brother, a major rock music star, develops a health problem and is secretly sequestered in a US hospital. His agent persuades her to assume her brother’s identity and join an existing popular rock band as the new fourth member temporarily until her brother returns to resume his identity and continue his career. So we have her trying to pass as a guy, and as her secret gets revealed little by little, the romantic angle emerges because the innocent novice has strong primal urges towards one of the rock stars, and of course, he returns the favor. Dramatic complications set in when long ago connections among parents begin to slowly emerge. Lots of secrets that cause pain as they get revealed.

Is there such a thing as identical boy-girl twins? No. There can only be fraternal twins. Does she look and act remotely like a guy? No. So that’s why this leans towards a 16-hour-long situation comedy. A situation comedy is based on dumb decisions and plot twists that are at best highly improbable, and we get an abundance of both. We have to overlook the obvious that the characters in the story seem oblivious to.

The biggest flaw is in its direction. Perhaps because the situations are so outlandish, the director decided to run with it and apparently had his actors and, in particular, the two leads, Shin Hye and Keun Suk, display over-the-top exaggerated facial expressions. I found myself in several scenes reimagining how the actors might have done the script lines minus the exaggerated expressions and acting we were treated to. This is particularly true for Shin Hye. The direction mishaps are not limited to facial expressions. In an early scene, Shin Hye is sneaking through a room using the high stepping Pink Panther walk! Or she does this tiny mincing walk that no guy would ever do. I’m sure she was directed to do that. And I suspect she and they were encouraged, if not outright told, to perform as they did. I suspect once this series was released these flaws pretty much ended the director’s career.

However, despite the above points, I couldn’t resist and looked forward to watching each new episode, and that was because the story was well written, and the heart of the characters came through strongly.


Possible Spoiler Below




A weakness in the script was the lack of an attempt to put the twins together in the same scene, something hard to do for obvious reasons but noticeably lacking. There were needed script additions to cover glaring holes. Throughout the story, the girl never talks to her brother by phone which would be so easy to do. Towards the end, when he returns to Korea, it is inconceivable that they would not get together to exchange information. As she uncovered certain truths and secrets regarding their common past, it is extremely unlikely she wouldn’t tell him. It was therefore necessary to deal with the fact that she would contact him and he would have reactions to these truths which would impact his presence in the rock group. At a absolute minimum there should have been at least a few lines, perhaps a phone call, in which she indicates she told her brother something of these important details, e.g. their mother is in fact dead, how she died, THE MOTHER’S NAME! The script, perhaps because of budget issues and time constraints, left these gaping holes and kind of too hurriedly finished things up.

The ending between the two leads felt truncated. Usually, we get more satisfying wrap-ups and we learn more about the happy ending, but this one just had one real feel good scene and then left us hanging.

Despite these flaws, I found it an enjoyable watch and well worth the time.

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10/10 Hsiao-chuan Chang Should Be A Star!

10/10 Hsiao-chuan Chang Should Be A Star!
In a perfect world actor Hsiao-chuan Chang would be a star.
He is the most subtle and sexiest actor I have seen in decades. His face is a knockout---especially his perfect lips.
But the innocence he brings to his character is heart stopping.
Eternal Summer is a subtle and sexy Taiwanese movie that is beautifully directed and written by Leste Chen. Every scene and camera shot is perfection.
I found myself going back and watching scenes over and over again---especially, of course, the highly erotic love scene between male actors Bryant Chang and Hsiao-chuan Chang.
Gorgeous. Sexy. Subtle. True.
Bravo.

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9/10 I'm not Japanese but...

From the start of this movie I was captivated by the gentleness of things I know from my life. The love story is played so very well by very competent actors dealing with a world that may be dangerous or end up being heavan itself.
Choppy waters that we all swim in the madness that we live in.
The connection and care and love is very real here, so many parts of this film I have lived myself and I am so grateful for the people who made this story into film.
Not hard to say but as a gay man everywhere in the world I've been...we have the same/similar things about us and this sensitive, strong, human story speaks for many of us, thank you film makers and all who constructed this for its honesty, much respect.

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10/10 Difficult to translate

10/10 Difficult to translate////////////////////////////////
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This movies is seriously difficult to translate. After reading some of the reviews, I can see how the subtitles cannot hurdle past the culture gap. Yes, there're a lot of yelling.
Yes, the screenplay seems messy. But the story is told through the eyes of a young teenager, coming to term with his father's death and is confused by the surrounding mess and emotions. You really have to read between the lines in order to understand how each of the characters is coping with the trauma. I really enjoyed the film despite the yelling.
It's worth the watch.

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10/10 Our beautiful Wang Jinghan

10/10 Our beautiful Wang Jinghan//////////////////////
…………………………………………………………………- Best actors with superb performance and no one can replace them. A beautiful story and the way everyone is doing their parts are incredible... Specially our Wang Jinghan as pei yanzhi....what a lovely performance..how he is devoting his love without expressing it to the one he love...the eyes that speaks woahhh...a great
performance..love you all and all the best to you all...and I really love everyone's performance...…..You must Watch !

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heartwarming

The drama follows Qing Ye and Xing Wu from their high school years into adulthood, allowing viewers to witness not only the evolution of their relationship but also their personal growth. Rather than focusing solely on romance, the story explores dreams, family struggles, friendships, and the difficult process of discovering who you want to become.
What Dazzling offers is a warm, heartfelt, and refreshing journey filled with growth, friendship, first love, and the feeling of finding your place in the world.

Without a doubt, my favorite aspect of the series was Zhazhating. More than just a setting, the town becomes the soul of the drama. Its streets, its people, and its strong sense of community create an atmosphere that feels incredibly authentic and comforting. The coastal scenery and small-town charm give the drama a unique identity and contribute greatly to its nostalgic and healing atmosphere.

The romance itself is sweet and easy to root for. Qing Ye and Xing Wu complement each other beautifully, and their relationship develops naturally over time. I particularly appreciated that the drama allows them to influence each other's lives in meaningful ways. Their story is not built on endless misunderstandings or unnecessary drama, but on mutual support and shared experiences. Guan Xiaotong and Li Yunrui also have a very comfortable chemistry that makes the romance feel genuine and effortless.

What surprised me most was how relaxing the drama felt. There is a lightness to Dazzling that makes it incredibly easy to watch. It captures the emotions of youth, summer, and small-town life without becoming overly sentimental. The story has a gentle pace that allows viewers to simply enjoy spending time with the characters and their world.

That said, I do think the final part of the drama was weaker than the rest. Some developments felt rushed, and a few storylines could have benefited from more time and attention before reaching their conclusion. After such a carefully built journey, the ending occasionally seemed eager to tie everything together too quickly. However, while I was not completely satisfied with every narrative choice near the end, I still found the conclusion emotionally satisfying and consistent with the overall tone of the drama.

Overall, the charm of Zhazhating, the warmth of its people, and the gradual growth of the characters created a world that was easy to become attached to. It felt like spending time in a place you wouldn't mind visiting again.

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Rare gold, not pure and perfect but brilliant

I recommend this drama to those who are tired of serial killer and revenge thrillers like me. I'm pretty selective about the shows I watch, and I rarely finish any these days, but I was hooked on this one all the way through, except for the last episode or two. The ending does feel like a letdown, but that's common in most movies and TV shows anyway. In summary, I would compare this drama to the Fargo series in terms of storyline, mood, and graphic violence. I'm fine with the fact that the main character isn't a super smart, kick-ass heroine. She's just an average nobody, much like Woogy. But Woogy is endearing, while the main character's journey makes her more unlikable as it progresses. Typically in this case, a tragic ending or just consequence helps redeem the protagonist's mistakes and crime. The theme music has a dark and sad vibe, and the opening graphic with the glowing gold tower feels like a dream, hinting that all this running and chasing might be for nothing. So, the unexpectedly happy ending feels a bit off and seems like a cheap way to set up another season. Even with some flaws and holes, this drama is a gold flake in sand.

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I had never considered China's position in World War 2 and this drama really forces you to confront that. Between the internal strife of the Communist vs Nationalist parties, Japan's occupation of China and the realities of world war 2, there is plenty of action in this show. Despite that, it is quite slow-paced. The drama focuses on a group of scholars from Fuhua university and the Hanguang Squadron in the Chinese Air Force. Despite a big cast, the series does a good job of getting you to care about all the characters.

I really enjoyed how heatfelt the story was, and how much intrigue was wrapped into it. I would not have usually picked this style of show, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. Themes of loyalty, stife and corruption were deeply interweaved, and of course, a deep sense of patriotic pride which cannot be escaped when one encounters a war drama.

** Spoilers below **
Meng Haitang and Zhang Qi were so endearing, and while they did not have a lot of screen time their love story is so endearing. Haitang was such a resolute character, and I really enjoyed her quiet resilience. Also, in my opinion, she is made of iron because what do you MEAN she walked from Beiping to Kunming in the midst of a war? She's incredible.

I really appreciated the tension of Zhang Qi being an incredible pilot and not being able to fly. I think the writers really encapsulated what some soldiers who were injured may have felt. Zheng Nianqiao's consistent and fierce loyalty was my favorite part about him. He was a stellar chacracter and I was rooting for Qianying the whole time.

For a war drama almost solely focused on the impacts of the war, this drama did a great job of pulling you into the lives of these characters and their various stories. Of course, it's still a drama and it had its' melodramatic moments but all in all I enjoyed it.

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overall good watch

so i usually hate old kdramas but i end up still watching them because something about the cliche storylines and characters just keeps me going and dream high is the perfect example of that. the only reason i started it is because of the star cast and ok taecyeon whom i absolutely love. But this drama actually gave more than what i expected. The pace of the story is really good. They don't hang onto anything the story keeps going so it doesn't get boring. The character development of annoying characters was pretty good as well ( i still hate baek hee and will not forgive her for the flower pot thing). It was more of a coming of age drama about friendship and dreams than romance. There was a love triangle like most old kdramas but both the leads were good, no one sabotaged the other, although the pair that ended up together wasn't the one i was rooting for but thats okay because as i said this show was more about friendship than romance.

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It was good until it wasn't. Worst climax ever

When I see the name ZeeNunew on a drama I just know they're gonna bore me by dragging things out. I came here cz i saw quiet some edits and thought this might be different. They always have this amazing production, acting, chemistry etc but then the story gets soo dragged it makes me sleepy. For the 1st time that didn't happen here. 75% of the movie was really good. It was interesting. Kinda gave Khemjira vibes to me. The plot was plotting. The acting was amazing. Things made sense until... it didn't.

The story is about this woman (ghost) who is trying to seek revenge on her husband's lover who according to her stopped her husband from loving her although she literally forced a gay man to marry her. This ghost is like trying to kill the lover's nephew. Here I was like bro he is not his son so why? Ok blood related digestible i guess but then this ghost only started seeking revenge after he comes to the house🙄.. she was like she couldn't hurt the lover cz he became a priest which means she could hurt the nephew but didn't all these years. The nephew is literally her grandson's boyfriend who she sees falling in love with the nephew and still kills him. Fine all this is like... ok some logic. The reason she stops this killing spree where she tries to kill her grandson n his lover is cz the husband and his lover say sorry for something they never did and the son asks her to stop. This was like a half ass apology n stopping. Like she didn't know she was hurting her grandson. I don't think my words can explain how horrible that climax was.

Also that lover who becomes a priest wth like you guys are soo in love enough to still smuggle ur lover into the house after marriage how the hell did u become a priest and what about that glorious love?? N the husband sigh

Anyways for me the highlight was namping in a kinda negative light. I was shocked to see him🤭🤭. He slayed the role tho. I think i liked the 2nd couple much better. It was more like stop putting your energy into someone who doesn't treasure it instead give ur love to someone who does kinda plot which i liked. I'd have liked the 1st couple minus the bs in the middle

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When a Courtroom Drama Gets Everything Right

A surprisingly gripping legal drama that balances intelligent courtroom cases with one of the most compelling mature love triangles in K-drama. Unlike many legal shows that rely on melodrama, The Good Wife delivers well-written cases, morally complex characters, and excellent performances across the board.

Jeon Do-yeon is phenomenal as Kim Hye-kyung, a former lawyer rebuilding her life after her husband’s political and sexual scandal destroys their family. The romance is slow-burn, emotionally nuanced, and refreshingly adult.

A remake that not only respects its source material but also stands strongly on its own.

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unique plot

Overall: with tighter writing this would have been a 9.5. 8 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/41508c-the-lie-we-lived-in#episodes

Content Warnings: past murders, murders, attempted murder, blood, manipulation, held against will, violence

What I Liked
- different plot from what we normally see
- chemistry/tension
- mystery

Room For Improvement
- 3 main characters all did stupid things like telling something they shouldn't, leaving things on a wall, etc., that supposed police officer was more stupid than the average person would have been in that situation
- final episode was rushed and there was quite a lot of nonsense stuff (police didn't find it suspicious with the body count that 1 person was completely fine???)

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"You humans love to blame fate for everything but fate is nothing more than a web woven by a myriad of choices of your making."

This was my first kdrama and it was such a wonderful journey. I enjoyed it so much. I used to wait for the episodes. I loved the characters. Main leads' chemistry is soo beautiful- "So it was match made in hell,not in heaven."
The comedy is much off ,even the supporting actors at Do DoHee's office have not much to add to the plot or humor for this drama. But there are few moments - like GuWon defending him being demon by slandering the other mythical ones was just so funny -"Old dragon king","Beefy smurf genie", "Mosquito vampire", "Pokemon", "Lowly goblin" and The married couples' fight- "I had a fight with Do DoHee and She's been playing hymns and chants from all religions all day."
There was a scene where there were small vacuum cleaner in shape of puppies -It was soooo cuteee.
After watching it the second time my thoughts are mostly similar. The sprinkler kiss scene is absolutely heaven-its so beautiful and aesthetic, even the bts to this scene is so hot and lovely. The antagonist is creepy as hell and amazing. I enjoyed the take regarding Abraxas and the bird. As a reader of "Demian" by Hermann Hesse, it was interesting to watch how they will interpret its meaning. Song Kang playing the demon was both hot and funny. Kim You jung is just amazing as always, she always gives justice to the characters she acts. The major twists and secrets were also interesting even thought it's repetitive. There are many beautiful scenes - Their first meeting, the sprinkler kiss, the umbrella scene, the butterfly one, beach scenes, photo studio one , Jeong Gu-Won saving Do-DoHee both times and in all her life, the demon being obsessed with couple things and the famous Tango scene- it was sooooo beautiful and amazing. It is actually an interesting and entertaining drama . A must watch.
Despite its few flaws I am giving it a full stars because I love this drama.

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Purple Rain

Dusk settles with a tinge of red bleeding into the darkening blue skies, and purple rain weeps over the hilly, undulating landscape—foreshadowing bloodshed. On this rainy jiāng hú night, dangerous men seek libation and shelter from the storm at a remote inn, apparently at ease but with weapons close at hand. A harmless exchange rapidly escalates into violence—the loss-of-life-and-limb kind of violence—in the blink of an eye. Linglong, a young lady fleeing marriage and thirsty for adventure, bravely intervenes to rescue a mute boy and my dog. An inscrutable lone swordsman, his chiseled features half-hidden by a dǒulì (斗笠), watches impassively. When he enters the fray, he is at a disadvantage—injured and far from invincible. Yet the lithe, latent power and efficiency in his motions convey that he is still not to be underestimated. The stage is set, and the stakes are real. I was hooked—and not just because my dog opened the show.

Zhan Zhao Adventures is a thrilling and atmospheric old-school mystery wuxia. The melancholic, rain-swept opening reflects the Chinese title 雨霖铃 / Yǔ Lín Líng (Rain Bells), a classic Song dynasty ci poem about Emperor Xuanzong's grief-stricken flight during the An Lushan Rebellion—of mournful carriage bells ringing in the rain, reminding him of his beloved consort Yang Guifei. In the context of the drama, it evokes the political intrigue and struggles Zhan Zhao faces as he weighs justice for his lost friend against duty, and the cost of being a hero in a flawed system. The drama is adapted from fanfic writer minifish's reimagining of the beloved classic Qing dynasty wuxia The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants (七侠五义, Qī Xiá Wǔ Yì), featuring the core heroic ensemble that helps Judge Bao fight corruption and solve cases. In minifish's alternate universe, Judge Bao remains firmly offscreen; the story hones in on Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang's famous rivalry, sidelining and friend-zoning Ding Yuehua. The female lead, Huo Linglong, is a minifish creation.

This is an action-oriented, largely plot-driven story, and on those fronts, it delivers spectacularly. Zhan Zhao teams up with Linglong and Bai Yutang to unravel a deeply entrenched conspiracy that has spun a vast web of influence across jiāng hú's most influential sects and corrupted the nation's most important bureaucracies. Together, they must discover and disarm the Four Divine Lords, who each spearhead one leg of the conspiracy and operate semi-independently to avoid exposure. While this kind of court intrigue plot has been done before, and the final villain's motive lacks depth and gray morality, his power play is well structured to cover the crucial military, financial, civil, and martial aspects. Though not overly convoluted, some character digressions in the middle arcs distract from the overarching plot.

The action is the drama's strongest feature—old-school, classic martial arts choreography: grounded, fast-moving, fluid, and intense. Everything I expect of this genre and more. The sharp contrast between Bai Yutang's wildly aggressive, hard-hitting, and tricky combat tactics and Zhan Zhao's more restrained, composed, and defensive approach is immediately visible. Yang Yang's prowess and finesse at pulling off fantastic stunts himself in long, continuous fight sequences has won wide and well-deserved praise. I just want to highlight that Fang Yilun held his own in a way that also impressed me. Zhang Ruonan is the weak link, with her heavy use of body doubles and unconvincing, floppy, wobbly fight sequences. Less would have been more.

Where the narrative stumbles is in the character arcs—they are not that well written and weigh on the pacing of the plot. While I enjoyed the camaraderie and spirit of adventure among the trio, Linglong strikes me as a rather aimless character fleeing an unwanted marriage with no goals or motivations of her own. While romance shouldn't drive the plot in a wuxia, I wouldn't have minded if she tagged along simply because both her and Zhan Zhao's hearts were stirred. Bai Yutang is an opposite character to Zhan Zhao, whose core strength and fatal flaw is how he colors outside the lines. His is the more interesting role, and I would have liked to see more of his famous rivalry with Zhan Zhao before they fell into such an effortless bromance. Unfortunately, both his and Linglong's backstories are not that well told and are clumsily integrated into the middle plot arcs. The narrative fails to sell both Bai Yutang's connection to his brother and Linglong's to her aunt/gūgū. The supporting roles were mostly miscast—I could not connect the child actors with the adult actors' grief and devastation. The narrative digresses too long into their moping, Linglong and Yutang's conflict felt contrived, and the twists were overly convoluted in the Jin family/poison arc.

From the start, Zhan Zhao is already a fully realized character, so this is not about a hero's journey. The narrative heavily leans on the Chinese audience's deep familiarity with the character and only touches upon Zhan Zhao's origin story in the final arc, making his ethos difficult for international audiences to relate to. Yet the production's claim that only Yang Yang could have pulled off this role is no exaggeration. Beyond his ability to deliver technically flawless fight scenes, he simply looks the part of that solitary, chivalrous 大侠 (dàxiá)—the knight-errant who sticks to his ideals in the face of grief and extreme provocation. That said, while his acting continues to improve, Yang Yang doesn't quite convey the character's inner layers. This is partly a script issue, where too much lip service is paid to the ideal of legal justice as opposed to vigilante justice. It is all tell, not show. Judge Bao doesn't appear, so we never get to see Zhan Zhao's legal justice actually work onscreen. This leaves the false impression that justice was not served and the bad guys won. In this, the finale message left me even more confused—for it seemed to make the case for street justice instead.

All that said, I enjoyed the action-packed finale. Even though it wasn't the best fight scene, it was pretty damn good. There were some tears, some fears, its share of good and bad deaths, and a thought-provoking kind of justice. Most of all, it respects audience intelligence and is quite clear without quite spelling out everything.

Overall, this is one of the best classic mystery wuxias I have watched in years and deserves an 8.5/10 from me.

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